Healthcare Heartbeat uses smartphones instead of beepers to help doctors keep track of their patients

Discussion: In an ideal world, all hospitals would integrate their medical files via single online platforms and share patient information efficiently and accurately.  But as different hospitals adopt different IT products ad hoc, integrating these systems is very complicated.  So tech companies are focusing less on concentration of existing patient records and more on communication between health professionals in any location – an approach they view as much more realistic and secure for healthcare IT.

Source: BBC News

Date: April 18, 2011

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13118566

Questions for discussion:

• Why are developing countries at somewhat of an advantage when it comes to integrating IT into their healthcare system?
• What is the most expensive and complicated obstacle in healthcare IT?