This appeared last week:
Pushing for better health care
By Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu , 05 January 2018
Timely and quality health information will improve healthcare service delivery and provide routine evidence performance of Samoa’s health services.
That is according to the Minister of Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama, on the Samoa’s Health Sector eHealth Policy and Strategy 2017-2022.
The vision behind the launching of the Samoa eHealth Policy will guide the Samoa eHealth Strategy implementation.
The report says the Government of Samoa is committed to using eHealth to deliver quality healthcare services to the people of Samoa through the proper use and management of Information, Communications and Technology (I.C.T.).
Tuitama in the report notes the move require a functioning Health Information Systems (H.I.S.) capable of capturing accurate data in order to produce information reports for healthy decision making.
“It sets the long-term pathway and roadmap in improving, strengthening and incrementally developing the complex and phased approach of Samoa’s Health Sector eHealth planned development system.
“Samoa’s H.I.S. has been characterized by fragmentation and lack of coordination, prevalence of manual systems and lack of automation, and where automation existed; there was a lack of interoperability connectivity between different systems.
“This eHealth policy and strategy will be guiding the development of Samoa’s Health Sector H.I.S. from the current status to an integrated and well-functioning national system, based on agreed upon scientific and technological standards for interoperability in combating challenges of improving efficiency of clinical care, produce the indicators required for monitoring and evaluation reporting, facilitate patient mobility and supports healthcare professionals.
“The architecture of this system will ensure patient and health information confidentiality is maintained to its highest level even when it is enabled to interface with other transversal systems when and if required.
Lots more here:
I wonder do the Samoans feel they could use a little help and if so might the ADHA get the gig. After all they are pretty experienced travelers one reads! Would be a nice spot to visit!
David.
Are you referring to the beach, scuba diving, wind surfing, coconuts and duty free grog?
ReplyDelete"By nice spot to visit" I assume you are referring to the sandy beaches, scuba diving, wind surfing, coconuts and duty free shopping. I'm not sure about the job though - wouldn't it perhaps be too big for the ADHA?
ReplyDeleteSounds so alluring and attractive. No not Samoa, this utopian yet unjustified dream that "Timely and quality health information will improve healthcare service delivery".
ReplyDeleteIf they mean at the time and place of point-of-care, then there is probably a case to be made for its usefulness.
If they mean in a "health record" that is incomplete and hasn't been updated in months, then I would strongly disagree. It's more likely to be misleading and a safety risk.
You can't blame the Minister of Health; the claim is constantly being made by vendors and those who have already used the argument to justify the expenditure of vast amounts of money for no return.
It's an example that illustrates H L Mencken's quote "Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong."