The Military Health System information management/information technology community observes Human Performance Optimization month in July in an effort to promote force health and readiness.

HPO is the combination of performance sustainment, optimization and enhancement that allows Service members to maintain health and be mission ready at all times.

“Sustainment maintains defined target performance levels throughout a career; optimization efficiently uses limited human resources through the process of Human Systems Integration; and enhancement takes the human beyond established and sustainable performance thresholds, most commonly through science and technology research,” wrote Air Force Col. Lex Brown, director of the Human Performance Integration Directorate of the 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Materiel Command. You can learn more about HPO from his contribution to the blog at Health.mil.

MHS IM/IT contributes to HPO through several programs and products. The Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System – Hearing Conservation, developed and maintained by Defense Health Services Systems, is used to track and prevent hearing loss in Service members. The military’s electronic health record and its component systems help maintain performance across the services. The National Center for Telehealth and Technology promotes optimal psychological health in Service members by researching, developing, evaluating and deploying new and existing technologies.

Access more education on HPO at the Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Navy Human Performance Optimization, the Military Operational Medical Research Program and here on health.mil.