Latest news with #eSanjeevani
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
PGI rolls out hybrid follow-up system for patients
1 2 Chandigarh: The PGI has rolled out a hybrid follow-up system for its patients, initially in a pilot phase. This innovative project, sanctioned by the Union ministry and spearheaded by PGI's telemedicine department, marks a first for any institute of national importance in India. It offers patients the flexibility to choose between traditional in-person reviews and convenient online consultations. Initially, three key departments were selected for this pilot programme — endocrinology, neurology, and nephrology. The initiative is set to expand to other departments across the institute once the pilot phase demonstrates its effectiveness. The project, which received full approval from PGI, ensures that all medical records are meticulously captured within a dedicated app, clearly indicating whether a patient's consultation was conducted offline or online. Crucially, if a doctor determines that an online consultation is insufficient, the patient can be seamlessly called in for a physical examination at the PGI. This intelligent system is expected to significantly reduce unnecessary travel time for patients and alleviate congestion within the institute. To facilitate these virtual consultations, each participating department will be equipped with a dedicated room featuring high-bandwidth internet, an LED screen, and the eSanjeevani app. Patients will be allotted specific time slots through this app, enabling them to connect with their doctors during their scheduled time. Patients who miss their assigned slot will have the option to re-book. Upon a patient's initial treatment at PGI and subsequent call for a follow-up, they will be educated about the new app and guided on the registration process, allowing them to opt for either a physical or online follow-up for their next appointment. While the tele follow-up system already commenced at the Sangrur centre of PGI, a faculty member said, "However, once the hospital information system 2 starts, things will become streamlined. But we can still start this project in pilot mode using the eSanjeevani app." He said, "The app can capture the medical records and also offers prescriptions which are signed by the doctor." MSID:: 121935530 413 |
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
AI enables better, more inclusive healthcare
The pandemic was pivotal to healthcare 's digital transformation. Overnight, locked-down populations switched to telemedicine to consult their doctors. The pharmaceuticals industry leveraged the computing power of advanced digital technologies – cloud computing, machine learning and advanced analytics – to crash vaccine development timelines. India used its vast digital public infrastructure to manage the world's largest vaccination drive against Covid-19. This also proved beyond doubt the role of digital technologies in bridging the healthcare gap, which in 2021 saw 4.5 billion people worldwide having inadequate access to essential health services. Here are some ways in which healthcare systems can use advanced technological solutions to progress towards universal health coverage : Improving access to healthcare services and medical records Enabling online consultation, patient monitoring and treatment, telemedicine is dramatically easing healthcare access for patients who live in remote, underserved locations, or are excluded due to other reasons. The telemedicine market in India, estimated at $1.10 Bn in 2022, is projected to grow rapidly to touch $5.15 Bn in 2030. The government is spearheading the growth in digital health: The Health Ministry's national telemedicine initiative, eSanjeevani, has served more than 377 million smartphone users thus far. The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana , offering free treatment benefits to those above the age of 70, had digitally onboarded 370 million users at the end of March 2025. Smart, wearable fitness devices and mobile health apps can track health and physiological data, such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen level, calories burned and sleep pattern, which can be shared with healthcare providers for regular monitoring and proactive intervention in time of need. What's more, AI-powered health coaches analyse a range of health and fitness parameters to offer personalised recommendations and motivation for improving diet, exercise, sleep and wellness. An important way to streamline healthcare delivery is ensuring seamless information flows across the healthcare ecosystem. AI, combined with other digital technologies such as blockchain, integrates data across healthcare entities, including clinics, hospitals, testing labs and insurance companies, to improve care coordination, reduce duplicate testing, and allow patients unbroken access to health records from any location. The use of a blockchain ledger protects sensitive healthcare data from tampering, theft and accidental exposure, while allowing it be securely accessed by owners (patients) and their authorised healthcare providers. Easing the burden on resources Weak affordability, poor awareness, and lack of proximity are major reasons why so many people do not get adequate medical care. However, an overburdened healthcare system is also a big contributor to the healthcare gap. The World Health Organization projects a shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030, mainly in the poorer countries. Artificial intelligence solutions can address this challenge to a great extent by automating myriad tasks to free up time that physicians and other healthcare workers can utilise for attending to patients. The latest AI tools can analyse massive medical information, including imaging data, to produce diagnoses that are faster and more accurate than what human beings can achieve, even in the case of complex ailments such as cancer, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease. Hospital analytics solutions can analyse patient traffic, hospital capacities, and other data to optimise resource allocation and improve patient coverage. Natural Language Processing – a specialised branch of AI that enables machines to understand and communicate in the natural language used by humans – can further ease the burden on providers: By automatically extracting critical data from patients' health records at the point of care, NLP frees up physicians' time and also keeps clinical documentation up-to-date. Providers can also use NLP to process unstructured patient data to identify suitable candidates for clinical trials much more efficiently. NLP-based translation apps can break down language barriers between care givers and patients to improve communication and treatment delivery. Predicting disease incidence and resource needs Predictive analytics solutions leveraging AI can analyse population data to identify at-risk segments, enabling proactive, targeted intervention. At an individual level, the solutions can identify patients with a higher likelihood of developing complications or needing readmission, and recommend preventive measures, including lifestyle changes and follow-up care. Predictive models play a key role in precision medicine by helping to personalise treatment plans – for example, what medicine to use, in what doses – based on patients' health parameters and response to earlier treatments. Other applications of predictive AI include forecasting resource requirements and predicting metrics, such as bed occupancy, to optimise staffing and allocate hospital resources effectively. Medical NLP is supporting predictive analytics by uncovering hidden patterns in reports faster and more accurately, to yield new insights into diseases and treatments that providers can leverage to improve healthcare outcomes. Universal Health Coverage by 2030, featuring among the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, is still a distant dream. Worldwide, billions of people continue to lack access to medical care. Even as governments and healthcare systems take action at multiple levels, from expanding medical infrastructure to improving awareness, to address this challenge, artificial intelligence and other advanced digital technologies can come to their assistance by improving access, automating activities and anticipating resource requirements. This article is written by Venky Ananth , EVP and Global Head of Healthcare, Infosys (DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and does not necessarily subscribe to it. shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly)
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
PGI Chandigarh to start tele-OPD pilot for follow-up patients, why this could be a gamechanger
At the outpatient department (OPD) of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, patients need to go through multiple long queues and hours of waiting, from registration to finally reaching the doctor's room before their turn for consultation. Whether it is a new patient registering for the first time or a follow-up patient, everyone has to go through the same waiting process. On average, the PGI OPD sees about 10,000 patients daily; more than half of these are follow-up patients. Considering the increasing numbers from across the region, PGI is planning a new initiative for follow-up patients, under which they can consult doctors from their homes instead of physically coming to the hospital. The department of telemedicine at PGI is preparing to launch a pilot project for tele-OPD follow-up services, with the Ministry of Health also emphasising the expansion of teleservices and tele-OPD follow-ups for some time. Head of the deparment (HOD), Prof Biman Saikia, said they recently celebrated its 20th Foundation Day. During the event, departments such as endocrinology, gynaecology, nephrology, and the pain clinic, among others, showed keen interest in telemedicine services. A meeting was held to discuss how this facility could be brought onto a tele platform, and the department is working towards starting this service initially with a few departments as a pilot project to present the results to the health ministry, after which it could be expanded to other departments. When patients visit the PGI OPD or any clinic and are advised to follow up, they will be informed about the option of a tele-follow-up. They will need to download the eSanjeevani app on their phone, and a specific day and time for the follow-up consultation will be provided. By visiting the website, patients can consult their doctor through the tele-follow-up service. The department aims to ensure that the same doctor who initially treated the patient handles their follow-up consultation as well, and the plan is to start this pilot project within the next six months. In departments like endocrinology and hepatology, OPD often runs late into the evening due to the heavy patient load. For instance, the gastroenterology OPD sees around 300 patients daily, out of which about 200 are follow-up cases. This initiative could also ease the increasing campus traffic and parking problems. 'In the gynaecology department, 80 per cent of women face postpartum issues after childbirth, and bringing a child for hospital visits can be difficult, and many women hesitate to discuss their problems,' says Prof Saikia, adding that teleconsultations could be a huge relief for such women. Dr Saikia pointed out that in many cases, doctors simply need to renew prescriptions, a process that takes barely three minutes, but patients often have to spend one or two days travelling from remote areas or wait for hours at a stretch. 'Shifting these patients online could significantly reduce patient burden at the OPD, and with fewer patients, managing campus traffic will also become easier. Telemedicine can save patients not only time and travel expenses but also free up doctors' time, and it is the future of medicine.' However, running telemedicine services is like operating an entirely separate hospital, requiring dedicated manpower and staff, and for now, the existing staff will have to handle this service along with their routine duties. PGI's telemedicine department has been operational since 2005, but services were scaled up after Covid. The department currently covers all regions of Haryana and offers extensive telemedicine services. According to data, telemedicine saves patients from travelling 400-450 kilometres from remote areas of Haryana.
