Tool for the Doctor - British Medical Journal has introduced Best Practice, a clinical support tool
A tool for the doctor who needs help
The British Medical Journal has introduced Best Practice, a clinical support tool
A team from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) is working on a
pilot to integrate their ‘Best Practice’, a clinical decision support tool,
into the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of hospitals so that it
becomes an integral part of clinicians’ work tool. Prashant Mishra, managing
director of BMJ, India, says the tool, available in the form of computer
software as well as a mobile application, has been made more robust, and the
mobile app can be accessed in remote areas where connectivity may be an issue.
The Hinduspeaks to Mr. Mishra about the support tool and whether Indian
hospitals are ready to adopt it.
How does the tool work?
Best Practice was launched in 2009 and we have been constantly
improvising it. The current version is very robust. The beauty of the tool is
the manner in which the content is displayed. The structure is exactly the same
as a doctor-patient consultation. We have standardised condition monographs. We
talk about basic things like the definition of the disease, its etiology,
pathophysiology and epidemiology. It then goes on to tests which need to be
done, screening and diagnosis, and then to the treatment part, which has been
laid out in an algorithmic manner. All of the data that has gone into the
software comes from the evidence engine of BMJ. We have looked at the latest
research, scanned more than 6,000 journals and synthesise the information in a
way that it is easy for the physician to comprehend and apply.
BMJ is working to integrate the tool with HMIS. But In India, HMIS
data is not reliable at all. How will it work?
That is an aspect that will have to be dealt with the people who
are feeding in the data.
How many institutions have subscribed to the tool in India so far?
We work with the best care providers such as AIIMS Delhi,
Bhubaneswar and Jodhpur. We are hopeful of having a meaningful dialogue with
other AIIMS. Apart from AIIMS, we are also working with the Postgraduate
Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Sanjay Gandhi
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Christian Medical College,
Vellore, KEM Hospital and Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. So the best of the names
in the Indian healthcare are working with us as early adopters. Outside, if you
look at the U.K., the entire NHS system has deployed the BMJ Best Practice
tool. We are also working very closely with China, Africa and Latin America.
What are the subscription costs?
In India, we understand that the paying capacity would be
different from the West. We have gone by World Health Organization criteria and
classified countries in five tiers. India falls in the fifth tier, which means
maximum discounts are applied. On an average, standalone access to Best
Practice would be anywhere between ₹3.5 lakh and ₹5.5 lakh per year. There is
no restriction on the number of users after an institution subscribes to it.
Will such tools affect the decision-making ability of doctors?
By introducing the support tool, we are not advocating that it
will replace the doctor’s knowledge. We don’t believe that a doctor will have
to look into the support tool for each and every patient. But with the rapidly
advancing medical field, the tool will come handy when the doctor needs some
help.
Source | The Hindu
| 11th October 2019
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Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
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