IT role in healthcare increases

IT's role in providing high quality healthcare is rapidly growing, say consultants at Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), says Al-Bawaba.

"As IT increasingly penetrates the healthcare industry, physicians and patients are experiencing the benefits of on-demand access to medical information where, when and how it is needed.", stated Ramez Shehadi, Booz Allen principal leading the IT Strategy Practice in the Middle East.

Facilitating the flow of information within a healthcare organisation is becoming a quality differentiator among healthcare providers competing in the GCC region, he says.

According to Medical News Today, Siemens and Airedale NHS Trust in West Yorkshire are rolling out a pioneering Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) pilot project. This will streamline the workflow and improve availability of Intravenous (IV) Pumps within the hospital environment.

The 30 day study will track about 100 IV pumps across various buildings on the hospital site via the hospital's wireless network and the ID tag attached to each pump.

The RFID pilot study will look to optimise the utilisation of medical devices within the hospital and identify future applications for tracking and tracing technology.

Over the years, healthcare organisations have had to respond to many different changes, from advances in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to the emergence of concepts such as managed care and telemedicine, reports OBBEC.com.

Healthcare is fast becoming one of the most competitive and value added industries worldwide with many technology driven developments in diagnosis, treatment, care provision, patient monitoring and healthcare infrastructure.

In healthcare, the Internet, with its powerful penetration and scalability, has the ability to empower patients, support information exchange, and consequently result in new operational strategies, business and care delivery models.