A step towards seamless care: connecting people, data and technology

However, despite this progress, seemingly simple tasks are made challenging due to a concept some refer to as DRIP, we are Data Rich, but Information Poor. A phenomenon that is prevalent when the level of integration is low. Where reports or interfaces are not readily available on the same platform, it could take weeks of manual labor to gather the appropriate data when it could have taken days or even hours. At present, hospitals are required to use several different systems to gather information on the same patient.

Future Health Index

Philips recently commissioned a health study, the Future Health Index, that looks at access to care, integration of care and the implementation of connected care technologies. The results found that generally, there is high interest among caregivers and patients for the technology because they believe that it will bring value. However, what was surprising was that Sweden (the only Nordic country represented in the study) saw a huge disconnect between the investments being made and the value the technologies provided. Unfortunately, this is largely the case across all the Nordic countries.

Bridging the gap

Those with experience working in healthcare are probably familiar with innovation and brainstorming sessions where the goal is to develop new solutions for patients. Often a stakeholder map is created, here patients are put in the middle and the caregivers are placed around the patient. However, when looking at it from a business perspective and considering whom the technology is being sold to, technology vendors start to think about the hospitals and end up developing solutions the industry think they need rather than what the patients need.

It is time to remember who is ultimately consuming healthcare services. We need to remember that the patient is the only constant in the care continuum; they are the end user of the data.

With rapid technological advances and standardization of interfaces, we now have the infrastructure to achieve more seamless care. Furthermore, with the implementation of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), we also have a catalyst and enabler that provides us with a framework to work in. Online shopping, online banking, etc. are all possible – why not make online health management possible, too?