Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Written by: Muhammad Zulhusni, Journalist, AOPG.

The Malaysian Institut Jantung Negara (also known as National Heart Institute; abbreviation IJN) has stepped up its efforts to digitalise healthcare.

IJN Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim, said the centre is working on a number of digital initiatives, including the deployment of an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, which is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2022.

“This is part of our efforts at a ‘total information system’ transformation, which basically entails utilising digital health solutions wherever possible to ease our processes as well as help our patients better manage their own health,” he said, adding that the centre’s digitalisation efforts will also support the government’s long-term goal of entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

In a recent virtual forum on health technology titled: “Digital Health: How Tech Can Help Patients,” Dr Aizai Azan revealed IJN’s digitalisation plans. The forum was jointly organised by IJN and health-tech social enterprise, CaringUp Malaysia, and explored the various ways data-driven information systems can help both healthcare professionals and patients.

IJN Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Prof Datuk Dr Azhari Yakub, IJN Director of Clinical Research Datuk Dr Suhaini Kadiman, CaringUp Group Chief Executive Officer Pervaiz Gul, and Microsoft Malaysia’s Chief Marketing and Operations Officer Azizah Ali were among the speakers at the forum, which was moderated by BFM presenter Meera Sivasothy.

Medication put to Waste

Dr Aizai Azan gave his thoughts on the medical industry’s present issues, particularly the issue of medication non-adherence.

Medication non-adherence, which refers to when a patient is not following their prescribed treatment plan, is seen as a worrying worldwide phenomenon. Dr Aizai Azan referenced a 2003 World Health Organization (WHO) study that found almost half of the patients with chronic diseases do not take their prescribed medications or treatments as prescribed — a figure that is estimated to be higher among those in developing countries.

“A small study carried out in Seremban hospital saw that a total of 130 000 tablets were returned by patients to the pharmacy counter over a period of time and these medications were worth at least RM 60,000 in total. So, a major cause of medication wastage was found to be due to patients’ non-adherence to medications,” said Dr Aizai Azan.

Compliance with treatment programmes was especially important for patients with various health conditions, according to Dr Azhari, in order to keep their illnesses under control. “A 2021 study found that some 50 to 60% of patients with chronic illnesses had unused medication at home, with the leading cause being that they had not been taking their medicine as prescribed,” he said.

Dr Suhaini expanded on this issue by discussing the larger implications of medication non-adherence on a patient’s well-being, treatment effectiveness, the economy, and even the environment. He explained that finding unused medications in household garbage or polluting the environment was referred to as a serious problem.

“Unused medication is also a financial wastage for the public health expenditure. This is why IJN is keen on looking for solutions that will benefit the Malaysian healthcare sector as a whole, as well as improve the well-being of Malaysians with chronic illnesses,” he said.

According to Dr Aizai Azan, he believes that as healthcare providers, they have a responsibility to help their patients at every step of the road. “Our jobs do not end at diagnosis and treatment, but we must also work in partnership with our patients and their caregivers to achieve the best possible health outcomes,” he added.

Technology Incorporated to Innovate Healthcare

To get that possible outcome, IJN has teamed up with CaringUp Malaysia to launch CareAide, a mobile health app that combines IJN’s medical experience with CaringUp Malaysia’s technical know-how. CareAide is the first compliance platform of its sort in Asia, with the goal of reducing pharmaceutical non-adherence. Because medication adherence necessitates behavioural changes to address both intentional and unintentional non-adherence, CareAide has been created with a feature that allows family members to intervene.

Based on the research conducted, CaringUp discovered that families play a significant part in a patient’s healthcare. The platform also includes a variety of features aimed at assisting patients in sticking to their treatment plans, such as personalised calendar alerts, easy information sharing with caregivers and doctors, and scheduling functions. Furthermore, CareAide employs gamification and awards for caregivers and family members in order to motivate them to make positive changes in their lives.

In his presentation, Pervaiz shared that mobile apps have the potential to drastically improve medication adherence.

“In the United States, patients who previously only had a 30 to 40% of adherence to medication reached 80% through the ease of managing their treatment plans with the help of apps. We believe that we can similarly improve patient outcomes here in Malaysia, with added localisation features that are better suited to the local culture and norms,” he said. The unique feature of the mobile app, CareAide is that it will enable family members and caregivers to monitor the medication adherence of the patient remotely.

Meanwhile, Azizah gave a wide picture of how Microsoft was helping healthcare providers, including at IJN, in their use of digital technologies. Microsoft, she noted, is tremendously committed to healthcare. The tech firm believes that the healthcare ecosystem needs to change and that this change should be led by digital and biotech.

“This initiative by IJN and CaringUp reflects exactly that – by using data and Artificial Intelligence, this innovation will help reimagine the future of medication adherence among patients in Malaysia and beyond. And I think that’s innovation in the right direction,” she added.

Dr Aizai Azan concluded that thanks to technology and collaboration with their partner, they can extend their care outside their physical centre and reach patients wherever they are, even in the event of a pandemic, which he hopes would never happen again.

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