Healthcare technology currently suffers from a paradox: On the one hand, modern hospitals are using some of the most advanced technologies in the world. In addition to advanced patient diagnostic and treatment equipment, image management, medication monitoring, electronic record storage and other top quality systems are also widely used. The majority of hospitals also feature sophisticated secure communications and data networks with blanket internet, telephone and IP connectivity. Unfortunately, however, most of this equipment is provided by very different and disparate devices spread throughout the entire facility and, as a result, the majority of workflow processes require a significant degree of manual coordination.
Even with a functioning electronic medical record (EMR) system, critical information is still only generally found in a limited number of places such as the nursing area or an administrative office, instead of being readily available to the medical professional or patient.
Given the level of technology generally present in a hospital, it is ironic that pen and paper is still the most common way for members of staff to record and communicate information.
The Blueprint for an Intelligent Hospital
Healthcare organizations are beginning to find that the possibilities are endless when everything is connected; when people, processes and systems work continuously together. This is a vision of an intelligent hospital. When they use the correct communications technologies, hospitals and healthcare organizations can improve:
• The quality of patient care
• The cost of services
• The lack of personnel
• The limitations on the facility’s capacity
• Security and privacy
Investment in existing networks in an intelligent hospital generates major opportunities to better and more effectively direct and manage patient care, create efficiencies and find new ways to achieve success without increasing costs. The key is to make the connections without having to reinvent the hospital as we know it.
Source: www.avaya.com
