Thanks to technology, the global healthcare industry has changed a lot, reducing pressure on the system, according to the Director of Global Healthcare Center (under FPT Software).
Technological advances support the process of medical examination and treatment, patient care, and change the global healthcare industry. Facing this trend, Mr. Chu Canh Chieu - Director of FPT Software's Global Healthcare Center had a talk with VnExpress about the development opportunities of one of the key areas today.
Mr. Chu Canh Chieu. Photo: NVCC
- What are the difficulties in digital transformation in Vietnam and what are the solutions for current medical facilities?
- Vietnam's information technology infrastructure has advantages in terms of coverage and Internet speed. The difficulty is the lack of data synchronization between medical facilities and the connection between the information system from the grassroots level to the national data system. Immediately finding a common synchronization solution for all medical facilities nationwide is difficult, costly, and has a great impact on health care activities in general.
We can aim to build separate systems but based on common standards, allowing the ability to exchange, interact and connect between many different health systems. For example: medical examination and treatment, electronic medical records, hospital and clinic management, remote health care, health insurance... From there, create a comprehensive ecosystem.
In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health has issued a circular regulating medical conditions in the network environment. It clearly states that the HL7, HL7 CDA, DICOM, SO/IEEE 11073 standards are data standards used in storing medical information and diagnostic imaging, as well as communication between systems.
With experience in implementing digital transformation for many industries and healthcare sectors for global customers, we clearly recognize the importance and advantages of following this common set of standards. Notably, unifying these standards will ensure fast, accurate and smooth information exchange between experts and operational managers.
In addition to building a long-term strategy, we also need to focus on the most important systems that bring the most value to improve the patient experience. This also supports the productivity of healthcare workers - reducing the pressure currently placed on them. The digital transformation process is very much about putting human needs at the center, listening to feedback from patients and healthcare workers to make small changes, improving the system regularly and continuously.
- What new trends or technologies are there today that have the potential to revolutionize the industry?
- Many emerging trends will change the healthcare industry. As mentioned above, building a software platform that can communicate with each other according to common data standards is very important, helping to create a large source of medical data. When the data is large enough, the system will analyze, report, predict and recommend decisions to minimize the impact of epidemics by region, helping managers adjust corresponding strategic policies. At the same time, pharmaceutical units can research new, smarter drugs and medical devices to improve the ability to treat patients.
The application of AI in healthcare will also be an inevitable trend. However, experts will not be able to completely depend on AI due to the nature of the industry - directly affecting human health. AI can only be a support channel for them to make decisions faster and more accurately... The special point is that in healthcare, AI will probably not be called Artificial Intelligence but should be Augmented Intelligence - computer intelligence that enhances the ability to make more accurate decisions for medical staff.
In addition, with the rapid development of semiconductor technology and the IoMT trend, many previously complex medical machines have been miniaturized and mass-produced at a cheaper cost, more accessible and deployable, even at home.
An obvious example is the smart SpO2 or blood pressure monitor, which is now widely sold to every household. The device can connect to a smartphone, quickly alerting doctors and caregivers remotely if the patient has an abnormality. These devices have received many positive responses with practical effectiveness during the Covid-19 period.
In the future, there will be many more similar devices deployed. Perhaps it is not too far-fetched to have devices small enough to the nanometer level, such as nanobot technology, implanted into the human body, with the effect of "upgrading" the body, proactively warning, "repairing" all diseases and "damages" at the molecular level.
- What solutions has FPT Software developed in the field of human health care?
- With more than 15 years of intensive work with major medical customers around the world, we are not only confident in our technological capabilities but also constantly researching and updating medical knowledge. Many "Made-by-FPT" solutions have been born and the future holds many opportunities for us in building a smarter and safer digital healthcare environment for people in Vietnam as well as the world.
The most impactful project that FPT Software has participated in developing for customers is the Effective Medication Management Platform deployed in Australia. Currently, the platform has more than three million users and more than 95% of pharmacies in Australia are connected to this network. The system contributes to changing the way drugs are managed, increasing the effectiveness of drug use according to doctors' regimens, reducing the rate of hospital readmissions as well as optimizing supplies for both individuals and pharmacies...
We also develop software for smart medical devices with the aim of increasing the accuracy and speed of operation, helping doctors and technicians use medical devices more effectively. This also improves the treatment efficiency for hundreds of thousands of critically ill patients around the world.
The akaMedic product supporting cancer diagnosis is one of them. The application helps monitor and collect tumor images throughout the treatment process to analyze cancer signals. Based on the core AI technology, the product integrates a method to automatically detect objects (tumors, lung lesions) on medical images, minimize false-positive images and detect in real time.
akaMedic also aims to improve medical conditions, provide fast ultrasound and provide real-time tumor images. From there, people in remote provinces and mountainous areas have better opportunities for examination instead of having to go to big cities. This product contributes to expanding many possibilities for applying AI in medicine in Vietnam.
We have also developed two AI-based research projects for detecting Pneumothorax and Kidney and Tumor Dice, which were ranked among the top projects in two medical technology competitions, the Pneumothorax Challenge and the KiTS19 Grand-challenge.
- What plans does FPT Software have to meet the strict demands of the medical field?
- In a field that directly affects people, we focus on training the mindset of putting product quality first, improving knowledge in the field of healthcare. In addition to studying, we also accumulate and take international Healthcare technology certificates, strictly comply with industry standards and information security...
Learning at FPT Software is always invested and prioritized as a top priority. We continuously open internal training courses, sharing activities, consulting... such as Golang, AutoTest, Data Engineering... At the same time, building SMEs (Subject Matter Experts - field experts) with in-depth knowledge of healthcare and technology, good networking skills is also something we focus on.
Currently, FPT Software's Global Healthcare Center has achieved 50% of the number of CAHIMS (The Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems) certificates in Vietnam. This is a professional certificate in the field of healthcare, certifying experts in high-level healthcare information and management systems. This certificate is granted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) - the largest scientific and technical organization in healthcare informatics in the world.
FPT Software is one of the very few technology companies in Southeast Asia to achieve important certifications according to world standards such as HITRUST, HIPAA, ISO 90001, ISO 13485, HL7, DICOM... This demonstrates FPT Software's ability to consult and provide high-quality software solutions in the medical field.
Minh Huy
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