Hospital information system

1.1. Current Scenario (discuss how computers and IT are valuable to the organization)

Computers are now a fact of life. Computers have created a very effective information
system to help streamline the management of medical organization.

Computers play an indispensable role in the medical field, and without them,
proficiency and productivity would decline markedly. Computers assist with
organizational, administrative duties, patient records, and a number of medical
technologies that are an absolute necessity in today’s world. Every hospital now
incorporates computers into the framework of its everyday responsibilities and duties,
and this technology has become an invaluable asset in virtually every medical facility.
Generally speaking, many medical screening methods hinge largely on computer
technology, including x-rays. Furthermore, various surgical procedures require
computers as well, including heart surgeries. Computers can streamline the efficiency
of many medically related duties.

Today healthcare is a rapidly growing industry which means its experiencing a high
growth rate in term of service provided. Hospital information system allows
healthcare institutions to manage their operation and serve patients better.

Hospitals use computers to store patient records, scheduling doctors, nurses and other
personnel, inventory and purchase of medicines, medical research and medical
diagnosis. Applications of computer-based equipment or use of information
technology has help doctors to diagnose diseases. It is clear that the use of computers
in the medical field to provide solutions to complex problems. Among the new
computer technology that provides assistance to those who are disabled.
Microprocessor-based voice systems assist people with disabilities speaking with a
terminal that directs the computer to perform a verbal task. Similarly, the
development of computers has helped the blind to see, the deaf to communicate,
whether with the help of speech synthesizer or using the keyboard. This can be help
them become more active and can do what they could not do before. Besides works of
traditional data processing, such as issuing bills of patients, medical statistics and
scheduling of staff and others have also streamlined and processed by computer.

1.2. Objective
The objective of Hospital Information Management System is to simply and easily
track and manage the detail of all patients, staffs, inventory and purchase of medicines,
medical research and medical diagnosis.

The main aim of HIMS is to make decent management tool ,And the main purpose of
HIMS is to cut back the time taken through manual. system so as to take care of all the
records. It can be maintaining high patient satisfaction index through quality health care
services, Consolidated patient electronic made readily available at any point of time,
Effective management of available resources. (TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES,
2014)
Short term objectives

1. To have properly maintained hospital health statistics

2. To have a paperless hospital information system

3. To reduce costs and improve the accuracy and timeliness of hospital information
system

Long term objective

To build and maintain a patient database for analysis of data and to facilitate evidence-
based decision making process.

1.3. Functionality (describe how the system

functions/processes)
There are three main modules of hospital information system, Patient Servers,Client
Servers and Hospital Admin. Each module include difference functions that make the
system work well.

Patient Servers 患者服务

In th
This functionality, also known by the acronym PAS, consists of RADT (Registration-
Admission-Discharge-Transfer), pre-admissions and waiting lists, bed management, and
bed charges. It needs to interface with nursing information module for managing bed
availability.

Electronic Medical Record Facilitates:

The first important thing for new patient is register to hospital information management
system. And HIMS record their information in to database. They drug stock
management can add, delete, motility their information.

Appointment Scheduling
This function allows hospital stay on time. An easy to read schedule is critical to
keeping an office on track. With Patient Appointment Manager, hospital staffs can
view appointments at-a-glance on screen or quickly print a report of the day’s
appointments. Sharing the scheduling information with more than one computer keeps
everyone up-to-date. And it can make hospital avoid missed appointments or
conflicts. Reduce the number of no-shows and cancellations when staffs send e-mail
or letter reminders using this function. ( Atlas Business Solutions, 1995)

Drug stock management

The process includes tracking of drug shipments, inventory, and replacements. The
system performs high-level tracking at a particular site of an inventory besides
eliminating the use of paper and human errors, thus increasing the efficiency of the
service. The job of drug inventory authorities requires painstaking handling of goods
received followed by effective testing of the drugs.
Clinical server
Patient electronic medical record (EMR)
This is a digital medical record that either originates from an electronic format
or is converted from paper or hard copy to an online version. An EMR
includes information about a specific patient, including:

 Patient contact information, including emergency contact(s)

 Vitals, such as height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and body
temperature
 Past and future medical facility appointments
 Physician orders
 Prescriptions
 Medical progress and surgical notes
 Consent to release information forms
 Allergies
 Past medical history
 Billing information, such as insurance
 Discharge summaries and treatment plans ( Techopedia Inc., 2018)

Lab Repots Management

Lab reports management is used for storing and managing data provided by
healthcare professionals during their daily healthcare routines. This system is also
applicable for controlling and managing the samples, reporting test results, and
automation of all laboratory processes.

Description: Depending on the laboratory size this module can be subdivided into
pathology, microbiology, biochemistry, haematology, serology etc. Generally, sample
collection lists, specimen registration, work schedule, results management of entry,
verification, and reporting. As investigations are increasingly carried out by semi-auto and
auto-analysers, machine to system interfacing is required for sample testing and
reporting. Charging for services rendered should also be handled within the module with
the information being exchanged with the patient billing module.

Blood Bank Management

This function handle the daily transactions of the blood bank and search the detail
when required. it also helps to register the details of donors, blood collection detail as
well as blood issued reports.
Hospital Admin

Hunman Resource Management

The function of the human resources department involves tracking employee histories, skills,
abilities, salaries, and accomplishments. Replacing certain processes with various levels of
Hospital Information Management Systems can distribute information management
responsibilities so that the bulk of information gathering is not delegated strictly to human
recourse staff. By allowing employees to update personal information and perform other
tasks, information is kept more.

Inventory Management
It enables to track , lots and expirations, consignment and non-consignment,manage
asset reservations, schedule services, and do bulk scans for quick processing.

Patient Billing
Patient billing integrates with all clinical and administrative modules: Outpatient,
Inpatient, Laboratory, Radiology, Diet and Nutrition, Pharmacy, etc. It will be
periodic billing for in-patient. And generate invoices as required to pursue receivables

Description: Perhaps the most important of all modules from a hospital’s business
perspective, this module deals with the aspects of patient billing including cash, and
credit management. This includes dealing with chargeable items and waivers for reasons
such as service not rendered, repeat services for faulty services (e.g. Investigation
sample unusable; test result inconclusive or erroneous, etc.), discounts provided etc.

Module: FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Description: This module explains how to handle accounts payable, accounts receivable,
cash management (of the hospital instead of just the patient), purchase order processing,
cash book and general ledger, budget control, etc.

1.4. Enhancement (introduce two (2) new functions the selected system

does not have and justify why they are required. Design one (1) screen

for each function using any editing software e.g. PowerPoint, etc.

online consultation
The online consultation function is fed with various symptoms and the disease/illness
associated. It allows user to share their symptoms and issues. It then processes users
symptoms to check for various illness that could be associated with it. Here to use some
intelligent data mining techniques to guess the most accurate illness that could be
associated with patient’s symptoms. If it is not able to provide suitable results, it
informs the user about the type of disease or disorder it feels user’s symptoms are
associated with. If users symptoms do not exactly match any disease in database, is
shows the diseases user could probably have judging by his/her symptoms. It also
consists of get diagnosis and treatment plan from doctor on chat, phone or video call

and make better and informed decision for patient.

Privacy Protection
It is offer to Private and Anonymous Consultation or check symptoms and issues online.
Patient to get answers and opinion on reports anonymously. It Absolute discretion and
the highest level of security through encrypted data. For example, in cases of unwanted
pregnancy, sex-related issues, some people avoid consulting a doctor due to
embarrassment and the fear of being judged. In an online doctor consultation, the
patients can address their issues freely as they have more control over their privacy and
there is no fear of face to face confrontation.

Quick Responses

1.5. System Limitations (analyze two (2) problems/limitations in the selected system)
Data collection
Before innovative and smart Hospital Management System came into practice, it
was quite difficult to maintain proper records of the daily activities of hospitals,
patient information, the maintenance schedule & inventory of medical equipments in
the hospital, and how funds are being allocated and used. This resulted in the waste of
money, time and manpower.

Once new workflows have been charted, the biggest hurdle is collection of data to
populate the master tables of the software. At that time, hospitals usually realise that
they do not have complete data of almost anything. Hence, data collection becomes an
important factor for delay in HIS implementation process. Hospital staff place low
importance on submission of data pertaining to their department; their daily work
comes first. The way out is to get a person from each department seconded to the HIS
implementation team till the work is over. This is not as easy as it sounds, since
departments may be facing staff crunch as such. It requires a very strong
administrative commitment to achieve this – something that should be stressed early
in the planning phase. Departments moreover tend to second their most dispensable
person, one whose absence is least likely to cause disruption to the work in the
department. Unfortunately, such a person is also least likely to know the workflows in
the department and be able to redesign them for computerisation. It must be made
clear to all concerned right at the beginning that the person in charge of the
implementation team should have the right to chose who he wants from each
department to work on the team. The implementing team should be lead not by a
committee but by a single person. Unless there is a single person who takes
‘ownership’ of the entire process and is accountable for its failure and success, the
implementation is likely to falter.

 Difficulty in migrating from manual processes, because both staff and patients

are used to the manual processes and so are unable to speedily cope with the
new system. (Seth, 2017)

1.6. Recommendations (provide recommendations to solve the two system limitations

identified above)

a. Video Conferencing - In an effort to curb the ever-increasing costs of travel,

your organization has decided to implement video conferencing. Explain video
conferencing, the advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing, costs
for common video conferencing systems by different IT vendors and
recommend one video conferencing system for your organization with your
justifications.
Video Conferencing
As telecommuting becomes more and more prevalent, and as companies continue
to spread themselves across all corners of the global, it’s becoming all the more
important to find new ways to stay connected to your team despite any physical
distance. So, video conference is import in modern business.

Video conference refers to a communication over a distance between three or more

people where video and audio is transmitted in near real-time. There are various
software packages which make this possible. (wiki, 2018)

At the simplest level, a video conference is an online meeting (or a meeting over distance)
that takes place between two parties, where each participant can see an image of the other,
and where both parties are able to speak and listen to the other participants in real time.

From the above definition, we can know that video conferencing includes point-to-point
and multipoint video conferencing systems. The point-to-point is means a direct
connection between two participants. So, its work like a video phone call. Each
participant needs a video call system, a computer with webcam and microphone speaker
equipped, and internet connection. Multipoint allows three or more people that in
different locations to be involved in the same virtual video meeting at same time, just
as if people talking to each other face to face. Multiple parties can meet through HD
video in a meeting room, from a desktop at work, from a home computer, or even over
a smartphone or tablet when on the road.Similarly, each party in different locations also
needs a set of video conferencing equipment, so that a video conference can be
conducted through the internet

Video Conferencing system consists of the following:

 Endpoints (from regular PCs to Telepresence systems).

 Infrastructure (some kind of video conferencing server which controls
multipoint video conferencing sessions).
 Peripheral equipment for endpoints (cameras, microphones, mixers, echo
cancellation systems, etc.).
  Additional infrastructure expansions (Content Sharing, Instant Messaging,
Presence, Telephony, Active Directory, Recording, and Streaming).

Advantages of Video Conferencing

Reduce Travel Cost and Time
Video conferencing include lower costs on business travels and staff training; less time
for meetings and, training and projects. With video conferencing, Organization can
organize and hold a meeting within the hour with participants from remote places all
over the world. They only need to have the necessary equipment and be present in front
of the screen at the chosen time. The pre-meeting organization can be done via email
or instant messaging.

Higher productivity

By eliminating time and space barriers, video conference can be conducted to

communicate with colleagues, customers and partners anytime, anywhere. In this way,
meetings could become much shorter and more efficient. Indeed, a 2013 survey found
94% of video conferencing software users thought the biggest benefit was increased
efficiency and productivity. Problems can be resolved faster and services for clients can
be developed more quickly, providing a serious competitive edge for organization.
(Vita Enterprise Solution, 2018)

Easier Sharing Information

Video conferencing enables improvisation of operations and services of remote outlets.
As it can also be used to transmit files and documents, it is possible to provide real-
time information, that can help in solving problems. Also, decisions can be made in the
least possible time. The ability to share, coordinate and evaluate digital data from
anywhere in the world allows people to conduct simultaneous communication and
collaboration on time-sensitive projects.

Disadvantages of Video Conferencing

Technology Problem
The major disadvantages are the technical difficulties associated with smooth
transmissions that could result from software, hardware or network failure. (ezTalks,
2018) Technology isn't always trustworthy, connectivity can become a big problem.
Sometimes the internet goes down, that can really derail some conversations and delay
deals that were to be made through video conferencing.

Lack of Personal Interaction

Another major disadvantage is the lack of personal interaction, that sets the tone for
many business meetings in highly cultural societies. A handshake and an eye contact
are essential aspects of many business meetings. Some meetings require a personal
touch to be successful. Besides that, some organization want to have face to face
meetings with companies and see how the company work so they know that the
money they are going to invest in the company is safe.

Unpredictable Expensive
One of the very real disadvantages of using video conferencing is high cost of set up,
such as , buying quality and maintain equipment, hiring knowledgeable technicians,
and properly setting up hardware within an office or personal space consume both
financial and emotional resources the longer they are not fully operational.

Cost for Video Conferencing systems of Different IT Vendors

There are two main type of video conferencing, hardware and

software. The hardware video conferencing is more expensive ,but it

has high quality for internet. Nowadays, video conferencing

application is more and more popular. People can use it

Skype for Business
The No. 1 highlight of Skype for Business is its affordable cost. (Driver, 2017)

Starting from: $2.00/month

Pricing model: Subscription

Skype is FREE for use by up to 25 people.

Standalone Online Plan 1: $2.00 per user per month

Standalone Online Plan 2 (adds Skype for Business online meetings): $5.50 per user per
month

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