The healthcare industry is currently investing heavily in technology allowing improvements in security standards, efficient communication between departments via a cell phone or web enabled devices, and an increase in sharing of information for research and diagnostics, resulting in a better alignment of business solutions Hospitals need to manage an enormity of data. With increasing customer needs and a demand from within the industry, technology is continuing to support and change the infrastructure of.the healthcare.
With E-commerce, biometrics, grid computing, auto -ID wireless, Net and XML, the efficiency and accuracy of information in healthcare is magnified. E-commerce has allowed the healthcare industry to connect with its customers boosting the relationship with suppliers and buyers and reducing the costs of procurement. Biometrics marks the end of newspaper reports of hospitals operating on the wrong person, giving the wrong dosage of drugs, losing babies to kidnappers and employing people with an unsuitable care record.
Grid Computing has provided scalability and instant processing power, using spare computing power it can provide efficient delivery of medical information. Currently the research and development department are investing heavily in this. .NET allows the communication of virtual information over simple web enabled device .XML allows the security of the XML data to be transferred in a standard form. Auto ID Wireless.
1. Introduction Technology is rapidly becoming the central factor in the forefront of hospitals. It has made a significant difference to the way routine tasks are performed, changing the way people communicate internally between departments, externally with suppliers and how the data of information is stored and retrieved. Hospitals have realised the full potential of the technology revolution and are continuing to learn the fundamental use of integrated information systems, which is inspiring and transforming the healthcare industry.
The validity of content has to be accurate providing an easier medium for both patients and doctors to research data, making accurate diagnostics and communicating more efficiently. This has encouraged hospital staff to focus more time on patient care. 2. Healthcare industry The healthcare industry has become competitive in today’s market. It is the largest industry in the USA, accounting for 14% GDP. The NHS has been funded with $2.3 billion in new information technology, enabling it to reduce its costs and open up a virtual library of information.
Privacy is essential in healthcare and there are governing bodies and data protection act to regulate and keep control of confidential matters. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) is one standard that protects the patient’s rights. 2.1 Hospitals Parag can you describe how each department talks to another internally in one paragraph please
The x ward will need to communicate with the x department who will need to samples from the lab… 4. Ecommerce E-commerce is the business transaction process that occurs between two parties. B2B allows medical surgical and pharmaceutical supplies to be ordered from registered companies consolidating the information. Procurement can be ordered on line integrating capabilities including detailed invoicing, purchase orders and transferring of money. This cuts down the need of filling in forms, searching through catalogues and has a significant increase in supply chain efficiency. Purchases online will only be made if the hospital staff know that the system is safe. The right medicine and the right dosages need to be delivered. The site needs to be a secure as medical information is confidential
4.1 Advantages of Ecommerce With a website that is easy to understand and navigate, Ecommerce has allowed these transactions to be fast and deliverable instantly. It can be accessed at any time and the business has a low cost of processing this by reducing its overheads. The contents of information has to be accurate, informative and dynamic. A medium size hospital will have over a hundred separate contracts with suppliers. With ecommerce hospitals supplies can be tracked and recorded efficiently.
5 Biometrics Based on analysis of physiological or behavioural characteristics, biometrics are an automated method for people recognition. They include fingerprints, retinal and iris scanning, hand and finger geometry, voice patterns, facial recognition, and other techniques. The biometric technologies are becoming the foundation of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions.
5.1 Advantages of Biometrics Biometric recognition can be used in identification mode, where the biometric system identifies a person from the entire enrolled population by searching a database for a match. This type of application has applications for healthcare recruitment where individuals listed on police databases may need to be checked.
A system also can be used in verification mode, where the biometric system authenticates a person’s claimed identity from his/her previously enrolled pattern, this method can be used to ensure that the correct individual is prescribed repeat drugs at the correct dosage etc. Verification biometrics may also be used for building and ward entry checks to ensure that only registered personnel and visitors gain automatic entry.
Hospital theatres would benefit from the use of biometrics to identify the patient on the bed and bring up the medical records to ensure they undergo the correct procedure and that any allergies are highlighted prior to drug provision. In the hectic environment of a modern hospital the only good biometric system is one that is fast, accurate, easy to use and, of course, low cost. It must be based upon a distinguishable trait e.g for nearly a century, law enforcement has used fingerprints to identify people. There is a great deal of scientific data supporting the idea that “no two fingerprints are alike. Identification devices must be extremely secure yet fast with low False Reject Rates. Biometrics can be applied successfully in this area and are convenient and error-free, with a record of low False Accept Rates, often an application combining moderate sensitivity settings, combined with short user keypad codes.