IT in Healthcare: Welcome to the world of opportunities!

Introduction of Information Technology (IT) in healthcare sector has helped in maintaining medical records and hospital management along with increased customer satisfaction. Besides, it plays a crucial role in computers-assisted surgeries, robotic surgeries, teleradiology and telesurgery, simplifying the life of both the healthcare professional and patient IT has evolved Indian healthcare sector in the recent past, especially in the areas of medical technology and health management information. IT has helped the Indian healthcare industry keep pace with technological advancements in developed countries. Today, most of the major players from the West are eyeing the Indian healthcare sector due to its large customer base. Discussing the acceptance and adoption of IT in the Western countries in comparison to that in India, Mahesh Shinde, Deputy Director, IT and Telecom, Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, says, Doctors in the West are trained in hospitals with advanced Hospital Information System (HIS) solutions, hence the aptitude for IT is inculcated in the initial stages of their career. Whereas Indian doctors lack any form of IT training during the early stages of their career, thus, the late adoption and change in the management becomes difficult. Moreover, he adds, Since most healthcare consumers in the West are sponsored by insurance policies, cost of increasing healthcare is never a concern. Hence, the adoption of technology has been commensurate with latest advancements, research and development. It is worth observing how India faces a contrast of the situation in this case. Some figures are rather astonishing. As Shinde informs, Due to constraints such as R&D expenditure, the available software and hardware in India do not match with those of the Western countries. The estimated IT budget for Indian hospitals is capped at about 5-10 per cent of the gross revenue, while that for Western hospitals are estimated to be about 40 per cent. He explains, In India, since over 80 per cent of healthcare expenditure is borne by the patients, price sensitivity is quite high and high-level healthcare facilities are not within the reach of the patient. Therefore, Indian hospitals do not generally invest in high-end IT infrastructure. Simplifying doctors life With the range of solutions it provides, IT has pleased several professionals in the industry. As Avinash Chander, Assistant Manager Medical Operations, S L Raheja (a Fortis associate) Hospital, Mumbai, says, Role of IT is multi-faceted. At one end, it helps in retention of medical records and patient demographics aiding the healthcare professionals in better care provision, and on the other hand, it helps administrators and healthcare facility planners in better planning in order to meet the needs of the population. As it is often said people die, but records do not. The documentation and storage of information has become so easy for the providers with minimum need to maintain paper-based records.

However, doctors inclination towards adopting these new techniques also plays a major role. Also, with time, the medical fraternity is seeing the benefits, and is eager to adopt the same. Says Chander, We still find nearly 70-80 per cent doctors struggling to utilise the capabilities of HIS. However, the accuracy of medical equipment, prevention of human errors due to erroneous transcriptions, and legibility of communication and notes are just a few benefits of IT-based solutions. Instead of boggling their heads

into yellowed, crumpled and illegible documentations from the past, doctors can now go through systematic and sensibly arranged legible records of the patients in less than one tenth of the time taken before. Avers Dr Neena Pahuja, Chief Information Officer, Max Healthcare Institute Ltd, New Delhi, Systems with alerts and notifications provisions have helped ensure availability of knowledge management systems to the doctors. Today, with IT advancements, availability of Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) with past Electronic Medical Records (EMR) has ensured adherence to principles of evidence-based medicine that has helped in reinforcing patients credibility towards the doctor and trust in the treatment.

The power of computerisation Computerisation improves the accuracy of diagnostic and treatment procedures and gives options to save, edit, mark, measure and take snapshots along with various other options so as to make the investigation or procedure meaningful. Chander explains, Computerisation has helped in operating the equipment at any point/location and transferring the data through simple Local Area Network (LAN) cables to the server. Systems like Laboratory Information System (LIS) and Radiology Information System (RIS) help in relating the orders to the actual investigations, thereby preventing human errors, and also linking the orders with the results/reports along with an instant remote viewing option. The ultimate aim of any new technology is to make human life more convenient. To this effect, computerisation helps the hospitals with proper storage, organisation, management, analysis, on-demand prompt retrieval and use of data like images and EMR.

With proper guidelines and adequate investments in terms of finance, research and manpower, IT has, and in the near future, will further reform the Indian healthcare scenario not just to find health solutions for medical tourists, but also for the common man residing in the remotest location of our country.

Submitted By, Aditya Singhania