In phase 4.0, information technology (IT) impacts most areas of life, medical examination and treatment and health care are no exception. IT has been bringing many significant changes to the healthcare industry.

From checking the health status of patients to updating records and electronic medical records, IT has been bringing great leaps to the medical industry. Experts estimate that by 2024, the healthcare IT market could reach $390.7 billion.

What is healthcare information technology?

When it comes to IT, we often think of using computers, telecommunications and other systems to collect, process, store, retrieve and share information. Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) refers to the effective and safe use of technology to manage information related to medical examination and treatment activities and patient health status.

The main purpose of applying information technology in health care is to improve and personalize the medical examination and treatment journey and patient care. HIT allows doctors to connect and communicate with patients effectively, maintain privacy and help patients recover better.

Significance of information technology in health care

The ultimate goal of applying IT in healthcare is to improve people's overall health through effective medical examination, treatment, care and training activities.

With medical examination and treatment and health care services, information technology plays the role of:

• Providing more accurate information, thereby providing appropriate approaches and treatments that can be customized to meet each individual's needs.
• Allows decisions related to individual and public health risks to be made faster.
• Helps patients communicate more easily with healthcare professionals. Build social support networks for both patients and professionals.
• Raise community awareness about issues related to medical examination and treatment and health care.

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Applying information technology in medicine and health care

IT is applied in many ways to upgrade the medical system, support patients in receiving medical examination and treatment and receive the most comprehensive health care.

Electronic profile

One of the most notable applications of HIT is patient records and data management. Previously, paper records were commonly used. However, paper records are easily lost or damaged over time.

IT helps doctors keep track of medical records more easily. Doctors, nurses, and midwives can add information about test results, scans, medication, and create virtual charts to monitor health status.

According to surveys, medical staff using electronic records save a lot of time for recording, while minimizing errors in data entry.

Electronic patient portal

The patient portal is an online application. The system provides patients with access to their personal health information records and 2-way electronic communication with their medical provider using a computer or mobile device.

Many studies have shown that electronic information portals have improved care and prevention outcomes, helping the community raise disease awareness and manage their health more effectively.

Remote medical monitoring and treatment

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the conversion of face-to-face medical examination and treatment to remote medical examination and treatment. Many applications combine Artificial Intelligence (AI - Artificial Intelligence), Internet of Things (IoT - Internet of Things),... to help connect patients with medical professionals via mobile devices and computers. .

Remote medical examination and treatment helps limit contact during an epidemic, saving time traveling and waiting in line to get numbers.

In addition, medical professionals can remotely monitor patients, communicate and exchange status continuously. This form of medical treatment helps improve outcomes for patients with chronic diseases, including: Heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and hypertension. 

Research shows that telemedicine technology improves clinical outcomes for many patients, increases community access to health care services, and promotes collaboration between patients and doctor.

Medical orders and electronic prescriptions

Doctors can use computer platforms or mobile devices to give orders and prescriptions. The physician order entry system is computerized, developed to improve the safety of prescriptions. Additionally, more modern systems allow for electronic scheduling of tests, procedures, and consultations. 

Doctors' electronic order entry systems are often integrated with clinical decision support systems (CDS - Clinical Decision Support). It acts as an error prevention tool, by educating prescribers on medication dosage, administration and frequency. 

In addition, some physician computerized data entry systems (CPOE - Computerized Physician Order Entry) may have features to remind prescribers about patient allergies, medication side effects, etc.

Clinical decision support

Clinical decision support information technology provides healthcare professionals with patient-specific information. This information is carefully selected and accurate.

IT applications in clinical decision support include a range of tools that help improve decision-making and clinical workflow efficiency. These tools include: Notifications, alerts and reminders to care providers and patients; Clinical guidance, giving indications according to condition; Patient-specific clinical summaries; Provide document templates, support investigation and diagnosis,...

Manage medicine barcodes

Medicine barcode management system is an electronic system that integrates electronic medicine management records with barcode technology. These systems prevent medication errors by ensuring that patients receive the right medication at the right time. 

Actual surveys show that medication management using barcodes, when integrated with electronic medication management records, can reduce errors in medication management by 50% to 80%.

Smart infusion pump

Smart intravenous infusion pumps are equipped with medication error prevention software. This software alerts the operator when infusion settings fall outside pre-configured safety limits. 

Automatic medicine dispensing technology

Automated dispensing cabinets (ADC - Automated dispensing cabinets) are electronic medicine cabinets that help store medicine at the point of care, helping medicine distribution to be controlled and closely monitored. 

Automated medication dispensing cabinets became commonly used in hospitals in the 1980s. Over time, this technology was developed with more complex software and digital interfaces to synthesize risky steps. High risks in the drug dispensing process. 

Automatic medicine dispensing cabinets have been used successfully as a medicine inventory management tool. This technology helps automate the drug dispensing process, reducing workload at the central pharmacy and better tracking drug dispensing and patient payments.

The application of information technology in protecting, caring for and improving health brings many practical benefits with the ability to access and support patients with different needs. In the future, IT application in health care will certainly become a strong development trend that many countries are aiming for.

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