Digital healthcare is changing the way Vietnamese people take care of their health every day.

The development of electronic health records and digital platforms is ushering in a major shift in the healthcare industry, bringing healthcare services closer to the people than ever before.

In the small room of Mrs. Pham Thi Ngoan in Hanoi, there used to be a drawer almost exclusively filled with medical records. These included faded test results, folded prescriptions, and a notebook crammed with medication schedules and follow-up appointments.

Every time they take their mother to the hospital, the children have to search through every piece of paper, trying to remember where she was last examined, what medication she's taking, what her blood pressure has been like lately, and what her blood sugar levels are.

The development of electronic health records and digital platforms is ushering in a major shift in the healthcare industry, bringing healthcare services closer to the people than ever before.

Sometimes she forgets to take her medicine, or sometimes she takes it at the wrong time. Every time Mom seems unusually tired, the whole family frantically checks to see if she's taken her medicine that day.

"For elderly people with chronic illnesses, the most difficult thing isn't going to the doctor, but monitoring their health every day," said Ms. Ngan, the woman's daughter.

Now, much of that information is conveniently stored on a smartphone. Blood pressure is updated daily. Prescriptions are automatically saved. An app reminds you when to take your medication. Abnormal readings are alerted early. At each follow-up visit, doctors can monitor almost the entire course of a patient's health instead of just looking at a few test results from the initial visit.

At first glance, these might seem like just a few simple technological conveniences. But for many families with elderly members, chronically ill patients, or young children, it makes a huge difference between passively reacting to illness and proactively managing their health.

For many years, Vietnam's traditional healthcare model has primarily operated on a "seek only when sick" basis. This has resulted in a significant disconnect in people's health data between medical visits.

A hypertensive patient might only have their blood pressure measured at the hospital once every few months. People with diabetes often don't monitor their blood sugar regularly. Some dangerous diseases are only detected when complications have already developed due to a lack of early monitoring and warning mechanisms.

That gap is gradually being filled by digital healthcare platforms. Long Chau's electronic health record is one model that clearly demonstrates this trend. More than just an application for storing health information or buying medicine online, the platform is developed as a "digital health assistant" accompanying people every day.

The application allows users to self-monitor their health through standardized medical questionnaires, quickly assess their health status, and provide initial recommendations. People can track indicators such as weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar in the form of visual charts to detect abnormalities early.

The medication reminder feature helps minimize missed doses or incorrect timing, which are common causes of worsening chronic diseases. Electronic prescriptions are stored, eliminating the need for easily lost paper prescriptions. Users can also purchase over-the-counter medications or prescriptions saved on the app and receive their medication quickly at home.

In particular, the app also integrates an electronic vaccination record, storing the entire vaccination history and suggesting personalized vaccination schedules based on age, gender, and vaccination history. Parents can track their child's development, preserving health data as a scientific and emotional "growth diary."

For older adults, the platform supports daily health monitoring, risk alerts, and assistance in handling emergencies. The app also creates a community for sharing healthcare experiences among parents and users.

It is noteworthy that behind these benefits lies the increasingly significant role of artificial intelligence. AI is no longer a distant concept in healthcare but is directly involved in many daily healthcare activities. This technology assists users in self-monitoring their health through intelligent questionnaires, providing preliminary warnings and suggesting next steps based on symptoms and risk factors.

OCR technology allows users to simply photograph their prescription or medication order, and the system will automatically extract medication information, dosage, and usage time to save to their electronic health record. The smart reminder system can synchronize with personal calendars or wearable health devices to provide timely alerts.

All this data is stored in an electronic medical record system, ensuring safety and security according to healthcare industry standards. The application also integrates real-time connectivity, allowing users to chat online with medical teams for timely advice.

In the future, the platform could integrate with devices such as blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, or smartwatches to automatically synchronize and analyze health data.

According to many experts, the most important thing that digital healthcare creates is not the individual technological features but its ability to form an interconnected health data ecosystem.

In the old healthcare model, health data was often scattered across individual hospitals and clinics, and contained in paper files that people had to keep themselves. Each visit to the doctor was practically a "start over."

But with electronic health records, data is updated continuously in real time. Doctors can more comprehensively monitor a patient's health progress instead of just looking at a single examination point.

This also serves as a foundation for healthcare to shift from "treating diseases" to "health management." After a period of implementation, the Long Chau electronic health record now serves more than 2 million users. According to statistics, 92% of users rate the application as easy to use, and 87% feel more secure when tracking their vaccination history and medical history.

These figures not only reflect the effectiveness of a technological application but also show a shift in the Vietnamese mindset regarding healthcare, from passive to proactive, from waiting to get sick before seeking treatment to continuously monitoring their health every day.

Beyond just mobile applications, digital healthcare is now expanding into a comprehensive community service ecosystem. In the context of developing digital citizenship, the "Digital Citizen Station" model is seen as a new step towards bringing essential services closer to people through "touchpoints" present in their daily lives.

In this picture, digital healthcare is considered a crucial component. Accordingly, people can check basic health indicators using smart devices, access consultation services, purchase medication, and utilize healthcare facilities right in their local area. The process is designed to be simple and convenient, helping to shorten time, reduce travel, and improve access to services.

In particular, the application of electronic identification and authentication in healthcare services, especially in drug procurement, helps ensure the principle of "the right person, the right prescription," while also enhancing the safety, transparency, and security of information for the public.

Previously, Long Chau was one of the pioneering units to integrate with the VNeID platform and apply citizen data to serve the people, creating a foundation for the deployment of digital health services at "Digital Citizen Stations".

With a network spanning many provinces and cities, this system is considered to have a significant advantage in developing digital health support points right within residential communities.

According to experts, this model is particularly meaningful for people in remote areas where access to quality healthcare services is still difficult.

Local residents can now check their basic health indicators, store electronic health records, receive advice, or access medication more conveniently without having to travel dozens of kilometers to a higher-level hospital.

The gap in access to healthcare between regions therefore has the opportunity to be narrowed through technology. In the context of rapidly increasing chronic diseases and a trend towards younger age groups, the need for proactive health management is growing. This requires the healthcare system to shift significantly from a treatment-oriented mindset to a preventative one, from centralized examination and treatment to continuous healthcare within the community.

If seamlessly integrated with the national population data and electronic identification platform, future digital healthcare models could help people access healthcare services faster, more personalized, and significantly reduce paperwork.

According to the plan for 2035, Vietnam aims to become a comprehensively developed digital nation, where population data and digital data are connected and shared to serve the development of a smart government and essential services.

In this context, digital healthcare is no longer just a technological story but is gradually becoming the new "digital health infrastructure" of modern society, where each citizen can proactively manage their own health using data, technology, and digital platforms present in their daily lives.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/y-te-so-thay-doi-cach-nguoi-viet-cham-care-health-every-day-d599207.html