Can information technology improve my ambulatory practice?

Abstract

eHealth is the use of information and communication technologies for health. mHealth is the use of mobile technology in health. As with all information technology (IT), advances in development are rapidly taking place. The application of such technology to individual ambulatory anaesthesia practice should improve the delivery of quality patient care to the patient. Improved multilevel communication and information exchange should not be to the detriment of patient confidentiality. There are various opportunities throughout the perioperative ambulatory care process for the individual anaesthesiologist to participate in eHealth. The most important contributions may manifest with improved preoperative communication, intraoperative recordkeeping and postoperative tracking of outcomes data. However, it is crucial that development in the health IT field is coordinated to ensure interoperability.