Advantages and Disadvantages of Digitization in Healthcare
July 11, 2022What Defines Digitization in Healthcare?
Digital tools in the healthcare sector aid in detecting, diagnosing, and preventing diseases. AI-powered tools actively monitor patients and assist in surgeries, thus playing a crucial role in all aspects of healthcare management. Moreover, these tools enhance efficiency and improve patient outcomes, making them indispensable in modern healthcare settings. Additionally, their use continues to expand as technology advances.
Sometimes, developers create these tools as web-based applications and software. Everything, from HMS software to health tracker apps, falls under the E-health tool category. There are so many new innovations catering to a big change in the medical sector.
So, next time you visit any hospital or clinic, try counting all the digital health equipment. Chances are, you might get it wrong. Now, let’s discuss the positive and adverse effects of implementing digital health.
Advantage 1: Better Reachability in Remote Areas
As the internet reaches the far ends of our world, so does digital health. Anyone can access patient health records online without visiting the medical centre with a simple internet connection.
Also, no matter how far you’re from a healthcare facility, you can always seek your physician’s advice and telemedicine online through the advanced patient portals.
Advantage 2: Preserving Health Information
Gone are those days of securely storing all the handwritten prescriptions and test reports. With electronic health record apps, you can store all the relevant health data in one place without worrying about losing one.
From a physician’s point of view, digitization of health records reduces the hassle of treating patients. For repeating patients, doctors can just look into the system and check the medication they are taking.
Advantage 3: Get Real-time Health Data
Personal digital health tools like fitness bands let you monitor your health-related data in real time. For example, you can check your heart rate and SpO2 level anytime you wish. These bands also monitor your sleep cycles and track your exercises.
Some next-level smartwatches have fall detection capability. Those technological marvels constantly track your vitals and auto-dial emergency numbers in case anything wrong happens to you.
Disadvantage 1: Privacy Concerns
As your health data is stored online, unauthorized users can access the database. However, the chances of this happening are pretty slim as most healthcare apps have put robust data security mechanisms in place.
Disadvantage 2: Adaptation Issue for Elderlies
Adapting to new technologies has always been a challenge for senior citizens.Some people prefer old-school treatment methods rather than adapting to digital health facilitators.
Disadvantage 3: Required Regular Updation
Like any other mobile app, healthcare apps need constant updates from the backend. If not done properly, these apps can often crash, resulting in inconvenience. Thus, a good amount of resources have to be allocated to maintaining these e-health tools.
Despite some barriers, digital health is the future of healthcare. It is on the rise and showing no signs of a slowdown. As time passes, we’ll see more revolutionary features implemented. A state-of-the-art hospital management system will transform the healthcare sector forever.
What Defines Digitization in Healthcare?
Digital tools aid the healthcare sector by detecting, diagnosing, and preventing diseases. These AI-powered tools monitor patients and assist in surgeries, playing a crucial role throughout healthcare management.
Sometimes, these tools are web-based applications and software. Everything, from HMS software to health tracker apps, falls under the E-health tool category. There are so many new innovations catering to a big change in the medical sector.
So, next time you visit any hospital or clinic, try counting all the digital health equipment. Chances are, you might get it wrong. Now, let’s discuss the positive and adverse effects of implementing digital health.
Advantage 1: Better Reachability in Remote Areas
As the internet reaches the far ends of our world, so does digital health. Anyone with a simple internet connection can access patient health records online without visiting the medical centre.
Also, no matter how far you’re from a healthcare facility, you can always seek your physician’s advice and telemedicine online through the advanced patient portals.
Advantage 2: Preserving Health Information
Gone are those days of securely storing all the handwritten prescriptions and test reports. With electronic health record apps, you can store all the relevant health data in one place without worrying about losing one.
From a physician’s point of view, digitization of health records reduces the hassle of treating patients. For repeating patients, doctors can just look into the system and check the medication they are taking.
Advantage 3: Get Real-time Health Data
Personal digital health tools like fitness bands let you monitor your health-related data in real time. For example, you can check your heart rate and SpO2 level anytime you wish. These bands also monitor your sleep cycles and track your exercises.
Some next-level smartwatches have fall detection capability. Those technological marvels constantly track your vitals and auto-dial emergency numbers in case anything wrong happens to you.
Disadvantage 1: Privacy Concerns
As your health data is kept online, unwanted access to the database is possible. However, the chances of this happening are pretty slim as most healthcare apps have put robust data security mechanisms in place.
Disadvantage 2: Adaptation Issue for Elderlies
Adapting to new technologies can be challenging for senior citizens. Many still prefer traditional treatment methods instead of using digital health tools.
Disadvantage 3: Required Regular Updation
Like any other mobile app, healthcare apps need constant updates from the backend. If not done properly, these apps can often crash, resulting in inconvenience. Thus, a good amount of resources have to be allocated to maintaining these e-health tools.
Despite some barriers, digital health is the future of healthcare. It is on the rise and showing no signs of a slowdown. As time passes, we’ll see more revolutionary features implemented. A state-of-the-art hospital management system will transform the healthcare sector forever.
Conclusion
Digital innovations have improved many lives in the healthcare industry. The true value of healthcare digitization became clear during the COVID lockdowns when telemedicine became the main treatment option.
Healthcare digitization isn’t new. It blends technology and convenience to access medical data. Digital health has changed how patients view healthcare for the better.
As the industry shifts in many areas, we’ll explore the benefits and barriers of this digital revolution. But before diving into the pros and cons, let’s understand a bit more about digital health.