Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim (left) welcomed Hester into Johor, to work with the local health ecosystem to introduce the latest systems and technology.
HOSPITALS must adopt technological advancements to become next-generation healthcare delivery organisations.
More hospitals will be able to provide a better experience for patients seeking treatments for their various health conditions, while aiding doctors during the delivery of medical care.
“It is time for a revolution in health software. We need to make sure everyone in healthcare is involved in the ecosystem,” says TPP founder and chief executive officer Frank Hester OBE.
In 2015, Hester was named on the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List to be awarded with an OBE (Order of the British Empire), for his services to healthcare.
He created the software architecture for SystmOne and founded TPP in 1997 and has always been at the forefront of IT innovation.
TPP is one of the leading global providers of healthcare technology, dedicated to delivering world-class healthcare software in the United Kingdom and internationally.
It works closely with the governments and hospitals to improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities in care, reduce health service costs and improve experiences for patients and clinicians.
Asked about the new ways of doing things in next-generation hospital systems, Hester, 56, says, “A patient should never need to give their information twice.
“I should be able to tell my general practitioner (GP) or my clinics doctor my information once and everyone who looks after me from that point, be it a private GP, clinic, or hospital, or public care or in prison, everybody should have access to my medical records (with my permission), especially the emergency department.
“When I am unconscious, I want the doctors and nurses to have access to my medical records. This saves lives in the UK,” he says.
He adds, “The doctor should be able to see the previous diagnoses – this helps give the patient the best care.
“Our goal is when you arrive at the hospital, the doctor should not only see your past medical history, but already know what the new diagnosis problem is, as you will be answering the questions, via the app, in your smartphone. This will save time and give a better patient experience.”
He elaborates that the practice would avoid errors happening in the medical field, noting, “People write the same thing over and over again, it is a waste of time and costs money. Doctors and nurses are only human, they can make mistakes.
“With the patients’ permission, every doctor should be able to see what the other doctors’ have treated the patient. Rather, you have to repeat that you went to see this doctor. The doctor should be able to see this diagnosis and this gives the patient the best care.
The SystmOne Hospital solution comprises an extensive set of modules, which can be implemented separately or together to suit the needs of individual organisations, enabling the digitisation of the hospital and supporting the evolution of advanced care pathways. It can be customised to meet the specific needs of each hospital.
More AI and technological advancements would have to be incorporated for the delivery of next-generation hospital system.
TPP also supplies ‘Brigid’ – a new, free mobile app for doctors and nurses using SystmOne - that enables easy access to key patient information, such as demographics and clinical alerts, wherever they are.
In addition, ‘Airmid’, TPP’s innovative free patient-facing app, allows patients to engage with their care network and take control of their healthcare.
Hester says, “Malaysia already has an excellent healthcare system. I want medical records in Malaysia to be secured, like at the banks. I want the people in Malaysia in 20 years’ time to look back and say, ‘Do you remember how it used to be?’”
Asked on the factors that could support the delivery of next-generation hospital system, he says: “The system has to be simple to use and doctors and nurses should want to use it. Once we demonstrate that the system starts saving lives, patients want to use it too and we need the government’ support.”
He reveals that a private hospital in Malaysia will be the first to have the advantage of using the SystmOne Hospital.
“We have been working with this private hospital since December,” he says, adding that the private hospital is expected to start using the system in August this year.
Following that, the system will start to roll out to other hospitals in Malaysia.
“SystmOne Hospital can be customised by the doctors and nurses themselves,” Hester says.
TPP’s data and research offering is complemented by access to a Clinical Development Kit (CDK), a no-code development platform that allows organisations to create and amend clinical content independently.
“We look after so much data in the UK - there are 52 million patients’ records on the system and we’ve have been able to create artificial intelligence (AI). That is a giant leap for healthcare.
Hester says the language could be switched to suit local hospitals.
He said, “If the people want it in Malay, with the help of Malaysians, we will translate. In China, it is in Mandarin, in the Middle East, it’s in Arabic, in Indonesia it would be in Malay.”
He adds that AI and other technological advancements will support the delivery of next-generation hospital systems.
“AI will help the doctors, just like a spelling checker does. Our system will allow Malaysia to build rich patient records for all citizens. These records can then be used to develop AI in a secure and anonymised way,” he says.
On the acceptance of AI technologies in the UK hospitals, Hester says: “Let me give you an example. An average doctor in their 40-year career will see five to six women with ovarian cancer. In the UK, the average appointment time is seven minutes long. This makes the chances of spotting ovarian cancer very low and it’s difficult for doctors, as it is so easy to miss. AI helps doctors and stops them from making a mistake, so they like it.
“The AI is allowing us to contribute to the earlier diagnosis of cancer – it’s saving lives – and we want to introduce this to Malaysia. I have built the AI and I know that it improves cancer diagnoses,” Hester explains.
Asked on his plan for introducing SystmOne to hospitals in the country, he says, “Think how Apple and Samsung introduce their smartphone products to you.
“They are the best products and people want them. They simply show the product to the customer. We show the system to the doctors, consultants and nurses and they like it.
“The smartphone has changed everything. We want that revolution in healthcare. We want to solve the problems that Malaysians want to solve.”
Hester delivered his talk, entitled ‘Delivering a Next Generation Hospital System’, at the recent APHM International Healthcare Conference 2022 at KL Convention Centre.
Many hospital representatives approached Hester to know more about the system when he delivered his talk, entitled ‘Delivering a Next Generation Hospital System’, during the June 1 APHM International Healthcare Conference 2022 at KL Convention Centre.
Following the conference, Hester also met with Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim. The Crown Prince welcomed Frank into Johor, to work with the local health ecosystem to introduce the latest systems and health technology. They also discussed the opportunities for greater digital health across Malaysia, to improve the quality of healthcare for all people.
Hester is passionate about helping improve healthcare across Malaysia. He says, “One of the biggest problems faced in Malaysia is diabetes.
“There are two categories – people who are already diabetic, we want to manage them so that they don’t get worse; and people who are not diabetic yet, we need to spot them. That is the key thing. We need early intervention.
“With a small number of experts in Malaysia, through our system, they can manage the whole population, classifying them as within the risk group, using simple things like height, weight and body mass index. We can start to see the risk of becoming diabetic.”
Hester says TPP also wants to help people who are suffering from mental health conditions.
“In the UK, we support almost half of primary care for mental health and one third of the key mental health hospitals.”
SystmOne Mental Health provides all the necessary tools to run an efficient, safe and secure user-mental health service. In 2009, TPP also won the national contract to become the sole supplier of clinical software for all prisoner healthcare in England.
Asked if the system can enhance the talent development of caregivers, he agreed, adding that it would be in the hands of the Malaysians.
He says that the system was expected to redefine care delivery.
TPP clinical director Dr John Parry says, “We are talking about AI as a way of using the data we obtain for better healthcare. There are more revolutions around the corner.
“Another huge revolution will be the use of genomics. We will be able make sure that patients get the right medical care they need for their condition and move to more personalised medicine.
“We need to accumulate the data, gain the people’s trust, get the system in place and then plug in genomics.”
Parry says that the system and the data promote safety and efficiency aspects. “It’s safer – we can avoid unnecessary tests, making sure the allergies that the patients have are known to all their care team and get earlier diagnoses for cancer using AI.
“The efficiency comes from recording information once and using it many times. It avoids duplicate conversations and duplicate testing, for example.
“It is better for the patient and the payer – it’s less costly. It’s good for the government as it means a higher standard of care. If we make it a transparent healthcare system, there will be more trust and a better relationship between the patient and doctor.”
Parry also adds, “It is an opportunity for Malaysia to get involved in pharmaceutical research, with new drugs being deployed and monitored.
“For new diabetic drugs, you need to find the right patients for drug trials. In the UK, you can use very large data sources to find patients who might benefit from the new drugs. That is very attractive for the pharmaceutical companies, as they pay the government, patients and a lot of people to make the process simpler.
“When all data goes into the system, it is a very powerful tool. There are lots of opportunities for the government, states and hospitals to monetise the data, for the benefits of the people of Malaysia,” Parry highlights.
