Category: Healthcare
Smart healthcare has been an emerging trend in the world of healthcare for quite some time now. It focuses on providing the knowledge and service capabilities of the best clinicians to patients irrespective of their geographic location.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a mobile health application for the diagnosis of melanoma. And it was found to be more accurate than an average clinician. Melanoma is found to be the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States and hence the application is significant for timely diagnosis and treatment. Especially in rural areas where specialized healthcare services are few and far.
Just like the melanoma app, there are many other mobile health applications which can influence human lives in a huge way. They are especially useful in cases of chronic diseases where continuous treatment is essential. They can provide patients with constant expert advice and support when most needed.
Some of the major reasons why mobile healthcare is so effective are:
- An Intelligent System: It uses specific algorithms and/or artificial intelligence to simulate the guidance and care of a clinician. It also makes use of data it captures to understand the health conditions of a patient. Thus, it is capable of providing corrective pieces of advice for a healthier lifestyle.
- With you always: According to several studies, most heart patients, after discharge made errors while using their prescribed drugs. Mobile healthcare solves such problems, as it constantly guides the patient.
- Convenience: It is available at the convenience of the patient. It eliminates the need for them to go visit their doctors often.
- Cost: It lowers the cost of overall healthcare as it helps to save on manpower costs.
- Control: It empowers the patients by allowing them to participate in their own treatment and fitness regimen and thereby gives them control over their own health.
Another major reason for mobile health’s popularity is a concern for the future of all healthcare systems in the US. From another survey conducted by the PwC, it was assessed that in 1980, there was an average of 10 patients for every healthcare worker and only around 8% of the GDP was spent on healthcare. But by 2020, the US will be spending over 20% of the GDP on healthcare and will have a shortage of 800,000 persons in doctors and nurses. This will bring the productivity of the entire healthcare system down to unimaginable low. However, the use of smart healthcare tools and applications, through mobile healthcare, will provide the necessary support and bring up the efficiency levels even in such a state.
Smart healthcare is expected to grow further in the future globally. To facilitate smart healthcare, providers need to ensure that the adoption of mobile technology is possible. With the growth of the healthcare industry as a whole, it would become almost inevitable to use mobile technology to cater to the needs of every patient.
Sources: PwC, FDA
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On the basis of several studies, it was assessed that nurses in hospitals spent up to one third of their time on documentation, whether on a spreadsheet or on paper. It was no wonder that hospitals went down on their efficiency, after a certain point when they grew in size. Someone had to bring about a change. That was when Electronic Medical Records (EMR) came into use.
The technological revolution in the healthcare industry came in the form of EMR. It serves the purpose of being an electronic or digital substitute for paper records of a patient maintained in a hospital. It can be accessed or managed by various staff within one healthcare organization.
7 Reasons why EMR was a hit
EMR has been one of the most effective contributions of technology in healthcare and this is not merely because it reduces paperwork in a hospital. It has the ability to improve the quality of care in a hospital. It in turn increases the efficiency of a hospital. Ultimately, it leads to improvement in the profitability of a hospital. So, as is evident, the benefits of an EMR system are manifold. Here are 7 such benefits that brought about the much needed change:
- Centralized access to patient information – As all the medical information related to a patient are available in a single place, doctors have easier and faster access to the same. It helps in speeding up the processes of diagnosis and treatment. Moreover they are relieved from a load of paperwork. Put together, it increases the overall efficiency of the doctors.
- Consistency of information – Compared to paper-based records, there are lesser chances of loss of data in the case of electronic records. It ensures that patient information or test results etc. are available when needed and that too, in any department.
- Economic benefits – An EMR does need an initial investment of money, but health practitioners have reported to have saved money in the long run. Paper-based record keeping could actually cost a lot as it involves the expenses of transcriptions, physical storage and maintenance, staffing expenses to manage the charts etc. EMR helps to save on all these expenses as it is network-based.
- Security of information – An individual patient’s records are protected in an EMR and are available only to authorized health practitioners. They stick to privacy regulations as well.
- Advanced capabilities – An EMR system comes with advanced capabilities like e-prescribing and clinical documentation. It also has automatic alerts built-in, to track possible critical health conditions or such warnings. It aids in effective treatment.
- Reliable tracking of history – It helps the doctors track data over a period of time easily. It also helps the patients keep track of their own medical records as well. It could be linked to their Personal Health Records.
- Proactive functioning – An EMR system helps the doctors in being more proactive in their treatment and approach. This is because of the advanced capabilities along with real time effective communication. It enables doctors to do more than just treat.
Read more: Healthcare Technology and Mobile Apps
On the whole, EMR is the solution to most of the challenges faced by the healthcare industry. It is indeed nothing short of a revolution. Nowadays, EMR is increasingly being used by many hospitals all over the world. This explains why a number of healthcare centers have become a lot more efficient. It is almost like the world was waiting for such a solution, to improve the healthcare industry as a whole.
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