I have had some experience implementing technology in entities that are completely new to it. This is not an easy process and can result in extended delays if not undertaken clinically.
My experiences include implementing health-system-related technology at entities such as pharmacies, hospitals, and medical practices. Like any normal change process, these things require a strategic approach.
For years, we have been hearing of the inability of the Government and researchers to get adequate information on cancer in Jamaica.
Sure, a registry exists, but the information it contains is apparently only for Kingston and St Andrew. That, obviously, cannot be a sufficient representation of the reality in Jamaica.
With the ever-increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases including cancer, accurate data is important for the Government and others to determine the best interventions, especially given the limited resources that exist in the health sector.
The issue of medical records was once again thrust into the spotlight with a recent Supreme Court decision which ordered that parents be given access to their baby's health records within 24 hours.
The hospital had refused to hand them over. Since then, the question is still up in the air as to who owns medical records, prompting Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton to seek an opinion from the attorney general.
The condition in which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age may invariably affect their state of health and well-being as well as impact their health decisions.
These are referred to as social determinants of health and include income level, social status, education, employment and working conditions, housing, healthcare access, personal health practices, transportation and nutrition.
It's estimated that at least 25 per cent of Jamaicans have mental illness. Still, we hear that many disorders such as anxiety and depression go undiagnosed, and so when we think about, much more of our population could be experiencing some form of mental illness at points in their life. The Ministry of Health has been moving towards more of a community mental-health approach, allowing patients to be reintegrated into their community after treatment rather than being kept at specialised facilities indefinitely.
I have always been a proponent of telemedicine and its immense benefits to the healthcare system. It is a great way for rural communities to gain access to high quality health care.
Important strides have been made in health sectors worldwide to move forward with achieving a complete digital ecosystem with electronic medical records (EMR) central to this.
Jamaicans are highly suspicious of technology, especially those that require the sharing of personal information. I was recently privy to a discussion among doctors and they were of the view that there should be great concern if EMR is implemented in government health facilities as too many people would be able to access individuals' health records.
ANYONE WHO has been sick and has had to take medicines for whatever reason knows that pharmaceuticals can be quite expensive.
The pharmaceutical industry worldwide is a US multibillion dollar one. Each year the Jamaican Government spends in excess of $8 billion to provide pharmaceuticals to public-sector patients through hospitals, health centres and the National Health Fund (NHF).
Hospitals worldwide seek to reduce the length of time patients are admitted as this not only saves the facility resources but it can also be safer for the patient to be treated and released as soon as possible.
Health Technology provides a means of accessing various data that can be leveraged to improve population health and wellness and save resources that would have been used for treatment and care.
Data is powerful and can help with a number of issues if we know how, and are willing to, use it. The digitisation of the healthcare sector will lead to that sector becoming data rich.
