Only by breaking the phenomenon of “information islands†can we advance the development of digital medical care .
Increasing medical expenditures and frequent medical incidents are social problems that currently plague many countries. According to statistics, since 2013, the growth rate of per capita medical expenses in OECD countries has exceeded the growth rate of GDP. In terms of medical safety, studies have shown that medical malpractice has become the third leading cause of death in the United States after cancer and heart disease. More than 250,000 people die in medical accidents every year in the United States. In this context, improving the quality of medical services has become a top priority for many countries.
In August, two of McKinsey's researchers, Thomas London and Penelope Dash, published an article titled "Improving the Quality of Medical Services through Digital Transformation." It can help the government to cope with the increase in medical expenses and the increase of medical accidents. Governments and medical institutions should pay attention to the application of digital technology, especially to establish an open medical data cloud platform to improve the quality of medical services.
Digital technology is the solution
Digital technology can promote the upgrading of existing medical systems and improve the quality of medical services. Thomas London and Penelope Dash proposed in the article "Improving the quality of medical services through digital transformation" that digital technology can help the government deal with the increase in medical costs and the increase in medical accidents in three major ways.
The first is the electronicization of medical data. E-health data can be seamlessly interfaced between different medical institutions and patients, providing conditions for telemedicine and mobile healthcare solutions. For example, an individual's electronic health data can be remotely and immediately fed back to a medical facility, and the patient can be diagnosed by the doctor without leaving the home. This can avoid unnecessary hospitalization and save a medical expense. At the same time, sharing the patient's health data between different medical institutions can significantly reduce the inconsistency of treatment paths and optimize clinical treatment.
The second is advanced data analysis tools. For patients, a variety of data analysis tools can help them understand and improve their health. For example, the Archimedes Group of the United States has launched a product called IndiGO that provides patients with personalized medical guidelines, such as recommending a healthier lifestyle, by analyzing patient medical history, treatment records, and more. Assist patients in controlling medical expenses by calculating whether the patient's expected treatment is beyond the scope of Medicare reimbursement.
For doctors, data analysis tools can cross-check patient clinical data with information from other large databases to assist doctors in making clinical decisions. Thomas London and Penelope Dash, for example, say that the current total number of biomedical literature will double every 5-7 years, making full use of digital technology to search and analyze the literature, which will help doctors optimize medical treatment. Program.
The third is the automation trend in the medical field. Many aspects of the current hospital treatment process can be automated, including appointment registration, logistics services, hospitalization procedures, and so on. Medical automation not only improves work efficiency, but also improves treatment outcomes. The article proposes that the medical automation equipment in the intensive care unit can assist doctors in remote monitoring and treatment through the sensors placed on the patient.
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