One of the uses of technology in healthcare is to provide a universal healthcare network that includes all services and caregivers and has no geographical restrictions. A truly connected system encompasses patient care beyond hospital care – anywhere, at home or anywhere in the world.
There are two important things to consider when looking at a fully connected system. First and foremost, the hospital, the health center and the private practice must be able to integrate, so that patient care is flawless. Second, there must be a network-based network at home.
At the health facility level, the electronic medical record (EMR) must be accessible to all caregivers of the patient. To that end, an expanded hospital information management system, which includes both clinical and administrative modules that can meet all the needs of a health or medical facility, is an excellent choice. This system should also be able to work for large or small medical offices.
We still have one such system in West Indies University Hospital. With this, we can develop a national EMR, after bringing in other similar remote services. Public and private institutions must be part of this health ecosystem to ensure that patients receive comprehensive and consistent care. One of the problems we have today is that patients can go to five different medical centers, each with its own record. There is no easy way to bring it all together. We have seen when and where a hospital may have three or more different paper records for the same patient. This can negatively affect the quality of care provided by the patient.
Home care
Outside of the setting of the health facility, home care is critical to treatment and prevention. Ideally, there should be a link between institutional care and care at home or in the community.
The concept of a smart home or i-home was mentioned a few years ago at a health technology conference. The principle is to provide electronic health care that connects the home to the doctor’s office or hospital so that patient care can continue outside of the facility. It also includes health and prevention.
What about the I-home The existing and simple technology that we already have can be incorporated into this concept. They may be from different sources but they must agree to work together. For example, a patient may use remote care devices such as heart and diabetes control devices from different manufacturers and connect to a doctor’s office.
It may also include other entertainment devices, such as the Amazon Alexa device for health information and medications. Electronic Pills Distributor may remind a person about the times he or she takes the pills or if he or she misses or does not reduce his or her prescription. All of this comes together through a telemedicine contact with a doctor.
The Tele Medication Platform allows the patient and doctor to talk about concerns, make follow-up appointments, and follow up. The doctor first has this option before deciding whether the patient should be seen face to face.
Interaction
To bring all of this together, there is a need for interaction at all levels so that they can communicate with each other without difficulty. Communication is crucial in healthcare technology and interaction makes this possible. In order to take full advantage of digitization, each component must be able to communicate with the other. The success of connected healthcare depends on our ability to share information with other organizations, sources, and devices in real time as needed. Once we have achieved this, we will see significant improvements in accessibility and overall public health. Healthcare technology is advancing worldwide and we must embrace it and seek all the benefits it offers.
– Doug Halsal is the Chairman and CEO of Advanced Integrated Systems. Email feedback to doug.halsall@gmail.com and editorial@gleanerjm.com