Introduction
Each community or country faces numerous health problems regularly. Some populations are ready to find a solution to their problems in a short period of time, and some people have to work hard to gather enough information, consider the available examples, and make a final decision. Unfortunately, health is a field where neither delays nor excuses may be accepted. All information has to be gathered fast, evaluated properly, and used effectively. The reports of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that human health depends a lot on such factors as communication challenges, diagnostic errors, inadequate judgments, and unavailable techniques (Makary and Daniel 1). Many hospitals in different countries are in need of effective technological solutions. This paper aims at discussion a technological solution that may be offered to Indian hospitals in their intentions to improve the methods of gathering patient information by replacing personal oral reports by special patient history databases.
Population
Healthcare services have been considerably improved in many developing countries. The healthcare system of India is in need of certain improvements that may influence the quality of services offered to patients, promote information, and enhance performance (Bhat et al. 99). This country is under the universal health coverage, and such organizations as National Rural Health Mission or National Urban Health Mission promote the development of healthcare reforms in terms of which information technologies have to be implemented in order to cut costs and improve efficiency (Pera et al. 75). However, such innovations and improvements are observed not in all healthcare organizations, and medical workers have to deal with numerous problems and challenges in their cooperation with patients.
Health Problem
There are many hospitals that lack electronic medical databases in the country. Indian citizens have to memorize past medical history, and Indian caregivers should rely on the information given by ordinary people. Such exchange of information may lead to a number of negative outcomes, including the representation of false information, missing some important facts about patients’ allergies or past treatments, or making wrong diagnoses. There is also a possibility to take several tests which may be harmful to people without considering the appropriate time periods. Finally, not all patients are able to interpret the results of their past diseases or lab tests. However, they like to share their own understanding of a situation. Caregivers have nothing to do but to use the information offered and develop their own treatment plans.
Technology Solution Background
Nowadays, Canada and the United States are the top two countries where the adoption of modern electronic medical records is developed on a high level (Tu et al. 15). Electronic systems provide the exchange and storage of full and accurate information about patients and past medical or nursing interventions. Nurses and other medical workers should not spend much time to gather necessary data and focus on their performance and caregiving, but not on the conditions under which medical history can be restored.
The example of the latest technological innovations may be observed in such organization as Alternate Health. This company aims at operating through a network that protects patient data (Alternate Health). Their databases help many organizations exchange patient data fast and effectively:
This system is used to monitor the interactions between physicians, patients, and pharmacy representatives. It contains all necessary information about past diseases and treatment plans, lab results, and radiology scans that may be appropriate for the development of a new plan with new symptoms.
Technology Solution Implementation
Though in India, it is hard to promote the implementation of the system that has been introduced by Alternate Health, there is a possibility to use this example and develop an analog that can meet the population needs, demands, and expectations using the available resources and opportunities. The expected benefits for quality and care in hospitals make the promotion of such electronic databases a serious concept for consideration (Struik et al. 69). It is possible to begin with a small scope and create a database for one hospital or even one department. Patients address hospitals or other medical organizations regularly. In order to avoid organizational problems, caregivers have to understand what kind of work they want to perform: communicate with patients and learn their medical histories using personal judgments and memories or communicate with patients, use their electronic cards, and pay attention to the current complaints and problems. The second option presupposes the possibility to not only make a correct diagnosis and choose a good treatment plan, but also serve more people and shorten the time for patient assessment and examination. One computer may store the information about thousands of patients, and several people can learn how to use this system and share the results with all caregivers.
In general, this technological solution may improve the work of Indian hospitals and save human lives by minimizing medical errors and organizational shortages. The only barrier that may exist in this process is the necessity to find a technological expert who is able to create a database and discuss a financial aspect according to which it is necessary to hire a new person and buy the required devices. The number of benefits prevails over the challenges. Therefore, this technological solution has to be made in Indian hospitals.
Works Cited
Alternate Health. “VIP-Patient Electronic Medical Records and Medicant Dispensing Systems.” Alternate health, 2017. Web.
Bhat, Shreeranga, et al. “Productivity and Performance Improvement in the Medical Records Department of a Hospital: An Application of Lean Six Sigma.” International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 65, no. 1, 2016, pp. 98-125.
Makary, Martin, and Michael Daniel. “Medical Error – The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US.” British Medical Journal, vol. 353, no. 2139, 2016, pp. 1-5. Web.
Pera, Naveen Kumar, et al. “Perception of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) by Nursing Staff in a Teaching Hospital in India.” International Journal of Advanced Medical and Health Research, vol. 1, no. 2, 2014, pp. 75-80.
Struik, Marjolijn, et al. “The Preferences of Users of Electronic Medical Records in Hospitals: Quantifying the Relative Importance of Barriers and Facilitators of an Innovation.” Implementation Science, vol. 9, no. 1, 2014, p. 69. Web.
Tu, Karen, et al. “Evaluation of Electronic Medical Record Administrative Data Linked Databases (EMRALD).” The American Journal of Managed Care, vol. 20, no. 1, 2014, pp. 15-21.