The Healthcare industry has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past couple of years, but as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic it may be time for surgeries and hospitals to look at how they use technology. That’s a simplistic take on a sector that is increasingly under pressure, however there are areas in which technology can alleviate pain points when it comes to delivering treatment to patients. Such improvements are hinted at in the popularity of telemedicine and virtual consultations since the pandemic. According to a recent report, over three quarters of people using virtual consultations said that they would be happy to continue to use the technology to provide their healthcare. When it comes to implementing technology into healthcare organisations, understanding is the key to success according to Jürgen Engelhard, Business Development Manager at Mitel. “Healthcare organisations do have various needs when it comes to improving their communication and collaboration internally and externally,” said Jürgen Engelhard. “In my experience, the most important element is understanding the different aspects that different Healthcare organisations need. “That’s not to say there isn’t technology in the sector now. Healthcare and Pharmaceutical organisations do collaborate with each other to improve the treatment of their clients and digitising patient data, for example. “Digitalisation is one of the main challenges for the entire sector, including both internal and external communication. Patients need to get secure support via contact centers, video calls, or chats, and the staff also need to be able to work remotely, which has been more important than ever with COVID-19.”
Barriers to Adoption
The digital transformation within healthcare is particularly difficult due to the intensity of the job, and the regulations that need to be adhered to. Engelhard acknowledged that these challenges are things that the solution needs to overcome, rather than doctors and nurses getting used to the system that is being implemented.
“The key aspect of any solution is the intuitive usage which will convince the people that need to work with new technologies of its value. For example, thanks to AI, Voice Recognitions technology people could easily document their work on the fly”
“But given the lack of people in the sector, this technology won’t be accepted if it will increase the pressure and workload on the users, especially compared to traditional working methods. The introduction and the process of convincing the entire healthcare organisation to change to a new way of working will be one important aspect Mitel overcomes, together with its system integration partners. “Privacy is something else that needs to be considered beyond the doctor-patient relationship, as records are shared between staff and facilities. Partners must ensure regulatory compliance and patient privacy, with a range of healthcare communications solutions that are independently certified to comply with regulations for physical and technical requirements.”
