A mutual benefit

Posted on 31 August 2015

Mediclinic’s newest facility, Midstream at Centurion in Gauteng, is at the forefront of hi-tech healthcare, courtesy of its specialised ICT programme.

Recognising that doctors deserve the best support available in order to deliver optimal healthcare outcomes, Mediclinic Midstream has introduced a new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) system. The benefits that it creates for doctors will flow to patients too, as well as to their families and caregivers.

Through the ICT programme, Mediclinic Midstream is making a variety of key functions available for its doctors. These are a few of the most helpful:

At the start
Before a doctor takes up rooms at Midstream, the ICT service delivery management team visits him or her to find out what their ICT requirements are.

The appropriate equipment is then installed. Each doctor’s ICT infrastructure is configured to work in conjunction with the hospital’s own data and voice network. This is where the hi-tech comes in: the doctor’s system is kept separate enough to provide privacy – but open enough to allow access to shared applications and services.
What’s provided

• On-call support
The Mediclinic ICT Service Desk is the doctors’ central support service for all ICT-related issues. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• On-site support
Doctors can request help from an on-site ICT engineer if any computing queries or difficulties arise.

• Video archives
State-of-the-art medical imaging technology allows doctors to access images, videos and other files (such as pathology results) in a Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA). Images and videos made during a procedure are available for doctors to see in their consulting rooms afterwards, as well as in the wards, so that doctors doing their rounds can see at a glance what has been done.

• Doctors’ network
Doctors based at Midstream are provided with a secure network allowing them to connect to Radiology and Pathology services and the Internet. And a Wi-Fi network enables them to access email, the doctors’ portal and the VNA even while moving around the hospital.

• Video conferencing
ICT video conferencing allows doctors to communicate visually with another Mediclinic hospital or regional office.

• Lync services
Instant Messaging, audio and video calls, Lync meetings and sharing options are available.

• Email archiving
Encrypted cloud storage and email archive apps are available for most smartphones, including Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows devices.

• Hardware
The ICT catalogue gives Mediclinic doctors a list of specially negotiated purchasing deals, covering various hardware and software packages.

• Maintenance
All Mediclinic-provided ICT equipment is protected by a wide-ranging maintenance contract, which covers parts and loan equipment if needed, relieving doctors of the need to arrange their own.

Support for the Support!
An on-site ICT specialist gets support from engineers, a centralised service desk and a dedicated ICT department at Mediclinic head office in Stellenbosch.

Improved efficiency and ultramodern communications – all part of Mediclinic’s commitment to excellence and ‘expertise you can trust’.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.