Paper Trails In The Digital Age: Why Are Hospitals Still Chasing Documents?

In our tech-driven world, where everything seems to be a click away, it's baffling that hospitals are still caught up in the age-old pursuit of paper documents. The irony is hard to ignore – a realm of advanced medical treatments coexisting with a paper trail maze. While the focus is rightly on patient care and elevating the hospital's standards, what if addressing this paperwork puzzle is an easy win, a low-hanging fruit ready to be picked?

According to an article in Forbes, doctors waste almost 50 per cent of their time in doing paperwork, which can be instead utilized in treating patients. In the fast-paced realm of healthcare, where every second counts, the persistence of paperwork can feel like an unnecessary hurdle. So, why does the medical world, of all places, continue to grapple with physical paperwork in the digital era?

The Low-hanging Fruit No One Wants

One obvious culprit is the reluctance to bid farewell to the familiar comfort of paper. In the bustling halls of hospitals, the sound of shuffling paper has become a symphony of familiarity. From patient records to prescriptions, the tangible nature of documents provides a tangible security blanket for healthcare professionals. Despite the digital wave, some still find comfort in the tactile assurance of flipping through pages.

However, this preference for paper comes at a cost. As per the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, medical paperwork incurred a cost of USD 812 billion in the United States. In addition to that, the inefficiency of manual record-keeping can't be ignored. In an emergency, every second counts, and yet, healthcare providers often find themselves lost in a sea of paperwork, desperately searching for crucial information. It's a time-consuming ordeal that could be streamlined with the click of a mouse.

The core of the problem lies in the simplicity of the paperwork issue. It's a shared woe for hospitals everywhere, a low-hanging fruit waiting to be plucked. While the medical world grapples with complex challenges, this seemingly mundane problem is, in fact, a quick fix that can significantly improve operational efficiency.

The Usual Suspects for Paperwork in Hospitals

Consider the admission process, where patients are greeted with a stack of forms to sign. Electronic signatures and digital document storage can revolutionise this initial interaction, enhancing the patient experience from the very first touchpoint with the hospital. While not the central focus of patient care, streamlining this clerical process can set a positive tone and eliminate unnecessary delays.

Discharging patients is another area where the paperwork bottleneck becomes apparent. The bureaucratic formalities involved in this process can be time-consuming. Though not a frontline concern, these administrative annoyances matter to both patients and healthcare professionals. Why not leverage technology to simplify the discharge process, mirroring the strides made in digitizing lab reports and patient records?

A closer look reveals that this transition is not just about paperwork but about onboarding essential personnel. Hospitals are not immune to the challenges of bringing new doctors and nurses into the fold. Streamlining the onboarding process through digital means can expedite the integration of healthcare professionals, allowing them to focus on what truly matters – patient care.

Beyond personnel, hospitals engage in a myriad of agreements with suppliers, adding another layer to the paperwork puzzle. By digitising these agreements, hospitals can establish a seamless and transparent process. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors associated with manual record-keeping.

The key to solving this clerical quagmire is recognizing that these are solvable issues, often overshadowed by the more complex challenges in healthcare. It's about acknowledging that while patient care is the paramount focus, eliminating these annoyances contributes to a more efficient and patient-friendly environment.

The Digital Prescription for a Paperless Future

The beauty of addressing paperwork in the digital age is its simplicity. It's a low-hanging fruit that hospitals can grab without diverting their attention from the core of their responsibilities. The adoption of electronic signatures, digital document creation, and storage are not just modern conveniences – they are essential steps toward optimising the operational backbone of healthcare.

The quest to ditch paper trails in the medical sector is not merely about going digital for the sake of it. It's about recognising the low-hanging fruit, the clerical annoyances that, when resolved, contribute to a more streamlined and patient-centric healthcare system. It's time for hospitals to shift their gaze from chasing documents to embracing a digital transformation that elevates the entire healthcare experience.

The author is Founder & CEO, Leegality

Shivam Singla

Guest Author Shivam Singla is a lawyer who never made it to enrollment due to the paperwork it involved. Shivam decided to start Leegality with the stated goal of making all businesses completely paperless. A graduate from the National Law School of India University Batch of 2016 - Shivam is passionate about the ways in which technology can be used to solve basic everyday pain points faced by legal teams around the country.