When intuition and innovation meet in the healthcare industry, the synergy can be a spectacular culmination of healthIT. But, as it is with most worthwhile advances, the lessons are in the journey.
Technology is taking healthcare to new frontiers, but many of these advances are in need of a check-up when it comes to ease of use, implementation, interoperability and collaboration.
If it's not simple, intuitive or easy to use, compliance is lost and without compliance we're not really advancing.
In the mid-1900s, Kelly Johnson formulated the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). The idea is that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated. Simplicity leads to understanding and compliance and should be a key goal in design. More functionality, while good, may make programs unmanageable over time. If it's not advancing the solution at hand - it's going to muddy the water.
The banking and retail industry have embraced technology with apps that are intuitive to use. The healthcare industry is trying but it has a way to go. The good news is there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Let's be more open to collaboration with each other and established industries to enhance the user experience.
For example, no one has to train you on how to use an Apple product. It's simple and intuitive.
So, how do we find solutions?
At HIMSS16 I'm looking to collaborate on solutions to make healthIT design and interoperability better, so we can spend less time managing EHRs and more time managing the health of our patients.
We are swimming in all this technology but what we really need to do is focus on the problem that needs to be solved.
A fresh perspective, from other industries, is what may be needed to help health tech get to the next level and make a connection that perhaps those too close to the industry have not yet made.
Opening the gate to collaboration - amongst ourselves and other industries - in the end will only benefit the industry, physician practices and the patients we serve.