Improving the Use of Data in Healthcare

For many industries, the potential benefits of digitalization often revolve around increasing speed and efficiency through simplification. For example, a manufacturing business might use technology to monitor global operations in a single, aggregated system that allows them to streamline processes or store raw materials closer to where they are needed. A professional services firm might use videoconferencing and collaboration platforms to more efficiently match problems with experts. And a retail business might give its customers direct access to information about stock levels, and data thereby reducing the workload for its employees.

It is generally accepted that high-quality, high-volume data – particularly when managed with smart, AI-powered tools – has the potential to simplify processes and increase efficiency within organizations. However, some challenges remain inherently complex and cannot be easily addressed with the help of data and AI.

The healthcare industry is a prime example of this complexity. While the field of medicine is constantly evolving, the human body itself remains inherently complex. As new treatments and higher standards of care are developed, the range of specialized skills and advanced technologies that are needed to provide comprehensive, modern healthcare will only continue to increase.

The use of Data in Digital Health Mandate

Despite this complexity, there is growing pressure on the healthcare industry to modernize and digitize in order to remain resilient in a rapidly changing economic and social landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this need, as healthcare providers scrambled to find ways to continue providing care in the face of adversity. This often involved replacing paper documentation with digital solutions and expanding the use of videoconferencing for consultations.

Now that the worst of the pandemic is over, many healthcare providers are realizing that initiatives that may have been pushed to the side in recent years are now even more important. At the same time, new challenges are arising as healthcare professionals and their employers recover from a tumultuous and stressful period.

For example, technologies that were once considered experimental, such as AI-powered diagnostics and robotic surgery, are now becoming essential tools with real-world impacts. Meanwhile, trends toward a shift in focus from reactive to preventative medicine and value-based care are re-emerging. At the same time, the skills that healthcare providers need are becoming scarce as a result of stress and burnout, and remote solutions for patient interactions are not always designed to be interoperable across different healthcare organizations and departments.

Despite these challenges, it is important to remember that, just as digitalization cannot make the human body simpler, new treatments and expectations do not make it more complex. In other words, while the healthcare industry does not have the luxury of changing its work and purpose in order to become more efficient like some industries do, it can still benefit from having a clear, unchanging goal that guides everything it does.

A Single Source of Truth

One common thread that underlies all the emerging and long-standing trends in healthcare is data. When innovative medical imaging technologies are introduced, it is not just a new way of looking at the body, but also a source of data-driven insights into people’s health. Similarly, programs that promote preventative medicine are not just new care pathways that are followed when symptoms or warning signs are detected, but also a way of using a person’s health data over time to predict their most likely future health outcomes.

The basic architecture of taking, storing, exchanging, and analyzing data must be the main focus of healthcare digitalization initiatives. Because of this, the business may advantage from digitalization in a similar way to other industries.

The goal of data efficiency in healthcare is to ensure that patient data accurately reflects their actual state of health rather than simplify the problem.

For healthcare workers, this means having access to a complete picture of a patient’s health, which enables them to make informed decisions without having to spend time and effort contacting other parts of the healthcare system and waiting for information to be shared.

For patients who are using digital channels to communicate with healthcare professionals, this means knowing that navigating the healthcare system will not involve repeating their symptoms and experiences, as their data will move seamlessly with them.

For administrators and policymakers, this means having a clearer understanding of how a healthcare system is functioning, where additional resources are most needed, and where improved workflows can be put in place to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.

The discussion around data and healthcare has often been influenced by ideas and principles from other industries, but a hospital without paper is not the same as an office without paper. In order to truly modernize and digitize healthcare, we need to make its technology infrastructure as specialized and patient-focused as healthcare providers are.

Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com