A moment from the discussion table ‘New technologies in AP, what do they contribute and what do they require?’.
The digital medicine it is already a reality within the clinical tools of the National Health System (SNS). However, there is still a way to go and not all applications or devices are the most suitable. In this brief experience of its use, Primary Care physicians especially highlight some technologies that are above the rest: those that have been designed for be integrated into the regional health systems.
“It is best to build proprietary applications to be integrated into the computer system of the health service and so information is recorded that they generate in the clinical histories. If not, it will be of little use to prescribe its use ”, details Rafael Vidal Pérez, attached to the Cardiology Service of the CHUAC and ICT consultant for the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC).
In his speech during the 28th National Congress of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG)the specialist has highlighted that mHealth is “fast emerging” for the chronic patient. “We still have to prescribe applications just as we prescribe pills. It is a lever of change for many things and it represents new opportunities”, she details.
In this sense, Vidal Pérez has highlighted that the explosion of devices has already reached medicine and many indicators can be measured such as breathing, heart rate… While in the apps “there is still a lot to do” in terms of its validity by a health organization and its role in the SNS. “Currently, one in four people have a health app installed. When the percentage of patients is more technological, we will be able to use this technology more, but at the moment the age of the patients is very advanced”, explains Pérez.
Despite this, the specialist considers that the arrival of these technologies allows the user, whether healthy or not, to have a more active role in the health system; facilitate individual-physician collaboration and communication; and they represent the potential to intelligently harness every byte of clinical data.
Technologies for the patient’s home
Another of the aspects that most worries doctors and in which progress is being made in legislative matters is data protection. “The security of health data is an absolute priority. It is necessary to strike a balance between privacy for patients and accessibility for health professionals”, highlights Dabi Santano García, family doctor and member of the Osarean/Osakidetza Online Service.
The doctor has given the example of various tools developed by Osakidetza that meet this safety criterion and focus on putting patients at the heart of the health system. “The center of the health system continues to be people and from there it is normal for new tools to appear to communicate with them,” explains the doctor.
One of the most important tools for Osakidetza doctors, according to Santano García, are the unique stories. “In the clinical panel, each professional appears with all the information of the patients in their quota. For example, pending withdrawals or prescriptions that are about to expire or requests for medical tests. In a second part we can see the notifications made in the following days. We will also be able to see the status of the patients in the quota who are admitted to the hospital or at home”, explains Santano García.
Other tools that the doctor has given as an example are: the health councila platform that works 365 days a year for free to answer questions and monitor chronic patients; School of Health, a communication channel with patients; and the GIP program, the path of information leaving the patient’s device until it is automatically inserted into their medical record.
Lastly, Julián Isla Gómez, Microsoft Software Engineer and president of Fundación 29, highlighted the importance of decentralizing clinical information so that patients can take it with them if they move. “Citizens and their health data must be empowered. It is very important to move towards data decentralization, which will start to be very powerful when it arrives.”
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