Hospital information management systems (HIMS) are an integral component of hospital operation in the new normal. The need for hospital information system implementation is more important than ever, with covid 19 being a clear example of why it is so necessary.
In this blog post, we will discuss how to implement hospital information systems during the pandemic and what regulation needs to be followed.
Here are the broad reasons why it is important for hospitals to get an HIMS during a pandemic:
- Hospital information systems are important to hospital patient safety. During a pandemic, when resources are scarce and the hospital population is high, it becomes increasingly difficult for hospital staff to fulfill their role in the healthcare process due to a lack of equipment or supplies.
At such a time, proper implementation of HIMS ensures that hospitals have access to all medical records including test results and other relevant data at any given moment making hospital decision-making processes much smoother.
- During a pandemic, hospitals need accurate record keeping so they can be held accountable by regulatory bodies. These organizations perform audits that require meticulous record-keeping so if there is ever an issue with hospital care or hospital information systems, they can find out exactly what happened during the pandemic.
Data collected during the pandemic can also be used for research on the symptoms and patterns of the spreading disease. This could help fight and prevent future outbreaks.
- Vaccination drives started during a pandemic require keeping a consistent record of the number of doses in-store, personal information of the people vaccinated, date of vaccination of each individual, etc. A HIMS helps maintain these records and thus enables the successful completion of vaccination drives.
- Hospital information management system implementation is necessary for hospital financial operations and business continuity planning (BCP). BCP deals with developing strategies that help hospitals prepare themselves in case of a disaster such as flooding, fire, power outage, etc. which allows them to continue hospital operations.
If hospital information systems were not implemented during a pandemic, hospital BCP would be severely hindered and hospitals may have to make tough decisions such as canceling elective surgeries which can affect the hospital bottom line.
This is why it’s important for HIMS implementation to follow strict regulations and protocols so that hospital decision-making is not hindered during hospital operations.
Hospital information management systems have various features which would come in handy for medical health professionals during a pandemic. Here are a few:
- Resource calendar: Used by hospitals and health centers to schedule their resources efficiently on time and within budget, a resource calendar provides a clear visual representation of resource availability and usage, thereby helping stock managers predict the need for resources ahead of time.
During a pandemic, with a large number of patients admitted to a hospital and the speedy exhaustion of resources, it is crucial to have such a system that can predict the need ahead of time.
- Centrally accessible digital database: With the large number of patients admitted and the extra measures hospital staff has to take to control the spread, it is only to be expected that errors will be made during data entry.
With a centrally accessible digital database, clinical information is made available to more than one professional at a time, which would increase the chance for error correction.
- Digital calendars: With the busy schedule a pandemic can bring in, being able to check the next task or schedule in a handheld device makes so much difference.
In conclusion, hospital information management systems (HIMS) are an integral component of hospital operation in the new normal. The need for hospital information system implementation is more important than ever, with covid 19 being a clear example of why it is so necessary during this time period.
In order to implement hospital information systems, hospital staff needs to follow strict regulations and protocols so that hospital decision-making is not hindered during hospital operations.
This ensures patient safety through proper recordkeeping, assures regulatory bodies of hospital accountability by having accurate records available at all times, and enables hospital financial planning processes while staying within budgets.
The cloud-based hospital management system offered by Insta has all the features you need for the efficient management of clinical data, making your trip through the new normal smoother than expected.
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