The current COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented stress on healthcare systems all around the globe. It has also accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, particularly in telemedicine. In so doing, it has elevated the potential of digital technologies for hospitals and it is likely that we will see higher levels of investments in tech than those pre-COVID, particularly in areas such as patient-engagement, care coordination, intelligent automation, remote working and, of course, telehealth. However, the danger is that tech becomes the focus of attention as hospitals accelerate their ambitions to become digital hospitals. Joe talks through information being the life blood of a hospital, the digital opportunity and the digital transformation challenge...

Tips from a clinician and healthcare IT expert... Michelle Sayseng Cruz explains why clinicians play such a vital role on an EMR implementation project team, what they need in order to be most effective, and how to find the right clinical champion. The most significant users of your new software will be clinicians. It makes sense to have them represented within the internal project team. Clinical systems are hardly one size fits all, so there is bound to be a certain level of customisation to ensure the software fits within your organisation. Who better to assist with the requirements gathering, workflow analysis, communicate concerns, and work closely with the vendor than clinical end-users?