Over recent years, the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital has taken the much-hailed initiative to promote digital transformation in its management work, and its medical examination and treatment activities. This has significantly contributed to reducing workloads on medical staff, and enhancing the quality of healthcare services for people.

The Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital has taken the much-hailed initiative to promote digital transformation in its management work, and its medical examination and treatment activities. IN PHOTO: A doctor from the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital is giving medical examinations to a child patient. Photo: VAN HOANG

Integrating many software and applications

Being a frontline hospital in the medical examinations and treatment for pediatric and obstetrician patients in Central Viet Nam, the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital has received an increasing number of patients year on year.

Therefore, in an effort to provide the best possible services for patients, the hospital has deployed online appointment booking solution via apps, software and website with the aim of avoiding congestion and reducing waiting time for visitors upon arrival.

Most notably, the hospital has set up electronic medical software. Keeping medical records in an electronic database has benefited both hospitals and its patients

Using the electronic medical records, doctors will have instant access to information about their patients, including blood group, diseases or even if they are allergic to certain medicines, thereby making it even more efficient for doctors to make early diagnosis and easily monitor symptoms. Meanwhile, patients no longer have to carry all of their written medical records every time they go to hospital as the doctors have already known about their health conditions.

Mr Phan Bao Son, Deputy Head of the hospital’s IT Office, said that his hospital has been applying a smart hospital management system, including HIS (Hospital Information System) - a management software system for all medical examinations and treatment activities in hospital; LIS (Laboratory Information System) - a healthcare software solution that processes, stores, and manages patient data related to laboratory processes and testing; RIS (Radiology Information System) - a type of radiology software solution for storing and managing medical imaging data; and PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) - a medical imaging technology used primarily in healthcare organizations to securely store and digitally transmit electronic images and clinically-relevant reports.

Specially, the hospital has about 40 specialized doctors offering remote consultations and telemedicine through the Doctor4U app. This application allows doctors from healthcare facilities across the city to offer free Telehealth services for people during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The use of software and applications helps improve the overall efficiency of hospital management, as well as create a modern medical examination and treatment environment for patients, thereby significantly contributing to turning the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital into a paperless hospital. On the other hand, optimizing the medical examination and treatment process, and simplifying administrative procedures have improved the efficiency and quality of healthcare services for residents" said Mr. Phan Bao Son.

Boosting digital transformation

Since 2015, the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital has promoted the IT application in its management work, and medical checkups and treatment activities. However, the hospital has encountered some certain difficulties during the process, including the lack of investment capital.

On the other hand, the hospital is specializing in providing medical examinations and treatment for pediatric and obstetrician patients, and screening for fetal malformations, so there are not many similar specialized units in Da Nang, and in the country as a whole, to connect and developing a smart and appropriate software system.

In addition, the proficiency in using IT of many medical staff, doctors, and professionals, especially the senior staff, is not uniform, so it takes time to adapt to ensure work efficiency.

In the coming time, the hospital will continue to boost the IT application and digital transformation, thereby significantly contributing to ensuring the effective implementation of a project on digital transformation in Da Nang’s healthcare sector by 2025, with an orientation towards 2030.

“The hospital will focus on coordinating with IT units citywide to upgrade and add more functions of its existing management, administration, medical examination and treatment software. Moreover, heed will be paid to upgrading the IT infrastructure in order to match the current system, as well as, at the same time, enhancing IT application skills for the hospital’s staff. Also, the hospital will strive to make 100% of the patient's medical records become electronic ones in the next year", noted Dr. Tran Thi Hoang, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital.

Reporting by VAN HOANG - Translating by M.DUNG