Occupational Therapy News OTnews April 2019 | Page 38

FEATURE Q&A
Digital
transformation
explained
RCOT has recently appointment a professional
adviser in health informatics. We talk to Suzy
England about the role of health informatics in
the digital transformation of health and
care services
OTnews: What is digital transformation?
Suzy England: There is no commonly agreed definition
of digital, however it can be viewed less as a ‘thing’
and more of a way of doing things. An example of this
in relation to health and care might be offering a digital
outpatient appointment, for example videoconference in
addition to the usual face-to-face contact.
Not everyone will want a digital appointment, but it is
utilising digital capabilities to offer people more choice.
OTnews: Are all four UK countries working
towards digital transformation in the same way?
SE: The four countries of the UK have chosen different
paths towards digitalising health and care services.
At a local level, these digital transformation plans will
be further translated to meet local needs, for example
considering the demographics of the population. It is
important that we understand how our services fit into
the wider digital transformation plans of the organisations
we work for, so that we don’t get left behind.
OTnews: What is health informatics and what is
the relationship to digital transformation?
SE: Put simply, health informatics is all about the
technology, knowledge and skills required to collect,
manage, use and share electronic data. It is therefore a
broad concept that covers how different technologies
can be used in the health and care system to deliver
services in different ways, as well as how these systems
support health and care professionals to collect, store
and use data.
38 OTnews April 2019