ICT is not a novel
technology; it is a continuous improvement of computing and communication. The
combination of ICT and Healthcare has ushered in a new field called “e-health”
that impacts each and everyone of us: payers, providers, practitioners and
patients.
E-health is the “a concerted
effort undertaken by leaders in health care and hi-tech industries to fully
harness the benefits available through convergence of the Internet and
healthcare”. This emerging sector aims to address three main communication
networks. The “Business to Consumer“ (B2C) section aims to improve the
interaction of consumers with the system, the “Business to Business” (B2B) aims
to enhance the institution-to-institution transmission of data and the
“Consumer to Consumer” (C2C) explores new possibilities of peer-to-peer communication.
.jpg)
The reasons why e-health is
revolutionizing the healthcare system is because it is easy-to-use, exciting
and entertaining. The NHS Direct in the UK provides advice on health and
medical problems via internet and telephone. WebMD provides online group
discussions with medical experts. CyberDocs offer “virtual house call” with
board-certified physicians for $50 -$100 a session and the demand for these
services are ever increasing. One system which is still under development
assists men with enlarged prostates to make an informed decision on whether to
watch and wait or take recourse to medication and surgery. Another interesting
application uses automated computer interviews as well as multimedia
presentations to help patients choose treatment options for deep-vein
thrombosis.
Kaiser Permanente has spent
over $2 billion to move all of its operations onto the Internet and has created
a computerized patient record. This has allowed all 361 of its clinics and
hospitals and every physician, nurse, and dentist in these hospitals
communicate with one another and with patients. Members can also use the system
to search online for health information, obtain advice from nurses and
pharmacists, request an appointment, or join an online discussion group.
But what are the drawbacks?
Is it good to allow consumers access to information? Are the consumers using
the information made available efficiently? The information available online is
many a time incomplete and this often leads to misdiagnosis and panic for the
consumers. Many argue that this free access to information will lead to adverse
selection. Consumers will generally choose high-quality providers based on the
performance review and this will unfairly penalize healthcare providers and
organizations that treat high-risk patients. This might discourage surgeons
from operating on high-risk patients.
Thus, while ICT promises to
make access to quality healthcare easier and more cost effective the drawbacks
discussed above remain to be addressed.
References:
In the article “How the
Internet Is Transforming the Physician-Patient Relationship” James G. Anderson
provides a detailed analysis of the impact e-medicine has on patients and
physicians.
No comments:
Post a Comment