ICT in MedicineCh 52

1

Introduction

ICT is used in many ways in the provision and management of healthcare services: Hospital administration Medical training Maintenance of patient records Communications between

doctors/patients/hospitals Diagnosis Monitoring Surgeries

Objectives

You should have an understanding of a wide range of work-related ICT applications and their effects, including applications in medicine doctors’ information systems hospital and pharmacy records Monitoring expert systems for diagnosis

We will look at the processes in a logical order, considering the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in each one.

Patient records

Patient records used to be written on paper, and stored in huge, manual databases.

This made accessing the records slow. Sometimes records could get lost, and there was no easy way to make a back-up copy, or to search for specific groups of patients

Patient records

When a patient registers at a surgery, details are recorded on a database

Computerized databases mean that patient data can be easily shared between doctors, pharmacies and other hospitals

It is easy to search for and retrieve patient records

What data is held?

In the case of hospitals, the patient data that would be typically stored would be:Patient ID (number or text) - this would be the key field

Name (text) Date-of-birth (date) Gender (boolean) Next of kin (text) Blood group (text) Allergies (text) Medical history (text) Doctor currently treating (text) Current symptoms (text) Current diagnosis (text) Current treatment (text) Current medication (text) X-rays or body scans (links to image/video files)

Advantages

SecurityAccess rights & levelsEase & speed of transferring to a

new doctorBUT:DPAOver reliance?ExpenseTrainingChangeover issues

Managing apointments

Allocating appointment times

Managing doctors’ workload

Easy to seeWeekly/monthly overviewSearches possibleNotesColour codingBUT? –

saving/overwriting/cost/training

Electronic booking systems

Video Clip: NHS introduces electronic booking system

Other appointments

Doctors can access a patient’s records whilst they are visiting patients, by using a computer connected wirelessly to the hospital network.

Advantages?Possible problems?

Doctors often use tablet computers (which are portable like laptops, but have a touch screen, and no keyboard) as they can be held in one hand, and operated with the other.

Notes can be written on the screen using a stylus, and handwriting-recognition software converts it into computer text data.

Advantages

Ease & speed of access to relevant patient information

No need to carry notes around (bulky, heavy, problems in case they are lost)

Access to communications if need for urgent referral to hospital etc

Also access to online diagnostic tools/reference material

Disadvantages:

CostTrainingTheft issuesBattery issuesWhat if it breaks down?Network availability in some areasData protection issues

Diagnosis: the issues facing doctors

Need for speed and accuracyNew & unusual conditionsLevels of experience can vary!Area of expertiseTrainingYears of practise

Previous conditions

Accessed through recordsPrevious treatments & success ratesAny reactions to drugs?

Diagnostic technology

Diagnosis

Embedded computer systems Electronic diagnostic equipment eg

body scannersCT scanners and MRI scanners

allow doctors to investigate what is happening inside a patient's body without intrusive surgery.

Diagnostic equipment

May contain sensorsPhysical data is analogue, so need

for ADCCAT scansMRIsX rayUltrasound

Ultrasound scans

Video clip: New Ultrasound scans

Advantages

Non-invasive: Faster Cheaper Less risk of side effects or infection More convenient for patient and doctor 3D is possible Access to research/info

Disadvantages

Equipment is very expensiveTraining is requiredBreakdownsSome equipment may not be

available in all areas – digital divide issues