Technology solutions for better outcomes: integrated information management in key to productivity increases in medicine

The challenges to healthcare systems around the world are primarily impacted by two topics: demographic factors and progress in medicine. An ageing population inherently needs more medical services which add financial burdens, in particular, to public healthcare. Since the level of medical education is growing at the same time, we are observing an increased demand for sophisticated (in general expensive) medicine. Drastic changes in financing seem unavoidable. Multiple diagnoses, repeated examinations, trial-and-error, overcapacities and other signs of missing economical considerations are reinforced by reimbursement systems. In a world where, in principle, all information is available everywhere, more than a patient's history should be accessible. Other industries have knowledge management systems in place that make state-of-the-art expertise available everywhere. Intelligent patient databases could consist of learning cycles that (i) enable the individual to benefit from structured knowledge, in addition to personal experience of the physician, and (ii) use the knowledge generated from the individual to extend the database. The novel area of molecular medicine fits perfectly well into these scenarios. Only attached to an IT backbone can the flood of information be managed in a beneficial way. Efficiency improvements in healthcare address the needs of all parties in the system: patients, providers, and payers. The opportunities, however, can only materialize if everyone is prepared to change. IT will set the standards for the biggest challenge in healthcare: The paradigm shift in medicine.