Interview: How technology should be introduced and used in healthcare

Ian Bolland caught up with recently appointed advisor and non-executive director of Draper & Dash, Natalie Douglas about the use of technology in healthcare, and what needs to be changed when it comes to the delivery of healthcare. 

Douglas believes that new and existing technologies have a role in changing the way healthcare is delivered. However, she stressed technology should not be introduced for the sake of it, and that having access to data and information is a priority when it comes to making more informed decisions. 

Given her experience of over 25 years in the pharmaceutical sector, she used prescribing medicine as an example, saying: “If physicians are blind and they don’t have access to information, or payers don’t know what’s behind the cost associated with the prescribing habits of their physicians, it’s very difficult to make good, long term and impactful decisions. Getting access to information is definitely a great starting point, I definitely see technology driving a lot of change.

“There’s things that we can do today that we could not do 10 years ago. We can do things much more quickly, we can automate patient pathways, we can compare patient pathways, and we can also look at clinical times. 

“There’s lots of things technology and information, combined with the skills of physicians and other medical practitioners can do - all of that combined will drive a far better health system.”  

Draper & Dash’s field is in healthcare analytics, which includes supporting hospitals as they look to improve their operational patient flow. 

Douglas feels that firms can be creative with technology in order to deliver better healthcare and has said the organisation is open to collaboration if there’s scope. 

“I think there’s no one-size-fits-all here but looking at the end-result would be where I would want to start. There’s lots of creativity and innovation that occurs when it involves people who are affected most by blockages or inefficiencies in the system. 

“Being creative is really thinking innovatively – designing a new way of delivering the healthcare that you need, keeping patients out of hospitals might be a good start in the UK system as an example.

“I think we all have to be prepared to work together, working in partnership is definitely going to be the way. The system is so large and cumbersome. In many cases I think it’s a little bit unrealistic to assume that Draper & Dash or anybody else has all of the answers.

“Of course, we will want to work with other solutions providers if we feel that there’s a solution that we can provide in combination with another player. Sometimes, especially when you’re working with a big system like the NHS, it might be that there’s a service provider already in there that’s operating within a part of the system. If we can bolt on our solution to enhance and improve that part of the process, or to improve outcomes, or get better access to data more rapidly, then we’re going to do that.”