The adoption of information technologies in the health sector is crucial to improving the efficiency and quality of the services provided. However, the implementation of these solutions must be accompanied by a reformulation of existing processes. Eduardo Antunes, executive director of Glintt Global and head of Glintt Life Hospitals, explains how technological innovation, combined with strategic management, using HIMSS methodologies as an example, can transform the healthcare sector and put the human being at the center of the experience.
In the age of technology and innovation, are healthcare organisations making the most of information technology?
In my opinion, many healthcare organisations are still not taking full advantage of information technology. Although technology has the potential to improve the efficiency, accuracy and quality of services, adoption alone is not enough. We all know that the sector is under enormous pressure and that it will continue to increase – with an increasingly ageing population, an increase in chronic diseases, fewer health professionals and the possible emergence of more situations similar to the last pandemic, we need to think, act and do differently in order to achieve different results.
Processes need to be reformulated and management needs to be adapted so that technological solutions really bring benefits.
Technology must allow health professionals to gain time, not to use information systems, but to devote themselves to people and the relationships between them, so that care, touch and listening can take place.
But do you feel that the technological solutions that currently exist in organizations in the sector aren’t adding value?
Of course they add value and are essential to the day-to-day running of healthcare organisations. However, the problem lies in how they are implemented. Healthcare organisations are very complex and need to be managed through a well-defined organisational structure made up of various departments, well-defined staff structures, efficiency and productivity metrics in place, modern policies and procedures that are suitable for providing healthcare to patients.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
What often happens is that technology is adopted without a thorough analysis of needs and a restructuring of existing processes, which should be the basis of everything.
The solution doesn’t necessarily involve changing technology.
So, how do you think organizations in the sector should act in this decision-making process?
In my opinion, healthcare organizations should consider adopting international practices and standards. One example is the HIMSS methodologies.
HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) is an excellent case of a non-profit organization that uses consultancy and whose main objective is to help promote better health information management, increase efficiency and improve the quality of healthcare through technology.
To do this, there are various models that should be applied on a case-by-case basis, because not all organizations are at the same stage of maturity. Each organization will have to assess the adoption and use of electronic medical records, analyse the degree of maturity as far as analytical capacity and data integration.
It is crucial to carry out a detailed analysis of the state of functional and/or procedural maturity in which each organization finds itself, reviewing and optimizing processes before deciding which technological solutions are needed. Only in this way will it be possible to guarantee that the technologies adopted really meet the needs identified and contribute to improving the services provided.
As Glintt Global is one of the largest technology companies, with 100% Portuguese headquarters, how have you helped organisations in this area?
Since 2017, Glintt Global, through its Glintt Life brand – the Iberian leader in healthtech, has been collaborating with and supporting organizations in the health sector, using HIMSS methodologies in particular.
Our consultants, certified and experts in HIMSS methodologies, have worked side by side with organizations to analyze, re-evaluate and validate the processes that are subject to validation in the HIMSS models, regardless of the technological solutions already in place.
Our focus is on helping organizations become more efficient in their processes, more agile in their clinical outcomes, improving patient safety and the quality of the clinical care provided. Our innovative and strategic approach has allowed us to participate in various national and international events to share our methodologies and best practices implemented over the years.
The truth is that, over the last eight years, by adopting these models we have learned a lot, strengthened our skills and contributed to the evolution of organizations, which today are much better, more efficient and more agile than they were a few years ago.
Technology has become a means to an end: to simplify tasks, to help with decision-making and to contribute to an effective reduction in the time consumed by healthcare professionals in carrying out administrative tasks. But for this to happen, we have to be able to think, act and do things differently in order to achieve excellent results.
And our ambition is, as Glintt Life, and using technology, to put the human being at the center of the whole experience, contributing to the general improvement of health services and society.
source: O Jornal Económico
