Healthcare sector getting to grips with vital data storage task (page 1 of 2)

In the healthcare sector information is key. From a nurse in a clinic tracking an individual's medical history to a health minister using statistics about the overall health of a country to tailor healthcare legislation, data helps to provide the information that is needed to make sure the most appropriate care is available to those that need it.

But in a sector where data is so vital, it accumulates at a frenetic rate. Tony Cotterill, chief executive officer of Bridgehead Software, a healthcare data storage management firm, says it is a particular problem for the healthcare sector. "Healthcare organisations tend to generate a larger proportion of static data compared to other industries, because patient data is usually stored for the patient's entire lifespan, and sometimes longer," he says.

Earlier this year Bridgehead Software conducted a survey of more than 130 senior healthcare executives and directors around the world. It found that 41% of respondents are preparing for annual increases of up to 25%, and an additional 18% expect data volume to rise between 25% and 50% per year.

It is a problem that is likely to affect clinics and healthcare facilities in the Middle East as they make the shift to electronic storage. In the UAE capital, the Abu Dhabi Health Services company, SEHA, has implemented an electronic medical record to make patient data accessible across 14 hospitals and 65 clinics. Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) has implemented a health information system that it hopes will improve hospital business functions, eventually eliminating paper medical records and reducing the need for additional testing if a SKMC patient is referred to another SEHA facility in Abu Dhabi.

Data is becoming more complex in healthcare sector

One of the main contributors to the growth in data is picture archiving and communication systems. With traditional radiology images growing in size as the quality of the images improve and other departments such as cardiology, mammography and pathology switching to digital imaging it is a problem that looks set to continue.

"Data storage in healthcare is often more complicated compared to other industries because healthcare IT leaders are navigating a complex data environment, with different systems from multiple vendors managing different types of clinical data in different locations, both on and off hospital premises," says Cotterill.

"Hospitals need fully interoperable data and storage management solutions that take security and disaster recovery into account while streamlining data storage and management."

SKMC, which is managed by US healthcare institution the Cleveland Clinic, recruited the services of Cerner, a provider of health information systems and technologies, to deploy its 'Millennium' computing platform as part of a health information system upgrade. With deployment at the end of last year across all SEHA hospitals and clinics in the Emirate it is one of the first fully electronic healthcare systems in the region.

"It is very important when treating a patient to have access to their medical history, especially in emergency cases when time is of the essence," John R. Hawkins, SEHA information and technology director said when the deal was announced. "By implementing this system, SEHA hospitals and healthcare providers will instantly share the same patient data. This gives all the providers the information they need to treat the patients and it will eliminate the duplication of tests as well as chances of giving inappropriate medication."

Healthcare institutions building own networks

Saint Francis Care, a healthcare institution in Connecticut, US, has built its own network in a bid to make sure its healthcare applications are available quickly and securely.

As a backup the hospital built a secondary data centre 40 miles away from its main campus for disaster recovery and business continuity.