HCM CITY – Thủ Đức Hospital’s time-saving and accuracy-improving electronic medical records system has become a model for other hospitals around the country.

Through its technological innovations in medical examination, treatment and records-keeping, Thủ Đức Hospital has increased its number of outpatients from 200 to 5,000 per day.

“People usually think that investing into technology is costly but never care about its benefits. In fact, technology innovations enhance management capabilities and avoid wasted spending,” said Nguyễn Minh Quân, director of the hospital.

Tăng Chí Thượng, vice director of HCM City Department of Health, said that the electronic medical records at Thủ Đức Hospital was a pilot project that will now be duplicated at the city’s big hospitals.

According to Quân, every hospital patient receives their own identification code. With this code, doctors can easily access the patients’ medical history to make diagnoses and write prescriptions.

Patients can also automate their registration for medical examinations and receive information online indicating waiting time and their appointed clinics.

Technology also helps to synchronise all procedures, especially in dispensing medicines. Once a doctor writes out a prescription, the information is transmitted immediately to the hospital’s pharmacy, saving time for patients and better managing the prescription’s quality.

Moreover, the hospital provides doctors with digital signatures, which allow them to analyse medical test results on computers, reducing printing costs.

Lê Cường, an inpatient from Thủ Đức District, is satisfied with the changes. 

"This procedure saves waiting time and strengthen our belief in the medical staff. Since doctors can follow our disease history, they can offer better advice and perform examinations based on my health condition," said Cường. 

The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced that it will seek to promote technology innovations in healthcare, especially focusing on human resources management software, electronic medical records and a central management system connecting 160 medical facilities in Việt Nam.

Lương Chí Thành, deputy head of the ICT department under the MoH, said that Vietnamese technology groups including VNPT, Viettel and FPT are developing innovations in the medical field. – VNS