TECHNOLOGY
COVID-19: information is our weapon
We can be better prepared for future pandemics, respond better and contain outbreaks more effectively, but it requires a change in mindset – towards an innovation- led approach that embraces data sharing, argues Paul Johnson.
Using technology more effectively can help save lives. From using data to analyse the efficacy of particular treatments to prompting clinicians and carers to take a particular action at a key moment, utilising information in creative ways can be transformational for healthcare. We have seen these successes in our sector, from Google’s pioneering work to help doctors speed up the detection of Acute Kidney Injury through their ‘Streams’ app, to Babylon’s remote GP consultation software. We have heard a lot lately about
the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) in helping clinical staff to fight COVID-19, and no doubt it is a vital component for keeping doctors and patients safe. But we haven’t heard much about how we can use the vast data sets we are collecting to improve outcomes and work smarter. Software systems are excellent tools for collecting, analysing and communicating information accurately and at speed, and should be considered an essential frontline tool. Focusing solely on PPE and ventilators as weapons for fighting infections is akin to sending a firefighter into a building with flame retardant clothing but no information about the source of the fire, the speed and method by which it is spreading, or how many people there are at risk in the building. Organised, real time data is crucial to
NOVEMBER 2020
helping healthcare professionals reduce the spread of infections. Technology is so crucial because it can do a lot of the difficult data collection, analysis and processing and unlock more time for carers to do what they do best – caring.
Pandemics are different The ‘R’ rate, or ‘Reproduction Rate’ of an infection, is widely considered a more important metric than the total number of cases, and the suppression of the virus through reduced transmission is often a key focus for many countries. This poses two specific challenges: understanding what is happening and responding to it in the right way. We accumulate knowledge about what is happening on a piecemeal basis; we need to gather more, faster, on both a national and organisational level. Data can help us make rapid decisions about how to respond to infections like COVID-19 by improving understanding of transmission patterns, prompting audits and triggering protocols, for example.
Pandemics are unusual because there are so many complex data points: the rate of infection in the population and how that differs between hospital, community and public settings; how the virus is being transmitted; which interventions are being made and how effective they are; the list goes on. This information is often disparate and there are knowledge gaps on an organisational level. Until we solve this issue, gaining a full understanding of what’s happening on a regional or national level will evade us.
NHS England and NHS Improvement worked together to create an initial data store that brought together secure, reliable and timely data from NHS Digital, Public Health England (PHE), NHS organisations and social care organisations to produce a live dataset on the spread of COVID.1
This
is exactly the kind of tool useful to Ministers and health officials, but lacks effectiveness for two reasons. Firstly, because data is not being fully recorded on an organisational level, it involves some modelling and isn’t
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