A recent study by global management consulting and technology service Accenture that surveyed a total of more than 3,700 doctors from Spain, the United States, France, Singapore, Germany, Canada, England, and Australia found that a majority of the polled medical providers perceived Connected Health to improve patient care, enhance coordination and reduce margins of error.
While some doctors reported that they did not see the benefits of medical technology, it is interesting to note that the respondents who used healthcare IT with greater frequency and to serve a wider variety of functions (note entry, prescribing, referrals, ordering etc.) found it to be more effective in general than doctors who did not.
Moreover, the study reported a notable age difference in the acceptance of Connected Health. For doctors under 50 years old, more than 70 percent thought health IT would improve patient care across hospital boundaries and provide access to superior data. By contrast, only slightly more than 65 percent of doctors over 50 agreed on the same benefits.
While doctors under 50 may have enhanced familiarity with medical technology because of prolonged exposure to its use, older doctors may understandably be hesitant to radically change their established practice methods.
As such, older doctors who are conflicted regarding the positives of healthcare IT would gain from enlisting the services of an all-inclusive third-party medical software implementation and training company. This way, doctors who fear that installing an updated technological infrastructure would slow their day-to-day operations could rely on certified professionals to set up the technology, train staff as to its optimal use and ensure all the facility's practices are in compliance.
An experienced service provider can help exponentially increase the speed at which healthcare IT is integrated into private practices, allowing older healthcare professionals to experience the benefits of some of the most innovative products in medicine.
Microwize Technology is a leading healthcare IT consultant offering products such as electronic medical records software and medical billing software from top providers like Allscripts and McKesson, including McKesson's Medisoft, Lytec and Practice Choice products.