In future, your routine before going to bed may go like this: Brush your teeth, change into your pyjamas, log on to your PC, and send a reading of your vital signs to your family doctor. He will be able to keep track of your physical condition, intervening when your vital signs go beyond an acceptable threshold.
This home monitoring system, named Telecare, is one of seven innovative projects showcased by Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) and National Healthcare Group (NHG) at the inaugural Healthcare IT Innovation Conference held recently.
Organised by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), the conference highlighted how medical care will revolve around a patient's needs rather than a doctor's or clinic's schedules through the increased use of IT. The idea, said an IDA spokesman, is for IT to improve services 'by making available patients' medical information at all points of care'.
The integration of infocomm into the health-care sector is one of the key areas of Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015), Singapore's 10-year plan led by the IDA to tap infocomm to add value to the economy over the next decade.
The plan is without challenges like ensuring a supply of skilled health care infocomm workers and improving public willingness to adopt infocomm for accessing health care services.
According to Mr T. K. Udairam, chairman of the SingHealth IT Steering Committee, the challenge of changing the public mindset should be easily overcome.
'Patients of the future will be highly health- and tech-savvy,' he told Digital Life via e-mail.
So, what you can expect from a hospital of the future? Digital Life brings you scenarios through one infocomm-enhanced hospital stay by a resident (fictional) patient, Mr John Tan.
Seen here calling the hospital and feeling very unwell, his journey to recovery is documented below...
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Get in bed quick
When Mr John Tan arrives at the hospital, he is quickly admitted and allocated a bed without much fuss.
Technology: Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Bed Management System (BMS)
How it works: The EMR enables health care staff to quickly access, store and share the patients' medical information, such as blood type and allergies, across different hospitals. He does not need to take any duplicate tests such as blood tests, since they are on record.
The Web-based BMS displays all available beds in real time. After a discharged patient leaves a ward and the bed is cleaned, the housekeeper updates the system to indicate that the bed is ready. The BMS has shortened the time taken to book a bed from five minutes to just one.
Note: The EMR system is currently being used cluster-wide by SingHealth, while the BMS has already been implemented in Changi General Hospital. Patients benefit from the fewer tests in terms of waiting time and cost savings.
Robot surgeon
The doctor diagnoses that Mr Tan requires surgery of the liver. In the operating theatre, Mr Tan meets da Vinci, the four-armed robot surgeon.
Technology: da Vinci surgical system
How it works: The surgical system consists of a surgeon's console and a patient-side cart with four robotic arms. A surgeon sitting at the console uses the controls to manipulate the arms.
Note: The da Vinci surgical system is already in use here in hospitals such as Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Patients who underwent the robot-assisted surgery lost less blood and were discharged faster.
Digital ward
Nurses do not need to disturb Mr Tan to check his vital signs, as they are remotely monitored via wireless technology. Mr Tan is also able to view his progress on the wireless laptops fitted on mobile trolleys, but he is still nauseous from the anaesthesia and falls quickly back asleep.
Technology: Remote vital signs monitoring system and computers on wheels (COWs)
How it works: Patients are fitted with wearable health sensors that will collate and transmit data on their vital signs, via Bluetooth to a communication module, which is connected to the hospitals' computers via wireless technology. Medical staff can view the data on their computers. Computers on wheels enable ready access to patient information and progress.
Tracking devices
When the effects of the anaesthesia wears off,Mr Tan informs the nurse that he wants to take a short stroll. He is allowed to do so without supervision, but with trackable wrist tags on.
Technology: RFID or Radio Frequency Identification wrist identification tags
How it works: Each tag has a unique signal so that its location can be captured, hence acting as tracking devices. Nurses can thus monitor the patients' whereabouts.
Clinical dashboard
When Mr Tan is discharged, he collects his medication from the pharmacy without a long wait.
Technology: Clinical digital dashboard
How it works: This all-in-one online database enables doctors to see patients and prescribe medication at one go. It also allows them to keep track of patients' progress and attend to cases according to priority.
Note: The clinical dashboard is already implemented at at Alexandra Hospital's Department of Emergency Medicine. A month-long study last year showed that 95 per cent of patients were able to leave within 1 hour 48 mins, nearly half an hour faster than before.
Home monitoring
Because Mr Tan chose an early discharge to save on the cost of his hospital stay, he must periodically send readings of his vital signs to his doctor via SMS for the doctor to monitor his progress.
Technology: Telecare
How it works: Outpatients are empowered to monitor their own health status by sending their vital signs and symptom data for clinicians to review via an Internet portal or by SMS. When a patient's health is at risk, such as when his blood sugar level is dangerously high, clinicians are immediately alerted via SMS and they can provide timely intervention.