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Taking Information Technology Into The Field
July 29, 2011
The use of information technology in the medical field has expanded beyond modern machinery, medicine and state-of-the art treatment facilities. Information management and information technology are effectively bridging the gap to achieve a connected, global medical community through the use of electronic health records and telehealth technologies.
The Military Health System Office of the Chief Information Officer is home to a number of dedicated United States Public Health Officers who are deployed around the world to help rural communities stay connected through the use of information technology. Information technology can help health professionals provide services, no matter the location. Recently, USPHS Lt. Francis Bertulfo, an IT specialist currently supporting MCiS, deployed to the rural community of Mao, Dominican Republic to help bring health services to those in need.
As a USPHS officer, Bertulfo has spent much of his time outside the office caring for others. Recently, he spent two weeks supporting the Western Hemisphere Information Exchange program as an IT specialist, deployed to install and support the electronic health records infrastructure in the rural community of Mao in the Dominican Republic.
The WHIX Program supports Defense Security Cooperation goals by promoting information exchange between the militaries of the Western Hemisphere in the areas of Installation management; Environment, Safety & Occupational Health; and Energy Management (IEE).
In partnership with Florida International University, the WHIX program utilizes solar and wind power technologies in disaster environments to bring services to underserved communities. Solar technologies were utilized to operate and power the computers used to run the electronic health records databases in the unwired community of Mao. These technologies allow rural communities, such as Mao, to receive specialized services.
Working closely with WHIX, the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Disaster Management System, Bertulfo and his team members utilized a Disaster Management Information System to easily implement the EHR system and provide dental services to the Mao community.
With a team of dedicated oral surgeons, dentists and a dental hygienist, Bertulfo worked alongside team members to provide dental services to more than 200 patients each day. These services ranged from routine dental cleanings and fillings to highly specialized root canals and extractions. The USPHS and Department of Defense routinely conduct these medical exercises in austere environments around the globe in preparation for real-world operations and humanitarian relief operations.
Using the WHIX’s EHR system and telehealth technology, the team was able to create detailed dental records for each patient, served to the health information repository in Washington. With these records on hand, local physicians and dentists are able to make individual diagnoses and provide treatment plans from abroad. Telehealth technology allows physicians and field workers to connect and provide treatment and diagnoses to global communities quickly and efficiently.
Telehealth technologies can also be used to help medical professionals reach underserved or remote communities around the world. Expanding the use of information management and information technology in the field will ensure communities, such as Mao, continue to receive vital diagnostic, preventative and treatment services.
By MCiS Communications
USPHS Lt. Francis Bertuflo