Flexible Digital Health: The Potential that will Make Your Medical Care Competitive
Technology Should Ease the Healthcare Delivery; More So is about Transforming the Point of Care
Technology Hits Publication initially publicized this article on Medium!
The healthcare system worldwide has undergone a radical digital transformation in the recent decade. Although some countries have taken up that mission somewhat slower than others, almost every community has experienced some form of digital transformation.
Even though the globe has seen a radical transition from paper-based medical records and onsite patient visits to Virtual and digital patient management systems, not all medical practices have mastered the optimal utility of such innovations.
Many medical practices have taken up various EHR and Telehealth systems, longing that technology may ease some of their challenges and help them stay ahead of the complexity of today's healthcare realm.
But today, many medical practices need help to cope with the increasing administrative workload. And ironically, the gadgets most physicians use are neither easing up their professional lives nor user-friendly.
Even if current EHR, Telehealth, or practice management solution systems contributed positively to those practices, the role of health technology is still beyond just easing the operational workload at a single point of care.
Traditionally, The Point Of Care Has Been About Two Dimensional Approach To Patient Care.
The Point of Care (POC) is a particular moment and place a clinician renders medical care; Non-clinician offers a service or medical product to a patient.
Traditionally medical facilities, clinics, and physical healthcare locations defined whether, where, and when a Point of Care will materialize. The two dimensions of time and place were typically sufficient to direct patient care. Today, such a two-dimensional approach to patient care is becoming obsolete and unyielding.
The demand for another dimension in the Point of Care system's modernization follows the need to tackle the recent healthcare policy reforms and physician reimbursement schemes. Those changes include introducing quality-based patient care versus quantitative service delivery measures. Or incorporation of social determinants of health data pooling, ensuring continuity of medical care and engaging patients in their self-care.
Technology and Evolution of Point of Care
Electronic Health Records and Telehealth systems have added another dimension to the traditional Point of Care scheme. That extended the POC to patients' homes, computers, and smartphones.
Along with extending a new dimension to the Point of Care, one should always remember that it must confirm efficient execution. And that maintaining three dimensional POC strategy is no more a two-person, doctor-patient task, although the latter is the core directive of the entire Point of Care setup.
Furthermore, the evolution of Point of Care necessitates a multidisciplinary, secure, supportive, and collaborative atmosphere so that every clinician extends their top-notch care to their patients.
Despite such an impressive transformation, one thing still needs to be improved in today's Point of Care solutions. That requires more logistic adaptability, real-time in-person and remote operations, dyssynchrony, and flexibility.
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Electronic Health Records and Point of Care
Electronic Health Record has helped seamless data exchange and efficient remote contribution to patient health. Nevertheless, we still need user experiences that are real-time, interactive, and streamlined.
Indeed, EHRs have improved all aspects of patient care. These are anything from safety to effective communication and patient-centeredness. However, there are still security risks, a lack of interoperability, and seamless data exchange capability. Furthermore, the user-friendliness flop of most electronic health records is still a significant concern.
Telehealth and Point of Care
Telehealth has also contributed to the point of care Transformation. Nevertheless, still lack the user experiences that, at the very least, mitigate patient and physician alienation from the intimate connection that comes with in-person experience.
Some Telehealth solutions come with incorporated testing and sensors. Yet, the quality and standardization of data exchanged via such technologies are still scrutinized.
Point of Care Expansion and the Need for Modern Logistics
The Point of Care expansion carries with it sundry logistics and infrastructural necessities. Having Telehealth, Electronic Health Records, and Practice management solutions in place without coordinated planning and execution will not only fail but also precipitate physician burden and patient care failures.
True, technologies are easing the workload in the big picture. However, there is more work to be done!
A report from the American Medical Association (AMA) survey published by Becker's Hospital Review identifies ten significant barriers to the utility of current Telehealth systems.
Among those obstacles are technology challenges for the patient population (54%), integration with the EHR (22%), lack of technical support (21%), telehealth-specific workflows (18%), and integration of different technologies (18%).
The challenges above indicate a need for more adaptive and flexible Points of Care logistics capability in current solutions. That is the kind of POC that offers interactivity and an intuitive experience.
The Cyber-Physical Human System (CPHS) extends the logistics infrastructure to the third Point of Care dimension. That is by ensuring a platform that every sensor and human can independently interconnect and collaborate in real time.
Cyber-physical Human System is the execution and planning tool new healthcare Point of Care requires.
CPHS will turn single, double, and even multiple POC settings into unlimited healthcare delivery resources where every stakeholder can search, find, exchange, and share any service or product from any location through real-time collaboration.
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