Health and Technology during Covid 19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for some healthcare professionals and facilities, particularly those that are still operating in what could be described as an “ancient era.” The Philippines is still considered a third-world country, and some institutions and hospitals have not yet adopted the latest technological trends.
Enlightened by the Globe Business webinar “Own Progress through Collaboration: Innovating Healthcare with Digital Technologies,” hospitals and medical institutions should adopt electronic health technologies that avoid direct contact with patients as a source of virus transmission.
Dr. Bu C. Castro, a former president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), emphasized this point. “The healthcare industry can devise a way to allow doctors to attend to their patients without the risk of COVID-19 exposure while still providing quality health care.”
According to Castro, hospital visits, including those in emergency rooms, have decreased by more than 40% as a result of the pandemic, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He also mentioned that COVID-19 has claimed the lives of over 40 doctors in the Philippines.
“Telemedicine isn’t perfect, but it’s the best during a pandemic,” Castro said. According to John Dave Duenas, chief executive officer of HyBrain, a digital provider of hospital information systems (HIS), in addition to addressing the fear of COVID-19 infection, digital innovations can solve other critical issues such as the doctor-to-patient ratio.
Enlightened by the Globe Business webinar “Own Progress through Collaboration: Innovating Healthcare with Digital Technologies,” hospitals and medical institutions should adopt electronic health technologies that avoid direct contact with patients as a source of virus transmission.
SHOULD THE PHILIPPINES ADOPT TO THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDS
Valuing how technological advancements have gone unnoticed in the Philippines, unless people realize or consider how life-changing these technologies are, in a positive way. Misuse and abuse, on the other hand, can have negative health consequences. Nonetheless, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. For most healthcare professions, some consider technology to be a lifesaver.
Back then, manual process of delivering healthcare to patients, storing or accessing patient records through piles of papers, or even documenting patient information while worrying about errors and erasures, health care professionals have come a long way. But, thanks to modern technology, all of these concerns are just a click away.
Over time, technology has advanced into a more advanced, more convenient, and more feasible means of making our lives easier. Telemedicine and Electronic Health Records (EHR) were created. It aims to serve a larger number of patients by making it possible for anyone, even those who live in remote areas, to access healthcare and receive safe and high-quality treatment.
With the advancement of technology, health care professionals, and even medical practitioners have been able to gradually adopt the latest trend in providing better patient care, educating people about health promotion and disease prevention, and disseminating information through technology.
As the health problem arises, technology gains its pivotal role to set out its purpose in serving humankind in relation to their health and wellness. So, what do you think? Has technology saved our lives? Or does it make people dependable on it? How do you think technology will influence the daily lives of the society?
