Running the Rule over Healthcare Diagnostics: Looking Forward to EHI live

EHI Live takes place next week on 4-5 November in Birmingham’s NEC Centre. If there is one place to learn about the latest in eHealth - whether it’s mobile apps for clinical staff, data analysis or intelligent networking – this is the place to be.

When it comes to healthcare and saving patients’ lives, medical staff need every tool possible in their armoury. The latest equipment, the best drugs; clinicians are reliant on the technology and equipment available to them. However, it’s not just the latest MRI machines that save lives. In fact, 80,000 deaths a year in the US are result from misdiagnosis according to the Society for Medical Decision Making. Often diagnostic errors are caused by a mixture of human error, disjointed communication and best practice shared amongst health institutes and a lack of digitized health records to refer to. These are all issues that the right technology can help to solve.

Of course, we trust our healthcare professionals but in the rush to treat patients, the reality is, it’s very easy to make mistakes. Best practices often exist in people’s heads and changes depending on the person.

Hospitals should use software that helps the digitisation of records and automates decisions based on crucial, accurate and real-time data. This software, known as “Business Rules Management Systems” or “rules engines” can be used to monitor patient data (called clinical surveillance), and provide alerts to healthcare workers when risks are identified.  For example, if a patient in an A&E department has a fever, business rules software may alert the nurse to ask the patient whether they have been travelling. It will then advise the appropriate clinical recommendations if a tropical disease is suspected.

Learn more about how business rules can be used to help save lives at the Progress booth at EHI Live. We'll be at booth E02.

The event is free to attend for all, so sign up here and join us next week.