Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Software for the management of medical study: how and what to choose. – Macity (Blog)

Choose a software for the management of a medical decision it is not just here is a mini-guide that will help to the best choice

The choice of software for management of medical study is a very complex, often underestimated. Of course, choosing a management software spending is easier: we can use it and, if it does not, the cestiniamo.

But if it is a software for our business or profession, speech changes. This is not only good to invest our money, but to make a choice that we make sure that the software actually does what we need.

It must be admitted that in recent years, in all production areas, the proposed software for the management of medical study has been greatly enhanced, both in prices and in the technical specifications (available on multiple operating systems, on mobile systems, on the web, frequent updates, etc.).

But if you choose a doctor who is looking for a software for the management of your study?

This mini-guide tries to answer to the real need for a professional, like your doctor, you should look for in a program for the Its specialist activity:

  1. these software are available in Italian?
  2. what features should have to be considered as first choice?
  3. What are the laws which, in this case, the doctor must comply with, for example, for privacy?
  4. expenses for the purchase of software for the medical study deductible?

Software for medical studies: a bit ‘of history

medical approaches the computing world very late compared, for example, to that of the trade or industry in general. The motivation is twofold: the software did not offer more specific solutions for medicine and the doctor did not have the culture to the use of these tools.

In the university faculties of Medicine matter “computing” was included in the curricula generally only in the last 20 years, whereas the doctor spend studying, between graduation and specialization, about 10 or 11 years, it is clear that doctors who have studied this matter are really those of recent years.

There is also to say, however, that many years ago, several generations of doctors-pioneers, who had not done any research at all, but they had realized the usefulness of this matter for themselves and their future profession, and studied independently, often have become software developers.

It was these early generations “do it yourself” of medical information that have affected and not just in Italy, the development and spread in hospitals of the computer culture. Unfortunately, along with the universities, the hospitals also have immediately sensed the great wealth that a good computer system would have resulted in both improved quality and speed health, but also for the control and management of expenditure, current and much debated topic today .

But back to small companies, or medical offices, deferring to a later occasion, the discussion and evaluation on the software for the management of a medical hospital: yes, even here, in Italy, I am no software dedicated to the management of a medical office.

 Software for the management of the medical

Medical software: the essential features

Patient Management

The first feature essential that a good health management software should have is to be able to manage the patient, his data, updates the same, the relationship with the patient and with the family doctor.

It seems strange to repeat it, but it is fair to point out that a modern software should offer a modern management of these relationships. The software contains in fact a collection of personal data that in addition to traditional data (full name, birth date, etc.) must also collect basic data and other vital medical (blood type, name and email of the family doctor, personal data spouse, email addresses and telephone contacts, photograph of the patient).

Beware the above data are needed, but to be recorded, the patient must authorize the doctor to do so, first of all, a Good software for the management of a medical office must be able to create, edit and print informed consent.

These are the documents that now allows a doctor to work. A report that often the doctor assumes, must be written, even for professional insurance. Furthermore the application physician should offer a high degree of safety: the software in question must first of all be safe, or password protected. The doctor, the only access them, will do by entering a username and password.



History

Join then the patient, a good medical software should have is the ability to collect a good medical history or medical history. A comprehensive history is the basis for most of the branches of medicine.

The history of a good software should be plastic enough to be adapted to collecting data both branches of medical and surgical. It should also provide the ability to collect data even relatives with a family complete.

Here, then composed the “card or folder outpatient” as it was called once. Some generations ago (so to do even a bit ‘of history), a doctor, went into his practice and was on his desk all Folders Outpatient visits that were waiting outside the door.

The folder, hardcover, mostly white, some piece of personal data on the title page, a few telephone number. Opening it, the doctor read the inside front cover, a history more or less complete, perhaps carried out by a young assistant.

The first front page, usually containing the medical history next and, finally, after this, blank pages, so many, that would be filled gradually with the passage of time and visits from the notes of the doctor.

Here’s another basic features that our software today must have : a control board or card in which the physician can record the updated data that most interest them. No spaces generic, but specific requiring the inclusion of a specific data.

So a modern software must be able to allow the doctor to decide what to register each time they visit his patient. Indeed, it is the software that should help the doctor to remember all the data he needs to record for each patient. Perhaps by offering the chance to see how these are changing according to the time, then displaying a chart or table that gives him the right to compare the data.

 Software for the management of the medical

Drug Therapy

Drug therapy is the natural response to a doctor in most cases recommended. In any case, the treatment will then be transformed into prescription or prescription.

The therapy it should be separate from the prescription, it is not just drug therapy. But a board of drug therapy allows the doctor to view the therapy that the patient is currently practicing (maybe even those prescribed by other doctors) and what has changed in the past and when.

Just think ‘, the doctor pledged to visit 20 or 30 people a day and run 20 or 30 therapies. A modern software should be able to help in these choices, often performed quickly and allow him to avoid mistakes. Maybe the menu of drugs selected him he previously useless to show thousands of drugs when the doctor uses only a few dozen.

The therapy should also allow him to prescribe precisely also the active ingredient of the drug or allow the physician to choose what to display and print. The prescription and print media in the software that we are looking for, it must be possible and simple, allowing the doctor to add any laboratory examinations performed, the laboratory analysis or data from by history and, finally, the signature.

Please remember that this is a medical procedure itself above all in medical-legal.

interface and tools

A good software must then be able to assist the doctor helping them and providing them the tools when needed: not too many tools and not always.

Let’s pay attention to the interface of the software. Our ideal software must also be easy to use. The clear buttons, large fonts, colors relaxing: no stress! Software must require sufficient attention, but consider that the main focus your doctor should keep for the patient.

If an interface is able to maintain this balance of “half-attention” of the doctor, that software might be a good candidate for the right software for us.

A good software must of course be possible to write notes or memos on the patient’s personal physician, as well as expressing an opinion or express literal one Numerical improvements or deteriorations that the patient presents.

This would allow the physician to be able to quickly see the last 2, 3 or 5 judgments and can take charge of the patient, including everything the patient has obtained, but also what he, the doctor, advised that the patient did: – “… the previous visit I had prescribed a medication, has taken it? … I had prescribed tests to perform: carries it out? … Brought me the results? “

The medical software should allow you to make requests for laboratory analysis or diagnostic imaging or advice that the patient should be made and then hand over to the doctor.

The software in question must also have the registration section of reports of imaging studies performed by the patient, a section dedicated to store values ​​of the laboratory analysis.

 DoctorOffice4 on iPhone

But a modern software must also have the possibility to import these reports in digital form (ie after making a scan) or in pdf format; so also the possibility of recording of the images in relation to the examination or independent of these. Think about how many doctors would also enrich their description with a photograph of a wound or a stitch or a skin blemish, etc. How many patients with modern instruments and available now at all, send the results of their exams in the form of photographs, text messages, voice messages or videos. A good software must be able to permit the recording of all this material in a simple and fast.

A software, finally, must have the ability to search and statistics. The possibility that we can make a statistical research is important. Think about that doctor who wants to know how many patients prescribed a medication that suddenly is reported by the Ministry of Health, because it has side effects.

A good doctor with good software performs a search, quickly contact all patients with that drug in place hired to carry out the required checks or consigliarne suspension. But I would say more, and better, that our ideal software should be able to export the data contained in it, not only for statistical or research, but to ensure we can always switch any future.



Billing & Administration

Obvious but not trivial, a good software for the management of the doctor must be able to handle even the statements of income. So the bill to patients in relation to the provision made. We point out this feature only at the end, first, because the bill has to be paid after the performance, second, because I believe that this feature is inherent in the software themselves that are defined as “management”. The management of a medical office can not be distinguished from the economic management of the same.

Indeed, we can now add that a good software for the management of medical office, should allow the physician to perform billing not only to patients, but also to health facilities within which the doctor lends his work. This feature is often absent in most software.

Here are the characteristics, or some of them, that should be present in all software candidates to be considered for purchase by a doctor.

And the price? Often the price is what wins the final choice, but a doctor, a professional, who has to make a choice in the long run, this aspect should consider him only marginally. We add that in any case, the cost of software is deductible, as well as all costs of medical equipment and amortizable.

 DoctorOffice4 on Asus

Conclusions

Now let’s review the situation: medical software for be present, modern and therefore the purchase candidate must have:

  • a registry card complete with contact details of emergency and images
  • a card customizable medical history from the doctor
  • a tab control that the physician should be able to set according to the branch or in any case to its own specialty and drug therapy with the possibility of making a report or a recipe to be delivered to the patient that it can also be pleasant under the in terms of graphics and easy to read for a patient
  • a board exams required
  • a board report of the exams and lab analysis
  • a card image recording, maybe even movies
  • ability to perform complex searches and export all data
  • advanced billing functions

Now you have all the elements necessary to assess the choice for management software to a doctor’s office, you just have to choose.

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