When hospitals first started to invest in IT systems, the aim was to connect one department to another, cutting down the workload and improving accuracy of health information through electronic systems. For instance, linking equipment to a surgical theatre and a roster and then displaying this information on a patient’s electronic health record to provide greater visibility and efficiency.
However today, total hospital information systems are revolutionising the way hospitals operate, making life easier for both for clinicians and patients. Rather than having multiple systems in one hospital, a fully comprehensive hospital information system brings together all aspects of the hospital. Having one single system that a hospital can operate within drives efficiency, reduces waste and allows healthcare organisations to deliver superior care to their patients.
Hospitals can have up to 200 different IT systems that have been developed for specific purposes or individual departments and are often very difficult to integrate with one another. These are not only expensive to maintain, but having different information stored in different systems makes it particularly hard to analyse or make holistic decisions.
A total hospital information system links patient, clinical, administrative and financial workflows and makes information sharing easy between new and existing systems. It can provide seamless connectivity between legacy and third-party health systems, as well as allowing hospitals to customise the system to meet their individual needs as an organisation.
Driving efficiency
A fully integrated system allows hospitals to optimise the patient journey, from arrival, through to assessment, admission, care and discharge. Combining all of the steps into a complete solution that ranges from efficient patient administration, to integrated back office management, scheduling of surgical resources, and pharmacy automation, has the ability to speed up day to day operations in a hospital.
Reducing waste
A single hospital information system allows hospitals to get up and running in just a few months and can also be rapidly implemented at other sites within a healthcare organisation. Synchronising all the information systems across sites makes it easy for healthcare organisations to measure and analyse information, optimising efficiency and reducing waste.
Delivering superior care
Seamless integration of all aspects of the hospital gives doctors and nurses more time to provide accurate and personalised care to their patients. Ideally, a total hospital information system should allow clinicians to spend more time utilising their medical expertise and making informed decisions, minimising the administrative tasks. It ensures the doctors have the right information on hand to make informed care decisions. The single system also enhances the overall experience for the patient, making their visit as comfortable as possible.
Click below to learn more about Orion Health’s fully integrated hospital information system, Enterprise.
