While the whole healthcare sector in the past two decades completely been shaped to its present hi-tech avatar it is now really hard for us to think of healthcare facilities without this cutting edge technological advancement, especially at a time when mobile devices and applications are reshaping the use of information technology in healthcare. From real time monitoring of patients and the healthcare deliverables to wide ranging applications on the handheld devices to the control of medical equipments to faster billing and less paperwork to better security measures information technology as a whole complete revolutionized the twenty first century healthcare and it no longer sounds ridiculous when we say that medicine went digital in our age. If matrix of quality and timeliness are concerned as the two most important aspects of modern healthcare then information technology is just irreversible a force.
A few statistical inputs will make you understand how enormous the scope of information technology in healthcare. According to the study conducted by some agencies US healthcare system accumulatively nationwide can save up to 81 billion dollars annually if the whole of it is converted in modernized IT based health care system. Though cost factors are secondary to the quality of healthcare as a priority, in many parts of the world for both reasons information technology and computing devices are increasingly embraced in the healthcare facilities. Let us now have a look at various aspects of the use of information technology in health care.
Computerized Physician Order Entry or CPOE
If elevating the quality of healthcare is the most important aspect attributed to the use of information technology in health care, then decreasing errors from physician prescription is one of the top benefits experienced by countless healthcare facilities all over the world. Errors in physician's prescription is the biggest area of error across the healthcare facilities and thanks to the wide ranging use of computerized physician order entry or CPOE this could be addressed in most efficient manner. As per many reports prior to computerization one hospitalized patient each day in every healthcare facility was vulnerable to prescription error and wrong course of medication.
Electronic Health Record or HER
When we refer to state of the art health care facility just consider don't we obviously presuppose that the facility would be well furnished with electronic facilities of maintaining health information and data? Yes, that is precisely electronic health record or HER, an obvious instance of the use of information technology in healthcare. From laboratory test results to over the counter medical billing to prescriptions to medical record processing, electronic health record is just irreplaceable from the healthcare facilities of modern day just because it reduced the error to a massive extent and enhanced the quality of service and care.
Use of Enhanced flow of Information in Elevating Quality of Healthcare
If use of information technology in healthcare made way for an in-depth elevation of qualitative measures then some aspects must be described with special emphasis and importance. You can surmise these aspects in three major parameters, respectively as quality measurement and reporting, medical product safety and surveillance and lastly comparative effectiveness of research and development. The scope of comparative analysis among healthcare facilities in different areas of expertise made it possible for the healthcare managers to target priorities and improvement and that resulted obviously in elevation of quality in overall healthcare. Today with the use of information technology and in hand devices that keep on informing about the drugs, medical equipments, risk factors and surveillance both the healthcare professionals and the patients can experience a better safety standard. Most important of all global medical research and its comparative study on each and every healthcare aspects are available now thanks to wide use of information technology. Thus in this new age of healthcare flow of information is playing the pivotal role behind qualitative developments.
Mobile Applications, the New Tech face of Healthcare
Mobiles and handheld devices and the wide ranging applications that it offers for the healthcare professionals exemplify the latest dimension that the use of information technology in healthcare is taking. Today for a healthcare professional, be it a doctor, a nurse or a laboratory technician there are wide varieties of specific function based applications and though these at the initial stage only were considered as funny they for some time now are enjoying increasing popularity as for their typical on the go, precise and error free maneuverability that can be mastered and accessed by a healthcare professional just with the fingertips. The most important aspects of the use of mobile applications in healthcare is improved access to healthcare by the patients, better qualitative improvement through real time information sharing and better engagement of both healthcare professionals and patients.
You want to enquire about specific drug information and for that want to consult drug database. Or you need to consult some expert's opinions to study on some complex cases. All of these are readily available on the screen of your handheld device while you on your duty or outside. As a professional in healthcare sector you can access the electronic data of a hospital remotely from your mobile device or can just engage yourself with other medical professionals in niche social network meant for healthcare or just can access the dosing information regarding a drug using a mobile application. Similarly consumers of healthcare also can access healthcare information and guidance using many mobile applications. From comparing healthcare facilities' credentials and pricing to real time consultation with the doctor or healthcare professionals to monitoring their schedule for taking drugs according to prescriptions, all can be done most conveniently by using various mobile applications. Thus in the new age of IT in healthcare mobile applications and devices offer more seamless and precision driven engagement of both healthcare professionals and consumers.
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