Paving the Path for the Next Evolution of Medical Care with Thailand’s Ever Medical Technologies and the I-DAIR
The Digital Health & AI Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) is a project initiated and led by Dr. Amandeep Singh Gill, ex-Executive Director of the Secretariat for the UN Secretary-General’s (UNSG) High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Seeking to advance research and development of all things related to digital health, the I-DAIR established 10 key pathfinder categories, each representing a key pillar in the vast operations of medical institutions. They are named as such:
- Global Research map
- Real Time Epidemiology & Dashboards
- Mental Health with a focus on adolescents
- Data interoperability & data architectures
- Digital innovations in Health Systems
- Bench-marking
- Responsible ecosystem for private companies
- Genomics/disease atlases
- Bridging practice and research communities through micro-narratives, experience sharing and capacity-building
- Governance for AI and data for health
Of the 10, Ever Medical Technologies has been assigned to three, following Dr. Amandeep Singh Gill’s visit to Samutprakan Hospital where Ever has been piloting its newly developed Health Information Exchange network.
Technology has a lot of catching up to do to meet the ever-increasing demands of existing medical institutions across the globe. However, the I-DAIR takes a different approach, seeking not to solve short-term problems that will only be overrun in several years, but to go beyond and attempt to answer the healthcare needs of the far future.
Digital Innovations in Health Systems
To achieve this, current Health Information Exchange/Systems (HIE/HISs) must be transcended, answering questions we might not even know exist yet, bringing us to the importance of annual discussions on the evolving needs of healthcare systems. Though perhaps impossible to determine the future, data trends can be leveraged to give us information on best and worst case scenarios for the industry, painting a rough picture of how we can prepare for what’s to come. Data from around the world would be key in helping us understand the different needs of different regions, and ultimately will let us understand how we can best accommodate both patients and medical institutions.
Ever Medical Technologies has developed a blockchain-based HIE network that brings interoperability to multi-level health systems in Thailand. Our API gateway protocol ensures hospital data is securely synchronized with our blockchain HIE network while maintaining great performance. A custom-built health information system (HIS) for each hospital department ensures ease of working through daily tasks, helping to minimize any redundancies. All information from our HIS network can be seamlessly integrated with our HIE network, allowing data to be utilized for innovation in a range of ways, such as in telemedicine, public health records, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Data Architectures and Data Interoperability
Data is everywhere. From user preferences to patient waiting times to transportation and much more, data is limited only to what we can observe. Therefore, determining the best way to achieve efficient and reliable data interoperability requires three phases:
Phase 1) Asking the right questions before we can begin building data architecture that can be expanded and built upon to accommodate the evolving needs of the medical industry
Phase 2) Suggesting viable pathways to interoperability and shared use, underlining critical principles and enablers (privacy, regulatory, security, and business models) for shared use of data in the industry via distribution
Phase 3) Examining and cross referencing the findings of other pathfinders. What diagnostic data flows did they use to highlight interoperability challenges? What could be the essential elements of a neutral trusted escrow architecture for data flows and use?
Ever’s private blockchain network is built upon Hyperledger Fabric, an enterprise-grade distributed ledger which ensures reliability and security due to its traceable, and transparent nature. Trust within a network provides incentive for health practitioners to share information with consent. Our network ensures users do not have to bear the hardship of meeting regulatory requirements by seamlessly integrating regulatory steps — such as patient consent and digital signatures — right into the system. Ease of integration and data migration is achieved through the storage of our HIE’s health data following the standards set by Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR).
Data Engineering and Software Design for Governance of Digital Healthcare Solutions
The future of Healthcare Data Governance should be as open and as interconnected, transparent, and accountable as possible. With the knowledge that data is power, creating a tiered system with multiple stakeholders and emphasis on ease of data distribution is necessary in ensuring minimal misuse of data, while maximizing the chances of utilizing all relevant data in all cases. A truly patient-centric approach will enable much greater efficiency in medical care without opening further possibilities for corruption.
With guidance and recommendations from the UNSG’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation as well as collaborations with entities such as the Graduate Institute’s Global Health Center and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), pathfinders will together develop ways to ensure such a system will be enforced. From data collection to discussion and rigorous questioning, the impact of digital health and artificial intelligence on human rights and civil liberties will be heavily regulated.
The data architecture employed by Ever Medical Technologies not only ensures that data is extracted, transformed, and loaded in a secured and correct manner, but it also provides traceability though our blockchain HIE system. The ability to track data usage complements any pursuance of accountability even for/on artificial intelligence systems.
