Good health is one of the basic needs because without it one cannot efficiently enjoy the others including food, shelter, clothing, and education. One has to be in good health to carry out their daily duties properly. Because of this, institutions that provide healthcare should do their best to ensure their services are fast, efficient, and reliable. Here are a few ways technology can improve health care services.
Digitized patient records
One of the ways healthcare providing institutions can increase their service speed and efficiency is by digitizing patient records. This should begin from the time a patient visits for the first time. The doctor or receptionist should feed the patient’s name, biometrics, and all other relevant details into a record keeping system of their choice. The institution should then ensure to create backups for the data on the cloud. This way, whenever a patient comes back, the healthcare providers can easily access their records without wasting any time. Digitized records also greatly save on space and reduce the risk of permanent loss as opposed to paper files.
Digitized measuring equipment
In most clinics or hospitals, medics have to take patient measurements such as temperature, weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, among other things. for the best results in these measurements, healthcare institutions should embrace using the digitized tools and equipment. For starters, the digitized tools are more accurate compared to manual ones. For example, a digitized weighing scale will give the exact weight up to the last decimal. The same goes for a digital thermometer. Manual ones depend on the accuracy and estimation of the reader, which can sometimes fail. Digitized equipment are also more user friendly as they only require turning on, as opposed to manual tools that may require prior training.
Interdepartmentally linked data systems
For big clinics and hospitals with more than one department, having linked data systems can greatly assist with improving service provision. For example, a hospital that has separate reception, treatment, pharmacy, laboratory, x-ray, and accounts desks, should have a data sharing system that links these departments. That way, when a patient moves from the reception, to the doctor, to the lab, the pharmacy, and lastly to the accounts office, they will not have to keep explaining their ailment, or reason for visiting each time. The departments can easily share the patient’s data and thus serve them accordingly without any hitch.
