Millions of people around the world rely on healthcare to survive. Either they’re patients that need constant access to medical service, people undergoing treatment for a while, or those looking for maintenance medication — healthcare has become a necessity in the lives of many.
This is why managed IT service for the healthcare industry is so important: it allows the people to get what they need from where they need it in the shortest amount of time. Unlike other industries, healthcare isn’t something that can wait until the queue is cleared. On many occasions, it can be the difference between life and death to a struggling patient.
How Does IT Help?
IT is often the first area of contact for many consumers today, and patients interacting with the healthcare industry. From call centers to quick-response teams, there are so many people that rely on the services of IT professionals and the systems that they maintain in order to go the where they are needed.
While the definitions of IT in healthcare are still under debate in many places, there are two important areas where IT in healthcare truly shine:
Computerized Physician Order Entry
One of the biggest preventable errors that occur in hospitals or any place of care is mistakes when it comes to prescription. CPOE systems can prevent serious or even fatal medical overdoses caused by inaccurate prescriptions and can optimize the process of getting patients their medicine by automation.
However, there are still very difficult hurdles to overcome before this system is made a reality. Not all hospitals have the technological capacity and expertise to operate such a system, and additional funding will be required in order to teach technicians how to use it. There are promising signs such as legislation that requires hospitals to invest in this kind of technology, but concrete movement won’t be seen until the next decade.
Electronic Health Records
Another project that relies on healthcare IT services is electronic health records systems. In a world where the internet and smartphones have become commonplace, it’s quite staggering as to how many hospital records still rely on paper and manual input. This can be a problem when a patient’s file is urgently needed, and the time period between retrieving it from the files department and consultation can cost lives.
Fortunately, the majority of healthcare providers around the world have already seen the advantages of such a system. While still facing the same challenges that adoption of CPOE has, there is less of a legal and skill-related barrier to adopting EHR systems. With the current trends of the healthcare industry, it’s highly likely that we’ll see widespread use of this within the next five years.
Managing IT systems are key to maintaining good coverage of all essential aspects of healthcare, from insurance to emergency services. Having a robust and dedicated IT support is essential to many of the services that the healthcare industry provides. If you’re a healthcare provider looking for a more efficient partner in delivering your services, contact your local IT support provider today.
