Huge waste from excessive printing.

In the digital age, with just a computer or smartphone, most information can be easily stored and shared. However, widespread document printing is still prevalent in many places, especially in education, healthcare, and offices.

This not only incurs significant costs and puts pressure on parents and patients, but also has considerable negative consequences for the environment.

Implementing electronic medical records helps save on paper and ink costs and reduces the burden of storing paper records.

The first example of wastefulness can be found in the hospital environment. The situation where a patient receives numerous medical records, with each piece of information printed on a separate sheet of paper, is very costly and wasteful.

Ms. Do Thuy Oanh (Tu Liem ward) recounted her memorable experience during a general health check-up at a private hospital in the ward in mid-September. She received 12 sheets of paper containing various forms such as registration forms, examination forms, provisional payment forms, payment forms, test results, ultrasound forms, service orders, prescriptions, test results, and medication instructions. Ms. Oanh stated that this demonstrates the enormous amount of printing involved in medical examinations and treatments, and the considerable cost.

In reality, over-reliance on paper documents causes considerable inconvenience for patients. Many patients visiting hospitals that haven't yet implemented digital transformation, when they lose their admission or deposit slips, are forced to wait for hospital staff to verify their original information, wasting time and adding unnecessary pressure. If QR codes or integrated information into a mobile application were used, patients could simply scan the code to access their entire medical record. Thus, with just a single piece of paper, or even no paperwork at all, patients could easily access their health status.

At each clinic and hospital, doctors and nurses can track patient data entered into the system, so eliminating printed forms is entirely appropriate. This can save operating costs, reduce the burden of storing paper records, and free patients from the hassles of administrative procedures.

According to the Hanoi Department of Health , as of September 22nd, 30 out of 42 public hospitals under its management had completed the implementation of electronic medical records. This means that many hospitals have yet to complete the implementation of electronic medical records and continue to incur significant costs for paper, ink, and storage. Therefore, comprehensive digitalization in hospitals is absolutely essential to avoid this enormous waste.

The wasteful use of paper and ink is also clearly reflected in the stacks of files and documents distributed at meetings and seminars in government offices. In some meetings, printed documents are dozens of pages thick and distributed indiscriminately to delegates and attendees.

Wastefulness also exists in the educational environment. Many parents say that the application of digital technology in schools has reduced the need to send out notices and documents for students to take home. However, many educational institutions still send notices to parents for them to sign, such as commitments to participate in clubs, commitments to participate in or not participate in health insurance, and announcements about field trips. Many parents believe that this information could be completely transformed digitally by setting up a "Poll" feature on Zalo to gather opinions from parents and students.

In reality, digitizing documents is no longer a distant dream given the current advancements in science and technology. The education sector can build a digital learning materials system instead of printing documents for students. The healthcare sector needs to promote electronic medical records, electronic prescriptions, and the application of QR codes in hospitals and clinics to reduce the "paper and digital" problem and minimize the inconvenience of lost paper documents. Administrative agencies should expand the use of online meeting software and electronic document management systems.

Most importantly, we need to change the habit of "printing for peace of mind." Only when agencies and units realize that every wasted sheet of paper represents a loss of budget funds and the felling of a tree will saving become a voluntary and regular action. Saving even on small sheets of paper and discarded documents contributes to building a civilized, modern, and sustainably developed society.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/lang-phi-lon-tu-in-an-tran-lan-717366.html