IT in Healthcare. How does IT support healthcare?

IT in Healthcare is an issue of particular importance in the context of IT infrastructure management. Although the digitization of healthcare centers has been underway for a long time, the prevailing pandemic has made this task even more important. What solutions are worth implementing? What about the processing of data stored in the healthcare information system? 

Software in healthcare: how to decide which to use?

Healthcare software should be chosen with care and caution. Any self-respecting network administrator knows how important it is to secure hardware and software. Not only its functionalities, but also the manufacturer's technical support and further software development deserve attention.

The aforementioned features contribute to the stability of IT solutions. Equally important are security issues. Let's remember that data processed by a healthcare system is sensitive data. That is why the IT management system in the medical industry plays such an important role.

Does healthcare need protection?

Huge amounts of sensitive data pass through healthcare every day. A patient's PESEL number is just the tip of the iceberg. On a daily basis, hospitals, doctor's offices and clinics process our test results, x-rays and other data regarding our various ailments. For this reason, the healthcare sector should be under special protection, especially when it comes to data protection.

Even if you run a small medical practice, it is worth keeping in mind that the right software will not only protect the data of patients and doctors, but above all will be constantly evolving. Updates allow you to avoid threats that arise as technology evolves.

What does healthcare need IT for?

So-called Health IT is what every hospital needs. As you can easily guess, it is health information technology. The areas it covers are: design, development, creation and use of information systems for the entire medical industry. The technologies used in Health IT are responsible, among other things, for managing the exchange of health information in systems (between hospitals, doctors or patients). The main objectives of this technology are:

• Improving the quality of healthcare systems
• Improving the efficiency of health sector systems
• Increasing administrative efficiency
• Optimising work processes
• Minimising paperwork as much as possible
• Reducing costs of medical care
• Preventing the risk of medical errors

Informatization of the healthcare sector and the flow of medical records

Health IT's core technology is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). This is a true treasure chest of information. From demographics, to medical history, medications taken, allergies, immunizations, radiology images, lab results, vital signs and other personal statistics. These are highly sensitive data that require special protection. 

Another important tool is image archiving and communication systems. This is a medical image processing technology. Its use allows for an easy and fast way to store documents. Images are stored in DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) format, other files can be archived in PDF format. 

The patient and informatization of the healthcare sector

Health IT matters at many levels of medical facilities and is equally important to the patient themselves. Health IT provides space for upgrading so-called "patient portals." It is through the use of computerization that the patient has the ability to:

• receive notifications of upcoming doctor's appointments
• view test results
• download your medical records
• easily communicate with your doctor (audio, video or even chat) 
• receive e-prescriptions without leaving the home

Health IT: benefits not just in a pandemic

The pandemic has significantly accelerated processes that were previously running at their own pace. E-visits along with e-prescriptions and e-referrals are nowadays a real possibility. Doctors and medical staff are constantly working at full capacity during a pandemic. Thanks to e-visits and e-prescriptions, patients who do not need to visit the office - can receive medical care in the comfort of their own home. There is no longer a need to make an appointment at the doctor's office to renew the dosage of a medication. This saves time for both the doctor and the patient.

With systems that allow for remote communication, even patients undergoing COVID are not isolated and without care. Regardless of where they are, with access to a phone and the Internet, they can have a telehealth session without leaving and without exposing others to the risk of infection. 

Applications to support work in healthcare

Thanks to the development of Health IT, doctors and clinics that want to provide telemedicine services to patients on their own have many solutions at their disposal. For example, they can set up their own telemedicine clinic without engaging an external IT company. This often boils down to choosing a website template, implementing appropriate terms of service and content for the website, and defining how to pay for telemedicine. 

This shows that you don't need any programming and hardware resources to start providing telemedicine services. You can use ready-made solutions, applications and programs that will facilitate the functioning of clinics and doctor's offices online.

Informatization of the healthcare sector - summary

IT technologies are a constant element of our lives, also in the area of healthcare. Efficiently functioning doctor's office, clinic, and even a hospital means also fast data transfer between institutions and patients, convenient televisions, e-prescriptions and safe archiving of sensitive data. 

It is worth deciding on solutions that will allow for maximum protection and at the same time reduce the amount of bureaucracy to a necessary minimum. To learn more about the tools and possibilities offered by Da Vinci Studio, visit our website or contact us. We will try to find a solution adequate to your needs and possibilities. We will also take care of the security of your data.