Demonstrating the benefits of digitalisation in healthcare
The latest edition of the ZHAW’s Digital Health Report shows that to advance digitalisation in healthcare, people’s fears must first be allayed and user-friendliness needs to be improved.
Although electronic patient records have been available in Switzerland since 2020, only 0.2 percent of the population has created one. ZHAW health economist Alfred Angerer mentions the many apprehensions the people have on this topic, including the fear of surveillance or data abuse. He emphasises the need to take these concerns seriously, while also focusing more on the vast benefits of digitalisation in the healthcare sector. In the new 2023/2024 Digital Health Report of the School of Management and Law, ZHAW researchers and other organisations demonstrate potential solutions.
More efficiency and security
Both medical workers and patients benefit from digital technologies. One such example is that health information is available much faster. Specialists can thus access a patient’s medical history, including previous treatments and medications administered, and dangerous drug interactions can be identified automatically. In addition, digital applications can relieve staff of administrative work, as well as support internal and external communication, for example between hospitals, general practitioners and physiotherapists. To foster acceptance, however, these services need to become more user-friendly, and people’s digital literacy has to improve. “The technical applications for this transformation are actually available,” Angerer clarifies. “A step towards digitalization would result in enormous time savings, ensure quality and in the long run also reduce costs.”