HEALTHCARE IT
Digital technology is paving the way to redefine the laboratory scenario R. Subramanian, Vice President - Product Management and Business Development, Transasia Bio-Medicals talks about connected healthcare infrastructure and its accelerated acceptance
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he COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated acceptance of connected healthcare infrastructure. Be it pathology laboratories, clinical set-ups or hospitals, the focus is on enhancing operations through faster adoption of the latest technological advancements. In areas related to Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), HIS, cloud storage, apps, etc., labs and hospitals are competing to ensure better quality of services for patients and stakeholders. Digitisation of laboratory medicineIt is a well-known fact that treatment decisions depend on timely availability of reliable lab results. However, a majority of the patients in India reside in areas that lack a sophisticated lab infrastructure and thus have to spend their time and money on travel. In such a scenario, the advent of digital technology can transform rural India and make ‘New India’ a reality. Digital technology has led to reducing the barriers between patients and clinicians and clinicians and pathologists. A pathologist based in a metro or mini-metro can easily be consulted by using smart phones through whatsapp, etc. In fact, government institutes are liaising with manufacturers to take digital technology to the PHC level. Manufacturers are offering a comprehensive suite of medical instruments connected with LIMS and a web cam. This allows the doctor to generate formal reports, which can be retrieved on the followup visit of the patient. Moreover, a large amount of data is generated which can be used for generating MIS for analysis. Additionally, integration of collection centres and patient
EXPRESS HEALTHCARE
15
March 2022