Age Of The Smart Doctor

There is no doubt about the fact that doctors who are proficient in computer science do have an edge over others. These professionals can turn several ideas into reality, solve trivial healthcare concerns and will be ready for future digital disruption

- Raelene Kambli

At times when managing and integrating vast patient data to lead better healthcare outcomes seems like a herculean task, when understanding the correlation between operational efficiencies and clinical outcomes becomes imperative for hospitals and when effective communication is paramount for a healthy doctor-patient relation; digital technologies act as a panacea for India's healthcare fraternity. But how much do healthcare professionals truly invest in becoming technically proficient in order to effectively utilise these technologies in their clinical practice?

Lets take a look....

In the last couple of years, I have had several conversations with doctors, nurses and hospital administrators on the relevance of digital technologies in healthcare and how it will impact the future of medicine. Typically, every healthcare professional I have spoken to is convinced that digital technologies have changed the dynamics of healthcare communication and management of diseases as well as added more intelligence to medical decisions and clinical research.

They also believe that digital technologies have the potential to further remodel India's current healthcare scenario. When asked about the utilisation of these technologies in their clinical practice, healthcare professionals usually respond by citing several examples of how cloud computing, Big data, IOT, artificial intelligences, telemedicine etc., facilitate them to achieve better clinical and healthcare outcomes.

Having said that, there are two major concerns that these professionals raise—one is of the possibility of being replaced by technology or by engineers who can assist healthcare technologies to provide healthcare facilities and the other is the issue of cyber security of patient data.