Can ICT solve our problem in healthcare…?

Prepared by:

Group 3 ; BSN II - QOA

• Calicoy, Rechel S.

• Sombise, Janen D.

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Information & Communications Technology (ICT) is part of so many aspects of our daily lives and the key for much innovation, including significant health innovations like MRIs.

ICT covers all forms of computer and communications equipment and software used to create, design, store, transmit, interpret and manipulate information in its various formats. Personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, transport systems, televisions, and network technologies are just some examples of the diverse array of ICT tools. A digitized system can support a shift to a patient-centric and wellness-focused healthcare system. With digitized healthcare, control moves to patients so that they can play a more proactive role in managing their own health. Ultimately, this will contribute to improving the quality of life and a more sustainable health care system. These sessions will explore best practices, both in terms of ICT and the deployment of a digitized system.

Studies in ICT include many disciplines, such as mathematics, information systems, physics and design. The skills acquired in an ICT degree can be applied to everything from satellites to iPhone apps, from CT scanners to computer games. ICT has led to an overall improvement in health care quality, safety and efficiency in the health care delivery system.

The health care sector is positively impacted by the use of electronic health records (EHRs), virtual healthcare teams, telemedicine, e-health grids and various specialist health care information systems.

EHRs facilitate easy communication of medical data between health care teams. In addition, the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has drastically reduced medical errors. The advantages of reducing medical errors include:

• Reduction in health care costs
• Increase in quality of health care delivery due to timely and accurate dissemination of information to health care providers
• Increase in administrative efficiency by reducing paperwork thus, increasing data processing accuracy as well as effectiveness.

Through the use of e-health grids, very large amount of data can be computerized and well managed for further information needs. The use of health information systems (HIS) help to reduce operation cost by reducing duplication of data, time and efforts. In addition to this, HIS aided increase in operational efficiency, as well as capability to share data across multiple health care teams.

         Moore's law states that the size or price for a given amount of computing power halves about every two years. While this explains the reason your mobile phone is getting faster and cheaper, there are further implications. One is that, similar to 'the magic of compound interest', the trends are exponential, advancing ever faster.

         There are many reasons for this, but one of them is that information and communications technology (ICT) is information based; advances build one upon another, with little to impede growth. This trend is infectious; more and more fields are becoming information based, for example biotechnology and nanotechnology. More importantly to health information managers (HIMs), healthcare also is becoming information based. Kurzweil (2001) argues that this exponential growth rate is characteristic of all information-based sciences.

          While such increases in health information (including both patient data and clinical knowledge) pose current difficulties, they also portend massive changes in healthcare. I believe that these changes will be, for the most part, improvements. Increases in health information quality, quantity and access will bring both increased healthcare efficiency and quality. One of the key components of such a vision is the increasing use of ICT in the health arena, for example, an ubiquitous electronic health record (EHR). This vision has been with us since the inception of ICT, but only now is it coming to fruition.

         This issue of Health Information Management Journal characterizes the transition to this new era, with respect to the profiles, the reports and the research. The profiles show that health information management workers have a range of relationships to the new technology: Smalley (2009) writes an engaging piece about her UK centered life, where she details a career full of ICT related work. This is understandable; ICT and health are well integrated in the UK. Jordan (2009) details a more standard HIM experience, with little mention of technology. Thus the range of HIM jobs is expanding, now spreading from traditional to cutting edge information wranglers.

           The remaining professional practice articles are ICT related, detailing both the work, and the accrued benefits. The HIM's role in ICT related projects also ranges from traditional to exotic. In a traditional role in a very useful project, Hopgood (2009) works with improved cancer data collection in the Barwon Southwest region, collecting information on cancer staging and treatment, as well as information regarding recurrence and metastases (in addition to the traditional cancer registry data). This project would have been less feasible, and the data less useful, without improved ICT support.

           At a more general level, Goodenough (2009) shows how e-health will help statistical data collection, but to do so, will need consistent semantics. On a more global level, Peter Fleming (2009), CEO of NEHTA, discusses the responses of the federal government to the coming transition, including both infrastructure projects (terminologies, provider registry and identification, patient identification, authentication) and specific implementation partnerships. In her report from the Connecting Healthcare conference, Grace (2009) focuses on the difficulty of integrating the disparate parts of the current health record into an electronic form.

         This transition is not just happening in the English speaking world, providing results from a survey of Kuwaiti ICT user satisfaction amongst medical receptionists. They indicate that better typing ability, younger age, and less exposure to system errors makes for more satisfied users.

          The effect of ICT in healthcare will be substantial, due mostly to its interaction with information. These effects will impact upon the health information management role. This issue of Health Information Management Journal shows some of these impacts, both theoretical and practical.