Is your personal health data at risk during the pandemic?
If we are talking about risks related to physical facilities and possible intrusions, the level of risk is low. When we act in urgency, available resources are allocated to the crisis; in this case, people are mostly providing care. Ordinarily, focus is on running the hospital, treating patients according to established protocols and codes of conduct. However, these are not ordinary times. Hospital administrators must maintain patient capacity and add to that a critical management component to be able to deal with a hereto-unknown pandemic, a unique and historic event. Employees find themselves in a demanding situation where the atmosphere is tense and where they feel stress and fear.
The system must embody the essence of its mission of care, which lies in the hands of those who provide it. For them, we must meet the needs of their work environment and practice.
What does the pandemic tell us about health data?
We have a new and compelling need for data to show the spread of the virus and case distribution as well as the number of tests that have been administered and of people that have tested positive. We also need data to follow up on cases, to base equipment purchases and ensure good supply management and training. Jacques Gagnon, CEO of Imagem, a high-tech firm specialized in managing data collected and processed by health systems, compares the role of his firm to that of an orchestral conductor, as it must automate complex processes that are under development.
Crisis managers have different needs, but they require mental agility and must be in a reactive mode in order to give and obtain crucial information. They also need information that is accessible and accurate, readily available and adaptable. Imagem can demonstrate its capabilities to fully meet those needs.
Just like a conductor, Imagem must automate complex processes that are under development.
Crises do occur and more will happen. We must take that into consideration and introduce flexibility as a precondition.
Not the least of the lessons to be remembered is that we should learn to look after our own affairs and stop counting on others, who are anyways busy looking after their own business. For us, buying locally doesn’t mean that we are closing ourselves off to the world; it’s rather a way of preserving a degree of autonomy and providing solutions to our situation.
Imagem’s vision is the most rewarding one can have: to take control of our technological destiny, here, where we live.
Apply rigour to all that we do
At Imagem, rigorousness comes in first place. Jacques Chagnon maintains that, in the current context, doctors carrying out treatment need to receive precise and errorless information. This rigorousness is of particular importance in these challenging times. The firm works diligently to ensure that the medical records that are produced remain flawless and that the records are sent to the people who need to have access to them. In addition to having its own set of domestic practices, Imagem has invested time and money to gain international accreditation and has completed all requirements in the recognition process for MDSAP (Medical Device Single Audit Program) and ISO 13485. Every year, Imagem undergoes an internal and an external audit. These certifications propel Imagem into the big league next to international players in the field.