Assessment of Latest Engineering Management Practices in Health Care and Development of an Approach for Pakistan

Abstract

In the 21st century due to the Technological advancements the mode of operation of service and business sector have been changed drastically. In the same way the health sectors activities also have been altered, new methods and techniques have also been devised for the treatment of the patients that were never even thought before. In the health sector Telemedicine/Remote Health Care Management is one of the development which was experienced lately. Telemedicine, is taken literally, “medicine at a distance” ('tele' being the Greek stem for distance). Thus, theoretically, something to do with medicine which does not take place 'face to face' and 'in person' can be considered as “telemedicine”. In the industrialized world telemedicine is being used in full capacity to provide the health care services to remote and un accessible areas. But Telemedicine/Remote Health Care Management is not very popular and admired in Pakistan; few applications are being functional presently. Managing of the telemedicine technology in the healthcare organizations is very complex as well as a dynamic process that it has been a very important factor in the failure and declining of many early Telemedicine/Remote Health Care Management attempts. As per the findings of a survey study, the physicians who were practicing in the public tertiary hospitals in Pakistan have suggested that the self-efficacy, ease of use and perceived usefulness are very important factors for their acceptance of telemedicine technology. Similarly, a survey conducted with hospital executive officers, chiefs of service and center directors of selected Pakistan public healthcare establishments indicated that service needs, attitudes of medical staff, and the technology's benefits, risks and compatibility were essential to organizational technology adoption. In addition, results of an evaluative experimental study showed that the clinical decision making of physicians can be improved through use of appropriate telemedicine technology. The combined VI findings suggested that these separate technology management issues were closely interrelated rather than isolated. Effects of a technology on physicians' patient care and management practice have important impacts on their technology acceptance, which, in turn, needs to be considered by their affiliating organization when making an adoption decision.The focus of this research is to assess the potential of hospital sponsored, community-based primary care telemedicine services to be used in the treatment of chronic disease among the urban/rural poor and elderly. Using a case study method this study: reviews pertinent literature on the health status of different socioeconomic population groups; provides an understanding of telemedicine applications both historically and recently; interviews health care providers to assess their capabilities and interest in telemedicine applications; and utilizes diffusion theory to determine the conditions in which health care providers are likely to adopt this new form of service delivery. Telephone surveys and interviews were utilized to gather information from urban/rural Pakistan communities and the health care delivery systems that served these populations. Survey questions focused on: the willingness of hospitals to adopt a new technology which has the potential to improve access to care and improve the quality and efficiency of the treatment of chronic illness; the conditions under which the hospitals anticipated telemedicine serves would best serve their communities; and the barriers that could be anticipated in implementing these services. The study found that the hospitals were receptive to community based telemedicine services because of the potential to reduce the cost of care yet maintain the quality of service. The main barriers to the implementation of telemedicine services where perceived to be the initial funding of these programs and the anticipated resistance to this new method of service delivery by communitybased physicians. Solution to all the e-Health Care issues is provided in the form of an approach. This approach provides guideline for future direction and implementation of e-Health Care System in Pakistan.