Breaking the IT barriers

The health sector needs to take advantage of the opportunities presented by ICT in order to improve both efficiency and the quality of care for patients.
Among the largest barriers to technology integration in the health sector today are tight budgets and perceived high costs, according to Gerard Hurl, Chairman of the Health Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI). However, properly implemented information systems deliver positive return on investment while improving health services.

Studies by PriceWaterhouse Coopers have demonstrated that adding more IT capital may be associated with reduced costs per bed, even in same-year analyses. In order for information systems to yield benefits, buy-in is needed from all involved, not just the software vendors or IT professionals, but also from the hospital staff who will implement them.
“Look at any other industry and immediately you can see how investing in technology has increased productivity and reduced costs,” said Hurl.
“Many airlines now have automated check-in kiosks or online check-in; and banks have generated significant efficiencies through banking online. Technology has significantly improved other industries and now the health sector needs to take advantage of similar opportunities presented by ICT.”
h4. Embracing technology
Healthcare needs to make information technology an integral part of its day-to-day business, he continued. By embracing technology, hospitals can improve services while reducing costs and mitigating human error. Recent times have seen several cases of patient misdiagnosis, whereby cancer patients have been given the all clear and sent home, he continued. “When used correctly, information systems can alleviate human error in, for example, patient diagnosis and potential harmful drug interactions.”
St James’s Hospital in Dublin is a prime example of where new technology is improving services, since picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and radiology information systems were implemented there. These systems archive x-ray images and link them up with the electronic ordering and tracking of pathology tests.
By centralising patients’ clinical information, the systems ensure that doctors have all the information needed to make accurate diagnoses and determine appropriate treatment, thus reducing the likelihood of clinical error and patient risk.
h4. A thing of the past
Since the systems went live at the hospital in 2006, eight million images have been stored and more than 48,000 patients have been examined over a 12-month period. Radiologists report that they are reviewing many more examinations than were ever possible with the old system, and lost film, which used to account for 20 per cent, is now a thing of the past.
As a result, these timesavings have enabled staff to increase the number of patients seen in weekly trauma clinics by 50 per cent.
In addition, the solution has reduced administrative burdens: cutting in half the number of phone calls to the microbiology lab from doctors and nurses chasing results.
As well as saving hospital time, the system also improves the patient experience by ensuring that only necessary x-rays are performed and unnecessary appointments are avoided.
One the most critical issues in effective use of ICT in healthcare is the availability of expertise. With fewer than 1,000 dedicated ICT staff out of approximately 160,000 staff working in healthcare in Ireland, this lack of skilled resources is a critical inhibitor in ICT utilisation, said Hurl.
As part of its mission to develop ICT skills within healthcare staff, at their annual conference earlier this month, HISI launched a registration system for health informatics professionals. This facilitates all clinical professionals to register in testimony to their adherence to competence standards, and to ethical and moral principles.
The safety of patients relies on the information that supports clinical decision-making and therefore on the people who manage it. I-CHIP (Irish Council for Health Informatics Professions) will promote a voluntary register of health informatics professionals to provide members with a recognised framework for professional recognition and development.