Communication System in Hospital

Have a look over various IT based communication system in hospital that makes managing workflow fast and efficient so as to avoid any confusions in case of any need while working or visiting a hospital.

Intra-hospital Communication:

Telephone systems, Wired and Wireless Network:

• Telephones intercoms Connecting Operation Theatres, ICUs, wards, nurses stations and rooms.
• Charts indicating emergency nos. and doctor’s extensions.
• Secured internet networks for Patient data confidentiality
• Mobile phone Apps for doctors and nurses to see the patient data on their smart phones.
• Pagers: Reliable, fast and cost effective, For the entire hospital or to specific teams/departments

Public Address System : 

• Out Patient Departments for temporary visiting patients came to seek doctors advice.
• Information kiosks for visitors enquiry.

Disaster Management  and evacuation plans

• Exit route maps.
• Safety drills and training.
• Fire extinguishers with instructions for us. 

                             

Hospital information System(HIS) :

A Hospital information system is a comprehensive, integrated information system designed to manage all the aspects of a hospital operation, such as medical, administrative, financial, legal and the corresponding service processing.

• Integrated information system to manage medical, administrative, financial, legal and the corresponding service processing aspects.
• Links to other information systems (Radiology Information System, Laboratory Information System etc).
• Support of Clinical and Medical Patient Care Activities in the Hospital.
• Gives a holistic view of the patients and the hospital.

HIS includes:

• Operating Room (OR) scheduling
• Nursing management
• Clinical appointment
• Dietary
• Doctor ID system
• Employee health system
• Medical record system
• Pathology system
• Patient ADT (Admission, Discharge and Transfer) Details

In general what are different modules of HIS ?

Registration
Registration module is an integrated patient management system, which captures complete and relevant patient information. The system automates the patient administration functions to have better and efficient patient care process.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
EMR Module is a fully integrated knowledge repository that caters to medical and clinical records of patients in the hospital.

Billing
Patient Billing module handles all types of billing for long-term care. This module facilitates cashier and billing operations for different categories of patients.

Financial Accounting
Financial Accounting Module deals with Cash/Bank, Receipt/Payments, Journal Voucher and General Ledger, etc. Books like Cashbook, Bankbook and Ledger book can be generated. This module generates reports like Trail Balance, Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss statement.

Fixed Assets
Fixed Assets Module deals with all the activities that are related to the Fixed Assets Part of Financial Accounting.

Payroll
Payroll & Personnel module deals with Pay (and deduction) calculation, printing of salary slip, salary certificates, and PF statements, Gratuity Statement and provides a monthly analysis

Outpatient Management
Outpatient module serves as an entry point to schedule an appointment with the Hospital Resident Doctor or Consultant Doctor for Medical Consultations and diagnosis.

Inpatient Management
This module is designed to take care of all the activities and functions pertaining to Inpatient Management. This module automates the day-to-day administrative activities and provides instant access to other modules, which leads to a better patient care.

Pharmacy
Pharmacy module deals with the automation of general workflow and administration management process of a pharmacy.

General Store & Inventory
General Stores and Inventory module deals with Purchase of Items, Issue of Items, Maintenance of Stock, Automatic Reorder level Setting, Online request for stock from various sub-stores, Online stock transfer, maintenance of stock at different sub-stores, Physical stock verification and adjustment, Return of items to supplier etc.

Laboratory
The Laboratory module automates the investigation request and the process involved in delivering the results to the concerned department/doctor of the hospital.

EMR
An EMR is a digital version of a paper chart in a clinician’s office. It contains the medical and treatment history of the patients in one practice. An EMR allows a clinician to track data over time, easily identify which patients are due for preventative screenings, check how patients are doing on certain parameters such as blood pressure readings or vaccinesand monitor and improve overall quality of care within the practice.

Service
The service module deals with all the services available in the hospital and the charges for these services are stored through this module.

User Manager
User manager module basically deals with security through controlling the access to the information available in the application. Any user associated with a user group can access only those screens for which the user group has permission.

Help Desk
Help Desk Module automates day-to-day functions of the Hospital Front office management of a hospital.

Radiology Information Systems(RIS):

Radiology information system (RIS) and picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) are generally used together with a hospital’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Hospital  information systems to store, analyze and distribute medical images. RIS/PACS can be implemented across a single provider, such as a doctor’s office or a hospital, or across a wide network. The radiology images can be accessed via desktop computers or mobile devices.

• Process patient and film folder records.
• Monitor the status of patients, examinations, and examination resources.
• Schedule examinations.
• Create, format and store diagnostic reports with digital signature.
• Track film folders.
• Maintain timely billing information.

Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)                 

• Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is a standard for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging. It includes a file format definition and a network communication protocol.—
• PACS Involves Storage and convenient access to images from multiple modalities such as Ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET, CR, DR etc.
• PACS is Cost effective, DICOM compatible, Remote access, editing and post processing capabilities.
• Can be integrated with RIS.