- The absence of national policies on digital health, little government funding in this area, and lack of interest in interoperable systems are some of the barriers that remain to be overcome.
- One of the recommendations of the WHO is the adoption of e-Health.
- According to ENDUTIH 2019, 30% of the Mexican population lacks an internet connection at home.
The arrival of digital health in Mexico has generated a radical transformation in the way of providing care to patients. Now it is not even required to be in the same room because the service can be carried out remotely. At the same time, it is not yet a modality that can be fully applied because there are many adversities to face.
On the one hand, technology is an ally but also a barrier due to the characteristics of the country. According to the National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Homes (ENDUTIH) 2019, 30 percent of the population lacks an internet connection at home.
The lack of this service makes it impossible to access services such as telemedicine and remote medical consultations. Therefore, it is a pending issue that the rulers must resolve.
The challenges for digital health in Mexico
In order to address health lags in Mexico, the implementation of global standards could be an essential enabler to improve health care in a cost-effective manner.
In accordance with a GS1 and McKinsey studystandardizing patient information could enable substantial benefits in its security and allow a total reduction in health care costs between 40 and 100 billion dollars worldwide.
”Data standardization and interoperability are two of the main challenges facing the digitization of health in the country. Without them, an integrated, safe, effective, and accurate management of information related to the care and follow-up of Mexican patients in the different health institutions, both public and private, is impossible,” warned Osiris López Rojas, Primary Sector Linkage Manager. and Health at GS1 Mexico.
The standardization of processes in the health system consists of the development and implementation (uniformly and according to technical specifications) of various criteria and methods to achieve compatibility between systems, as well as safety aspects of clinical practice applicable to various areas of health care: medical practice guidelines, research protocols or surgical procedures.
Whether it is required to know the number of health centers in the country, attend a query by reviewing digital images, manage patient information through electronic medical records, prescribe/fill medications through electronic medical prescription, or knowing the stock of drugs and supplies in a hospital, all these processes require data interoperability in all systems of public and private health institutions, supported by standardized procedures.
The importance of e-Health in today’s world
The standardization of health systems is so important that the World Health Organization (WHO) made a global call to its member states on the need to standardize health data and its relevance to health systems and services. e-Health.
To achieve this, the WHO identified three gaps that must be closed: 1) have digital health policies to standardize health information technology; 2) generate sustainable national and international programs and guarantee public-private financing for their application; and 3) encourage the participation of countries in the process of formulating standards to develop interoperable and effective health systems.[3].
The correct use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) would help the collection, transmission, exchange and processing of data between health information systems and e-Health services to be carried out in an effective, consistent and accurate manner. with significant benefits, including providing quality medical care, reducing operating costs and achieving universal coverage of public health services.
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