There is no doubt that the best way to reduce overall healthcare costs is to invest heavily in preventive care. We do seem to understand this, evident in the Government’s ongoing approach of fostering increased physical activity, educating the population about how to prevent and maintain treatment of chronic diseases, and investment made in improving nutrition policies, especially at the early childhood and primary levels.
The minister of health and wellness is forging ahead with legislation for a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP). The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) recently hosted a public forum to engage citizens on the matter.
The event highlighted some important considerations that are needed to flesh out this vision, including citizen partnership and acceptance, private sector buy-in and partnership, and a requirement for the involvement of technology at all levels of the system.
There are myriad things that we have yet to explore to uncover the benefits of technology in health.
One of them is how we can achieve an interconnected and efficient multiagency disaster and crisis preparation and response mechanism.
Health is integral to any disaster response, and so the first step would be to achieve an interconnected health system. By this I mean a system by which both private- and public-sector health interests can have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to patient care.
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.
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.
I have been paying close attention to the reports of the effects of the flu season in the United States, understanding that although we may not get the figures locally as steadfastly as the US reports them, we generally face similar issues during this period.
The flu season normally begins in October and goes until about March, so we are now in the middle of it, and the United States Centre for Disease Control reported that it hasn't even peaked yet despite reports of at least 30 children dead and many adults affected.
Health sectors across developed and developing countries have long struggled with making improvements to infant and maternal health.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) for example, indicates that approximately 830 women die each day from preventable illnesses related to pregnancy and childbirth with 99 per cent of these being in developing countries.
Worldwide these two indices are very high. For many lower socio-economic groups the problem is access to health care services.
In this digital tech-centric world, data is king and it is time we, as a country, start mining data to underpin critical decisions.
At its most basic, this is described as analysing a large amount of data to determine patterns and trends that may exist, with a view to finding solutions, forecasting and predicting future possibilities.
Data mining can be one of the most profound tools used in any industry that seeks to understand clients and customers’ needs, wants, dislikes and any other pattern that they may establish.
