Technology is shaping the way we experience healthcare. From electronic medical records and patient self-tracking to informatics and minimally invasive procedures, healthcare is getting more and more advanced and nurses in Africa are at the forefront of using innovative solutions to improve patient care.
According to Professor Sharon Brownie, Dean of the School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa, at the Aga Khan University, curriculums have been updated to include content about information technology and health informatics (acquiring, storing, retrieving and using of healthcare information to foster better collaboration among a patient's various healthcare providers).
Professor Brownie, who will be sharing her insights at the
Africa Health conference in Johannesburg, explains that the training that nurses receive nowadays includes how to work with electronic patient record and management systems including electronic patient booking systems; notification of lab results; health information messaging platforms; population health databases such as those for breast screening, vaccination, notifiable diseases; and the use of everyday platforms like Whatsapp for patient communication and patient education.
The integration of technology within the sector has become a priority for most governments. In South Africa, the Department of Health has created a policy document outlining an ‘eHealth Strategy’ focused on improving patient information and technology systems.
Medical professionals are also learning from other regions where new technology has been implemented successfully. In the UAE, the implementation of a fully integrated electronic medical record (EMR) system has put the region firmly at the forefront of technological innovations which save lives and prevent disease. Implemented in all government health facilities in 2017, the EMR has cut patient waiting times and allows patients to consult with their doctors even when they are not in the same location.
Associate Professor Jane Leanne Griffiths, the Director of Nursing at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, explains that the implementation of EMR has assisted nursing staff in executing their daily functions. Within the healthcare sector in general, ‘big data’ is the buzzword when it comes to analytics. It allows healthcare workers to identify important health trends and make decisions based on these findings. Ms Griffiths says these analysis techniques are used to identify potentially infectious diseases by examining outbreaks in other parts of the world. These findings are then used to identify potential cases in their own patients, aiding early detection.
“One of the key positive spin-offs of implementing an EMR is the big data and analytics that can be used to make ongoing strategic health decisions, says Ms Griffiths. "This potential for this data to be used as a platform to leverage other technologies such as home care, artificial intelligence and blockchain is almost unlimited.”
Big data also plays a key role in nursing education. Informatics skills are being taught in light of the importance of big data and analytics which in the nursing context is mainly focused on epidemiology, statistics and population health research,” Professor Brownie adds.
She also stresses the importance of educators keeping up with trends in their field. “Educators need to be active in continuous review and update of curricula and all teaching learning materials to ensure they are contemporary and forward thinking on technological matters."
Both Professor Brownie and Ms Griffiths will be sharing their experiences at the Nursing Conference that will take place at the Africa Health Exhibition & Congress from May 29-31, 2018, at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, South Africa.