By IANS,
New Delhi: Indian Navy Thursday became the first of the four armed forces to launch a comprehensive health care information management system (HIMS) to ensure naval hospital assists in its personnel’s wellbeing.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma launched the HIMS, an enterprise-wide application that covers all operational and management aspects of naval hospital.
“The launch of this application will help to improve the patient experience in naval hospitals,” an Indian Navy release said here.
“The application automates all patient processes from admission to discharge, and maintain complete medical records in digital format, thus removing the need for hard copies,” it said.
Its interface with medical equipment used in the laboratory and intensive care unit will enable direct online observations.
The solution has also been integrated with the radiology pictorial archival communication system to view images online or by the patient’s bed side.
“By enabling quick access to the patient records, the HIMS will aid speedy diagnosis and reduce the waiting period of patients,” the release said.
Apart from automating core clinical processes, the system also helps in managing administrative activities at the hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Verma said that in addition to induction of new ships and equipment, the navy needed to continuously improve in all spheres by streamlining processes and harnessing technology.
Citing HIMS initiative as an example, he said: “It is important for us to use the immense potential of information technology to improve organisational efficiency and the well being of our personnel.
“I consider HIMS not only important as a means of reducing the manual workload on the hospitals, but also a means to cut down on outdated processes and aligning them with the technological advances in the outside world.”
From the patient perspective, Verma said that use of the application would be “a game changer”.
“Availability of records from womb to tomb and their accessibility over the naval communication backbone would significantly aid diagnosis and treatment,” he added.
The system has been developed for the Indian Navy by Wipro Infotech and complies with a very high level of industry standard for bio-informatics.
Director General Medical Services (Navy) Surgeon Vice-Admiral A.C. Anand said the HIMS, developed in close cooperation between all stake-holders, would transform the user experience of all patients.