APPLICATION OF ICT IN HEALTH CARE SERVICES

APPLICATION OF ICT IN HEALTH CARE SERVICES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been recognised to have the transformational ability that would drive the country from P-economy to K-economy. With this transformation, the labour market for skilled workers and professionals in the ICT sector is very demanding. Based on MSC Malaysia Phase 2 Report, with the current trend of ICT sector in Malaysia, the industry is estimated to provide 110,000 in total for jobs and RM5.5b investments by 2015.

 Definition of ICT

There are varieties of way to define ICT as the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are rapidly evolving. For the purpose of this analysis, ICT is defined as a diverse set of technological tools used to create, store, retrieve, manipulate, disseminate, receive and manage information in digital form.

ICT is defined as a set of tool used to create, store, retrieve, manipulate, disseminate, receive and manage information in digital form. This analysis includes Creative Multimedia, System Architecture, Analysis and Design, Solution Development, Information Security and Service Management and Delivery.

In conducting this analysis, information on the ICT industry was gathered through literature search, interviews and discussions with the industry experts and players. Visits to establishments and related public departments were also carried out. Workshops were held in an attempt to get better understanding on the sub sector structure, job titles and hierarchy, as well as the activities of the sub sector.

As a result, the team are able to identify25job areas under 5sub sectors, whichcover 78job titles. The hierarchy of each job titleand their definition is well identified and defined by the panels.

CHAPTER TWO

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) HELPS IMPROVE HEALTH CARE

Information and communication technology is a very broad terms. It refers to various gadgets that aid in communication such as mobile phones, radios and satellite communication. The term is also used to refer to various means of direct communication such as video conferencing. In short, information and communication technology, better known in its abbreviated form as ICT, is a tool that helps in improving communication among businesses and commerce activities in different parts of the world. In fact, ICT is so commonly used in commerce field to communicate various financial matters such as acceptance of money, producing receipts and transferring funds that ICT and ecommerce have become almost synonymous terms. ICT creates inroads for better accessibility of all sorts of information for people from all over the world.

However, the scope of ICT extends much beyond commerce transactions. It is widely used in education and medical arenas as well. Advanced medical care techniques, various researches being carried out in medical field in different parts of the world and training are just some of the fields in the medical arena that have largely benefited from the growth of information and communication technology. ICT makes sharing data concerning medical research easy, in addition to myriad other benefits as elucidated in the paragraphs below.

ICT help in improving medical science and health care
It is an established fact that information and communication technologies are the backbone of the current information system. Their scope is also extremely vast. Health care facilities have been largely benefited by the evolvement of ICT. Owing to information and communication technologies, the entire world has become a small global village with regard to medical and health care. Further, even within a particular state or country, data can easily be transmitted from one place to another within no time at all. This technology helps doctors, hospitals, the general public and all other medical care providers.

Pharmaceutical industry is the industry that enjoys the biggest benefits of ICT. All the medical data available helps in assessing the medicine requirements, makes them aware of similar research being carried out in different parts of the world and in letting the world know about their developments. To put it in a nutshell, information and communication technology has contributed to a large extent in improving the quality of health care, as a whole, all over the world.

ICT has made e-health possible. This is the concept in which doctors get better access to patient information even if they live states apart. They also get a faster access to medical records, case studies and laboratory results. The technology also helps in better communication between doctors and pharmacists. Patients can also be largely benefited as in becoming more self reliant and responsible for their health. Patients who suffer with chronic and serious ailments such as heart conditions can regularly monitor their health parameters and convey the results to doctors on a regular basis so that the doctor is never out of touch with such patients. In other words, ICT lets patients and doctors get on with their lives without the patient having to visit the doctor often but still keeping track of the latest developments in patients’ health.

Information and communication technology has brought a major paradigm shift in the health care scenario of the entire world, and the countries belonging to the European Union are no exception. The system has simplified access to provision of medical care, irrespective of the physical location of the place. 

TeleMedicine is an upcoming field, which owes its origin to ICT. This is a branch of medical care in which, doctors and patients can interact with each other over video conferences and doctors can gauge the condition of the patient in a much better manner than just consulting on a telephone. This innovative technology allows specialists from different parts of the world to look at patients who live across the ocean. ICT also provides a better platform for policy makers, members of the government, medical care providers and public authorities to interact with each other and improve medical care in the country. The barriers between the different countries in the European Union are diminished owing to the development of ICT. The system has proved to be very beneficial to providers of medical equipments since they can assess the demand based on the records and develop suitable instruments. ICT has enhanced the medical market in Europe to a great extent. Further, ICT also allows European health care providers and tools and drug manufacturers to expand their business globally.

eHealth policy of Europe

In May 2010, European Commission adopted the eHealth policy. The features of the policy were a par tof Digital Agenda for Europe. The Directive of the European Parliament and the Council, on matters regarding application of the right of patients for over the border or international medical care. The information and communication technology that has been a branch that deals with social challenges and is called ICT for Social Challenges. Under the Pillar 7 of this branch, emphasis is laid on using ICT to reduce consumption of energy and provide better health care and support to aging citizens. Under the same pillar, it focuses on the fact that ICT is used to bring a paradigm shift in the general health care methods, in addition to providing excellent basic health care to every patient.

The digital agenda of the European Union is set to undergo a major change. Along with different things that are being lined up for digitization, health care is also included in it. Furthermore, European Union countries can employ the concept of ICT to merge their medical facilities to provide a better health care regime. However, people need to be made aware of the system of ICT so that a larger percentage of population can use the system for their benefit. Electronic health or ehealth as it is known is created so that several factors such as internal and external health care market, employment, innovation and research can be identified and treated properly.

IMPORTANCE OF ICT IN HEALTHCARE

Healthcare Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the use of information technology to improve the process of healthcare delivery and is concerned primarily in streamlining administration and putting information into the hands of point-of-care professionals. This was revealed during the weekly Continuous Professional Education held at the Riley Mother and Baby Conference Hall on August 2, 2011 facilitated by the Department of ICT led by Andrew Bartien, Rose Keino and Elvis Tarus. 

Its use is wide now and plays an important role in the delivery of better and efficient healthcare services. ICT in healthcare is able to increase quality and safety of patient care. It is part of healthcare structure in any organizations to support the processes and consequently to deliver better outcome to organization and particularly to the patient.

Information technology has the potential to improve the following in health care:-

v   Quality

v  · Safety of documents and files

v  · Efficiency

However, this has been hindered by barriers like cost and expenditure on the required equipment as well as their maintenance and the complexity involved in IT implementation. 

IT applications fall into several categories:-

Administrative and financial systems that facilitate billing, accounting, and other administrative tasks.

v Clinical systems that facilitate or provide input into the care process like Automated Medical Records System (AMRS) like the one in the Hospital.

v Infrastructure that supports both the administrative and clinical applications.

–     Administrative billing and financial general ledger.

–     Cost accounting systems.

–     Patient registration.

–     Personnel and payroll.

–     Electronic materials management.

–     Clinical.

–     Computerized provider order entry for drugs, lab tests, procedure.

–     Picture archiving and communication systems for filmless imaging.

–     Results reporting of laboratory and other tests.

–     Clinical decision support systems. 

v ICT provide opportunities for individuals, medical professionals and healthcare providers to:-

–     obtain information,

–     communicate with professionals,

–     deliver first-line support especially where distance is a critical factor and

–     promote preventive medicine programmes. 

v Its application in health include more effective planning, decision-making process and monitoring, improved shared service operations, greater access to more reliable health and population data, and more effective resource management. 

The ICT Department also runs and maintains the Hospital website  which offers detailed information on the Hospital’s clinical and administrative services offered.

Is it safe to have an X-ray during pregnancy?

ICT helps during the X-ray process having an X-ray during pregnancy is generally considered safe. It's highly unlikely that a diagnostic X-ray during pregnancy will harm a developing baby.

Most X-ray exams — including those of the arms, legs, head, teeth or chest — won't expose your reproductive organs to radiation, and a leaded apron and collar can be worn to block any scattered radiation.

The exception is abdominal X-rays, which expose your abdomen — and your baby — to radiation. High doses of radiation can cause changes in a baby's rapidly growing cells. In turn, it's possible that these changes could slightly increase a baby's risk of birth defects or certain cancers, such as leukemia, later in life. Remember, however, that the typical dose of radiation associated with a diagnostic X-ray — even one of the abdomen or pelvis — doesn't pose this risk.

Before having an X-ray, tell your health care provider if you are or might be pregnant. Depending on the circumstances, it might be possible to do an imaging study that doesn't involve radiation. In addition, if you have a child who needs an X-ray, don't hold your child during the exam if you are or might be pregnant.

If you had a diagnostic X-ray before you knew you were pregnant, remember that any potential risk is exceedingly remote. Share any concerns about radiation exposure with your health care provider. He or she might consult a medical radiation physicist to calculate your baby's radiation exposure.

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