It is known that the ideal process of the application of information technology in an organization is born with investment in infrastructure (computers, networks, servers, laptops, databases), grows towards the capture of information or transactional stage in the which integrates information from all areas of the company, is developed using the information captured to facilitate managerial decision making and evolves to adopt technology as a business strategy for the creation of new products or differentiating processes that add value to their stakeholders.
In Colombia, about 45% of investment in technology by large companies is made in infrastructure, 31% of investment is made in transactional tools and only 12% is invested in generating management information and 12% in strategic operations that generate value.
An excellent example of an innovative strategy that uses technological resources to produce a differentiating service that will generate a competitive advantage in the midst of private clinics in Colombia is the digitization of the Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá Clinic with the aim of improving quality. of the provision of health services to the population. In the last four years, the Santa Fe Foundation has invested US $ 4 million in human resources, infrastructure and software to launch the application of what is known as e-health (e-health) that is based on the use of information and communication tools to transform healthcare and educational processes, reduce costs and reduce errors that are generated when medical protocols are not followed.They have developed a wireless network of 400 portable computers with software that allows optimizing information and keeping electronic medical records of patients in real time, using available mobile technology such as cell phones, PDAs and even iPods to access information and to continuing education programs.
The management of electronic medical records is expected to reduce healthcare costs that may occur due to therapeutic failure due to the concomitant use of drugs that interact with each other, due to adverse events due to the use of drugs in contraindicated pathologies, and the irrational use of drugs. antibiotics, among others. It will also facilitate patient follow-up and control of polymedicated and chronic patients. This process of systematization reduces medical error in routine practice. It is estimated that this concept produces more than one million injuries and 100,000 deaths annually in the United States, which could have been avoided by improving the quality of patient care. Despite these alarming figures, it is estimated that the majority of medical errors do not result in serious injury or death.Rather, they have consequences that go unnoticed given the clinical condition of the patient, but are extremely costly for health systems.
The implementation of information technologies in the field of health has shown benefits in optimizing the economic resources of health institutions. In the United States, some published cases have shown savings in university hospitals between 2% and 10% of the institutional budget, which represent between US $ 5 and US $ 26 million annually, respectively.
The "Leapfrog Group", created in the United States after reports from the "Institute of Medicine", seeks that hospitals achieve standards that guarantee the safety of medical services offered to patients. Only 40 hospitals have so far met the three requirements established by the group, of which the first is a digital medical record. The benefit for patients is undeniable and will increase as new tools and alarms are introduced to the systems that help health personnel.
Another invaluable example is that of some pharmaceutical research laboratories that, committed to their social mission, not only to bring innovative medicines to the country to improve the health and quality of life of the Colombian population, they are also investing in transactional technological tools such as Web pages. Proof of this is the very complete transactional website provided by Laboratorios Merck Sharp & Dohme in Colombia (www.msd..com.co)., in which patients can find information on diseases, such as asthma, baldness, osteoporosis, diseases cardiovascular diseases, AIDS among others, gives patients the possibility to send their questions about treatments and receive answers from professionals, use personalized interactive calculators for cardiovascular risk,glaucoma and osteoporosis and allows access to the MERCK HOME MANUAL on-line.
This Internet portal also brings e-learning tools aimed at doctors, allowing them to take on-line courses and access the most recognized world publications of a scientific nature; as well as updated scientific information on the drugs available in Colombia.
This customer service strategy favors the education of patients who, because they are increasingly better informed, can demand a better quality of health care and facilitates continuing education for doctors who are ultimately in charge of taking charge of the health of the Colombian population.
We see how health, technology and commerce converge in this way. Modern medicine of the highest quality is characterized by three fundamental elements: a first-class, carefully selected medical staff; cutting edge technology; and standards that guarantee patient safety, where digitization plays a central role. And Colombia has already entered this wave, which will surely favor the economic development of the country thanks to technological advances, the ability to assimilate technology transfer from abroad and to adapt to new communications and computer technologies.
Although we are still in early stages of technological development, if we should be proud that the health sector in Colombia does not escape the application of technological advances as a competitiveness strategy and in search of improving the quality of health, which is a constitutional right of the population. The provision of health services and health education by electronic means will change medical practice around the world.
Sources:
Money Magazine March 17, 2006 No.249
www.dinero.com
www.fsb.org.co
