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Implementing IT to Enhance Quality of Patient Care

First International Healthcare IT End Users' Conference
at SSSIHMS, Bangalore

PART 01

On January 19, 2013 the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield, Bangalore celebrates the 12th year of its existence. When Baba gifted this Hospital to the world in the presence of the then Prime Minister of India, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on January 19, 2001, He said, “This (Hospital) is not operating for financial gains. Doctors should win over the minds of the patients by talking to them with compassion and concern. The diseases are half-cured when the doctors win over the minds of patients by talking to them with love and consideration. The doctors should administer the injection of courage and encouragement. Compassion is more important than money.”

It is on this bedrock of compassion that this Hospital has operated for more than a decade now and in fact has made impressive strides. Every avenue has been explored to ensure that patients who walk in here feel that love and compassion, that comfort and ease. And technology indeed has had a significant role to play in this – it has been harnessed effectively to the patients' benefit. How has this been done? And what is the international medical community thinking about it? What is the State Government's take on this? Are there any lessons from this for healthcare professionals all over the globe? Read on.

On November 17, 2012, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS), Whitefield, Bangalore played host to an Information Technology (IT) Conference. An IT conference in a hospital? Yes! And why not? It was an IT conference with a difference.

Mr. ISN Prasad, the Principal Secretary to the Govt. of Karnataka, in charge of Information Technology and Biotechnology was the chief guest at the conference

Yes, the doctors who are effectively using IT for patient care talking about their experience was indeed one of the most salient aspects of this conference. That is why it was the ‘First International Healthcare Information Technology End Users' Conference – Implementing IT to Enhance Quality of Patient Care.’

At the time of inaugurating the super-specialty hospitals both in Prasanthigram (Puttaparthi) and Whitefield (Bangalore), Baba clearly instructed everyone involved in the functioning of the hospital – the doctors, IT staff, managers, and so on – to always keep ‘Patient first’ as their goal. This clear focus has driven the implementation of IT in the various departments of these hospitals and how it has been done is very educative and heartening.

The chief guest at the conference was Mr. ISN Prasad, the Principal Secretary to the Govt. of Karnataka, India, in charge of IT and BT – Information Technology and Biotechnology. Over 140 delegates from all over India attended the conference, which included faculty members drawn across the spectrum of IT professionals in the healthcare sector from India, and also some distinguished medical practitioners from abroad.

As is customary in any Sai activity, the day's inaugural session on November 17, 2012 began with Vedic chants. This was followed by the welcome address by Dr. Swarna Bharadwaj, the Director of SSSIHMS, Whitefield, the venue for the conference. She was earlier the Director, National Board of Examinations, Ministry of Health, Govt. of India and also a WHO consultant.

Dr. Bharadwaj outlined how the hospital has benefited from the application of IT and also mentioned the recognition the hospital earned more than a decade ago. Here's a snapshot of her address.

To add to what Dr. Bharadwaj said, in 2002, just a year after this hospital's inception, India's largest English daily The Times of India reported how according to an independent healthcare consulting firm, 75% of technology deployment in Bangalore's healthcare sector was focused on administrative activities, mainly billing. There is little emphasis on customer relationships and system integration in IT implementation; this is what happens in 8 out of 10 hospitals in Bangalore.

The article further said, in contrast, the SSSIHMS, Whitefield had the highest IT deployment. And the biggest difference is this: in most of the hospitals in Bangalore and elsewhere, the only department that is technology-enabled and works without a flaw is the billing department, whereas in Baba's hospital, this is the only department which does not exist. Moreover, there is an impressive and comprehensive use of technology for patient care – from enabling the doctors to see the patient's CT scans and x-rays on their computers to watching the results of their lab tests.

Unlike most hospitals where IT deployment is focussed on the billing department, in SSSIHMS IT has been used more for providing swifter and hassle free medical care to the patients.

Dr. Voleti Choudhary, the Director of Baba's hospital in Puttaparthi, who spoke next at the conference, mentioned how the hospital was right from the start a futuristic as well as a reproducible model. He also highlighted the role of Bhagawan's students in the hospitals. A glimpse of his talk:

Bhagawan's students working in the two super speciality hospitals and the Trust, have played pivotal roles in IT implementation in the hospitals

Thus, it is evident that the unique combination that Swami created – His students working in tandem with the clinicians – has led to the success of this hospital.