Question 1: Describe a healthcare product and/or service that you think would be marketable in an international market of your choice. How would you go about ensuring that intellectual property and other legal issues are addressed when introducing this product into the selected market?
Healthcare marketing is a developing field with certain benefits for medical workers, sellers, and patients. In some cases, it is not easy to find access to the required medical product or service. Therefore, international marketing turns out to be a developing system that has already been introduced in many countries. For example, it is possible to offer a combination inhaler for asthmatic children who live in India. The chosen product can be marketable in the chosen market because of several reasons. First, in Indian, approximately 57,000 people died because of asthma in 2004, and 20% of these deaths are the deaths of children (George et al., 2017). Second, living conditions in India are not always appropriate for children because of dust and other pollutants that can influence child health, and inhalers are good solutions for families that can be at hand and stored easily. Finally, inhalers do not cost a lot, and the citizens of developing India can afford them. One inhaler that contains two substances to treat and support children with asthma is a serious contribution in the field of Indian medicine.
To introduce a combination inhaler to Indian people, it is necessary to ensure intellectual property issues and other legal aspects of the case. To avoid further complications and misunderstandings, it is possible to protect the chosen medical product by means of a patent. The patent should protect new products that are introduced to people. Confidentiality, protection, and marketing standards can be discussed in terms of patents. Another legal issue for discussion is clearance with the help of which no infringement of thirty party rights is proved. The product is offered by one party to another party (potential patients).
Question 2: What types of information/evidence should be collected to build the case for an EMR system implementation? Where would this evidence be found?
In order to build the case for an EMR system implementation, it is important to define and clarify the type of evidence. Successful EMR implementation is not a single process that has its beginning and end. It is a combination of activities with the help of which the developers understand the worth of each activity and think about each step thoroughly. Today, ERM is a good opportunity to bridge the gap between the generations and save information in one of the best ways (Garcia-Rodriguez, Singer, & Ko, 2014). This idea can improve the quality of patient care, strengthen the clinical environments, and support in resisting change. To succeed in the implementation process, the following information should be gathered and available to each member:
1. The number and occupations of each member of a project team, including the names, birth dates, experiences, background knowledge, and expectations;
2. The identification of change and its importance. The implementation of an EMR promotes some changes, and people should be ready for them. The analysis of past experiences and observations can be used.
3. The clarification of all practices is required. The developers have to understand what they can do in the chosen settings and what activities should be avoided in order not to suffer from personal or professional unpreparedness.
4. People should know that they have enough space and sources for training.
In other words, the main type of evidence that is required for the successful implementation of an ERM is past experience and research. An ERM cannot be implemented in any hospital, and the evaluation of past achievements and investigation is the main task that has to be completed.
Question 3: What could be learned from speaking with other hospitals and health systems about their experiences with EMR implementation? With whom would you speak at these organizations?
The peculiar feature of any EMR implementation process is that it is usually based on the already made achievements and experiences. Therefore, a successful implementation should begin from speaking with other hospitals or healthcare systems that have already survived the same process and can share their ideas and knowledge. As a rule, the EMR implementation team consists of more than ten people where each person performs certain functions and promotes the development of a certain area. The quality of EMR defines the quality of services offered to people (Nguyen, Bellucci, & Nguyen, 2014). On the one hand, it is possible to talk to an IT leader or a builder in order to clarify the technical aspects of an implementation process and learn what steps should be taken to create a working system. On the other hand, communication with a nurse or medical assistant can be productive as well. During such conversations, it is possible to find out the importance of organizational details and administrative issues and connect them with the technological aspects.
Successful implementation of an EMR system depends not only on the quality of technical knowledge but also on the ability to comprehend how this knowledge can be used in medical and healthcare settings. EMR systems have a number of benefits, and a nurse, as no other participant of a team can identify and explain each aspect of such system from the point of view of a medical worker, a patient, and even an IT worker because this type of person has to be aware of each detail and participate in each process even if without performing the main roles. As a potential user of the ERM system, a nurse can also explain what change should be expected and how to deal with unexpected challenges.
References
Garcia-Rodriguez, L.R., Singer, M.C., & Ko, A.B. (2014). Bridging the generation gap: The reality of EMR implementation. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, 151(1), 28.
George, C.E., Chopra, H., Garg, S.K., Bano, T., Jain, S., & Kumar, A. (2017). Early childhood determinants of bronchial asthma: A cross-sectional study from western Uttar Pradesh. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 1(3), 160-163.
Nguyen, L., Bellucci, E., & Nguyen, L.T. (2014). Electronic health records implementation: An evaluation of information system impact and contingency factors. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 83(11), 779-796.