Healthcare IT Technology To Improve The Efficiency Of Healthcare Systems
The world we live is becoming increasingly technology-driven. Every sector of the industry has embraced it due the fact that IT invariably improves efficiency and profitability. Now, IT has started percolating into the healthcare also. Information technology can be fruitfully amalgamated into the health care, be it the administrative matters or clinical matters. Healthcare IT technology has thus improved the quality of service provided at our hospitals.
Nine specialized spheres in hospital management have been identified where healthcare IT technology can be utilized easily. Electronic health record keeping, which include creating an electronic cabinet for each patient, which would contain all data like images, notes, healthcare records etc. This helps in easy tracking of patients, provides easy access to patient data etc which would aid greatly in providing continued quality service to patients.
Computerized provider order entry improves the medication ordering and fulfillment system. Lab orders, discharges, referrals, transfers, radiology studies etc also form part of this. Another important area where IT has influenced is the clinical support decision system, which provides real-time recommendations regarding diagnostic and medication to medical professionals. Issuing simple alerts, prescription drug interaction warnings, full clinical pathways and protocols etc comes under this area.
The fourth is the picture archiving and communication system where diagnostic and radiological images from devices like X-ray, MRI etc are captured, integrated, stored and disseminated on a need basis. Another field where health care IT technology has entered is the radio frequency identification which tracks the patients throughout the period he or she is in the hospital by the help of a wireless communication system.
Automated dispensing machines, electronic material management, interoperability between different organizations or hospitals, bar coding of healthcare environment are the remaining fields where IT can aid immensely. In short, incorporating the ever-improving healthcare IT technology in the day-to-day functioning of a hospital can greatly improve the efficiency of the healthcare staff as well as the supporting staff, enhance the comforts of the patient, make clinical operations easier and faster and thus improve the overall ambience of a hospital. After all, healthcare means putting the patients to ease and curing them.
