This post originally appeared on the CereCore blog. 

We are at an unprecedented time in our history, and much of the impact of COVID-19 has not been experienced in our lifetime. Most health systems have well-established crisis and disaster plans that encompasses IT, but these plans haven’t been tested to this degree until now.

The COVID-19 outbreak presents an unprecedented challenge to the medical community — and the pandemic has shaken many of the basic functions of society. It has been an inspiration to see healthcare experts and front-line providers maintain their vigilance and professionalism under exceedingly trying conditions.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to test modern healthcare in ways never seen before. Physicians and nurses worldwide are being called to service, risking their own well-being to help an alarming volume of ill and worried patients. How we manage this emergency depends largely upon the quality of tools available to help us improve safety for our patient and clinician communities.

These tools include technologies that can help slow the spread of this new, highly transmissible virus through social distancing, allowing us to work with patients to determine the most appropriate venue of care.

When it comes to ensuring patient safety, everyone has a role to play. Patient Safety Awareness Week presents a valuable opportunity for healthcare organizations to promote safety awareness in their communities, and to continue to think of ways in which they might make patient safety part of their workplace culture. 

To close out the week, I asked MEDITECH clinical staff to share personal experiences that inspired their commitment to ensuring patient safety, and the direction in which they see healthcare heading. As they show us, it’s real people with real stories who are driving change in healthcare. 

The World Health Organization estimates that 134 million adverse events occur each year due to unsafe care in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries, resulting in some 2.6 million deaths, with most adverse events being preventable. 

EHRs have gotten a lot of flak from physicians for disrupting patient care in recent years, from poor navigation on information overload to meaningless data entry creating documentation geared for billing rather than clinical care. However, it’s important to remember that not all systems are created equal — at least in terms of usability.

Predictions in a field as rife with change as healthcare can be risky, but I’m going to venture out on a limb and say that 2020 will be our industry’s most pivotal year in at least a generation. A year from now I predict we’ll look back at 2020 as the year of interoperability.

A little over a year ago, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Christine Elliott announced the provincial government’s plan to revitalize the public healthcare system. The plan centers around creating a more integrated and sustainable system that focuses on patients’ needs and outcomes by connecting them to the right settings throughout their care journeys. 

Managing big data is critical to the health of any organization and its patients, but these initiatives can be a drain on time and resources. One way to increase efficiency, measure progress, and improve performance is through the use of analytics.

By aggregating and analyzing clinical, financial and operational data, analytical reports and dashboards inform decision making and help improve outcomes. At its best, analytics make data more meaningful and provide vital insights about organizational performance.