Area of Focus: Eldercare
Partnership agency: HCA Hospice Care, Home Nursing Foundation, Xrgomics
Conceptualised & Initiated by Lien Foundation
The non-profit sector has traditionally been a technology laggard due to limited resources and lack of expertise. The Lien Foundation, together with, Xrgomics, a Singapore mobility solutions specialist company has scored a technological breakthrough in this sector by creating a first of its kind mobile medical information solution for home nursing and hospice care.
The adopters of this innovative solution are HCA Hospice Care (HCA) and Home Nursing Foundation (HNF). Through its successful information communications technology (ICT) deployment, the non-profit sector is realising technology can bring tremendous benefits -both tangible and intangible.
At the start of a work day, the doctors or nurses will upload the latest patient information into their handheld devices via wireless synchronisation. Then, equipped with all the up-to-date data they need, they proceed to making their rounds.
During their patient visits, they have easy access to the patients’ profiles and records – what medicine was dispensed, what treatment was given, the patients’ response to medication, drug allergies and so on. They can also update or enter new information quickly and easily.
At the end of the day, all the information is updated and synchronised with the main system via wireless connectivity. This also means that when a caseload is handed over to another nurse or doctor, the patients’ complete data is easily transferred into a different handheld device.
With new technologies in place, the HCA and HNF are experiencing real and attractive quantitative and qualitative ROI every day. The time savings from painstaking paper records can be translated into an increase in overall efficiencies, as well as better patient care.
Overall, the solution would increase the organisations’ productivity by at least 10%. Substantial cost savings as processes such as document archiving, form printing, paper-based entries are eliminated. It is estimated that the financial ‘returns’ from increased productivity and cost savings could exceed the Foundation’s total investment by about 200%.
Other visible and intangible benefits include better data management – necessary for statistical analysis; continuity planning in the event of epidemic/quarantine, better work conditions for staff; capacity building as doctors and nurses upgrade their skills, and certainly a more professional image for the respective organisations.
This project is significant as it shows that the non-profit sector can embrace and deploy technology effectively. It also exemplifies the Foundation’s efforts to initiate a cultural shift in this area and inspire organisations, donors and the government to enhance the capacity of non-profits through the strategic use of ICT, helping them serve their communities and advance their cause further.
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