by Ms.Khushboo Kumari, MHA-Hospital (2010-12)
In India, one word that (most) doctors and medical professionals are skeptical about is Information Technology aka IT. Though major IT players in the market see immense opportunity in healthcare in terms of offering solutions from automating processes to streamlining clinical workflows, the user groups (doctors, nurses etc.) in healthcare sector are yet to change their mindset from “IT Vs. me” to “IT for me”.
Indubitably, healthcare has its unique challenges; still it can learn its lessons from the experience of manufacturing and retail industries which are reaping huge benefits of adopting correct IT strategy to remove process-related inefficiencies. Innovative and tailor-made IT solutions magnificently increase the efficiency, safety and quality of medical care. They help lower costs and even standardize processes. Also the information gaps during clinical analysis that persist due to missing records and informal levels of exchange of clinical data can be bridged by using EHRs and quality patient management solutions. The rate of medical and clinical errors can also be brought down significantly.
But if the advantages are so apparent, where do the hitches come from?
They arise on account of the ineffective training and change management, specifically for the medical user groups. Mostly, major chunk of modules in HMIS in a hospital remains unused. Non-usage is one huge threat that prevents top management to invest in healthcare IT.
Nevertheless there are ways out. Any change initiative in any organization needs strong determination of the administrators to be successful. Involvement of the user groups and continuous monitoring & training are other important aspects.
With corporate chains and big private hospitals opting for HIS, there appears to be a silver lining in the cloud. Accreditation and standardization needs would also encourage IT adoption in healthcare.
I would hence rest my sincerest hopes in this romance to last forever.
