Interoperability – the road towards Connected Healthcare
If you are in the pharma world, we are sure that you meet the word “interoperability” at least once a day. Definitely, this term became trendy, especially over the past year regarding the new DSCSA requirements. However, we should point that this is not another “powdered” term. Behind the complex terminology stands essential meaning and impact the whole supply chain in various ways.
But first, what actually is interoperability? Interoperability means efficient data exchange between different systems/ participants, using it in an effective and meaningful way. In other words, the interoperability removes the barriers in front of the successful exchange of healthcare information, ensuring the correct process of data proceeding between different devices/apps across the supply chain and building a connected healthcare system.
And you will ask – how exactly does interoperability impact the pharmaceuticals? Undeniably, making the data interoperable is a process driven by innovation. When you add to this the multi-layered character of the term, you could easily assess that the interoperability addresses the needs while improving different aspects of the whole Track & Trace process.
The 360-degree visibility, data protection and regulated access to patient information are some of the benefits of the implementation of interoperability, regarding the quality of care. This could be explained easily with an example:
If a patient receives care from more than one place, it is mandatory for these hospital units to have the opportunity to exchange the medical history data of the patient. The lack of connectivity between the different IT systems could reflect on patient care. This in turn is extremely dangerous for the patient and could lead to a lot of complications.
Here comes the meaning of real-time data monitoring, which thanks to interoperability is improved. The interoperable data expand the area of proceeding, interpreting and sharing such crucial information in real-time, enabling the connected devices to have a precise view of the patient information.
By gathering the data and removing the organizational boundaries, interoperability gives the opportunity to health information systems for work together.
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Source:
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/pushing-frontiers-interoperability