Digital health revolution in healthcare: cure for queues or another bureaucratic burden?

Technology as support, not a replacement

Digitization of health protection is not only the implementation of new tools, but a fundamental change in the way of thinking about patient-physical-system relationship – says Leszek Moszyński, an expert on technology implementation that facilitates automation of contact with a patient from EasyCall.

Moszyński emphasizes that the key to success is not to replace human contact with technology, but its wise use. “Voicebot can efficiently handle appointments, reminding about control examinations or providing basic information about medical procedures. This allows doctors and nurses to spend more time on real care of the patient.”

Poland in the digital leaders of Europe

According to the latest report of the European Commission “Digital Dekada 2024: E-Zdrowia indicator study”, Poland with a result of 90% took 5th place among 27 studied countries. This is an impressive result, especially since the average for all countries is 79%. Only dishes achieved a full 100%result.

The key impact on the high position of Poland has widespread access to basic digital tools: patient’s online account, e-prescription or e-management. The numbers speak for themselves – according to the data of the Central Statistical Office, in 2023 495.1 million prescriptions were issued, of which as much as 96.6% were electronic prescriptions. The patient’s online account is already used by over 17.1 million people, which is almost half of the country’s population.

From skepticism to widespread acceptance

The history of the e-prescription is a perfect example of a successful digital transformation in Polish health care. Initially, she met with skepticism of both doctors and patients. Today, according to the My Patients Foundation, over 90% of patients evaluate e-prescriptions well or very well, which makes them one of the most popular “e-health” solutions in Poland.

The E-Zdrowia Center reports that since the introduction of the obligation to issue e-prescriptions, health care workers have already prescribed over 2.3 billion electronic prescriptions. Special amenities have been introduced for the most important patients-from 2024, all doctors, including private internships without a contract with the National Health Fund, can put e-prescriptions to free drugs for seniors over 65 years old and children up to 18 years of age.

For chronic patients, an electronic prescription means the possibility of receiving another prescription without a visit to the office. After a teleconsultation with a doctor, you can receive e-prescription directly to the phone or e-mail address-a solution particularly appreciated by people living in smaller towns where access to specialists can be limited.

Telemedicine: from experiment to standard

Pandemia Covid-19 turned out to be a breakthrough moment for the development of telemedicine in Poland. Telemen, previously treated as a technological curiosity, have become everyday life. The report “Telemedycyna through the eyes of Poles” issued in 2023 by the agencies SW Research and Ereptt.pl shows that 83% of Poles have already benefited from telemedicical consultations.

The advantages of teletelads are obvious – prices are usually lower than traditional visits, and the patient may send photos of imaging tests, medical records or test results to the doctor. During the video conversation, he can get medical advice, consult results, receive e-mailing or e-prescription. This is particularly valuable for patients with hypertension or diabetes who do not have to spend hours in the waiting room so that the doctor extends their prescription.

Technology as support, not a replacement

“Digitization of health protection is not only the implementation of new tools, but a fundamental change in the way of thinking about the patient-physical-system patient,” says Leszek Moszyński, an expert on the implementation of technologies that facilitate the automation of contact with a patient from EasyCall.

Moszyński emphasizes that the key to success is not to replace human contact with technology, but its wise use. “Voicebot can efficiently handle appointments, reminding about control examinations or providing basic information about medical procedures. This allows doctors and nurses to spend more time on real care of the patient.”

Artificial intelligence in the service of diagnostics

The next step in digital transformation is the implementation of artificial intelligence. The E-Zdrowia Center will receive over PLN 1.2 billion for the implementation of tasks under the National Plan of Reconstruction and Increase Refuge. The Intelligent Services Platform (PUI) will provide access to certified tools using artificial intelligence algorithms that will support imaging diagnostics.

Thanks to these solutions, radiologists will be able to evaluate x -ray photos, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography faster and more precisely. In October 2024, the Ministry of Health announced a plan to spend PLN 1.3 billion on the development of AI in health care.

Specific benefits for patients

2024 brought a number of practical improvements. The E-Zdrowia Center has launched rules forcing the administration of the period of use and the amount of drug on long-term e-prescriptions. A new function has been introduced in the Mojeikp application-patients can not only complete the survey of the 40 plus program and receive e-management, but also immediately arrange for examinations.

In August, a pilot central e-entity was launched, including visits to a cardiologist and preventive examinations. The archive of e-prescriptions and e-centers in IKP also appeared and the function of automatic calculating the amount of drugs that can be issued from an annual prescription.

Today, the patient’s online account offers patients a number of practical functionalities: notifications of issued e-prescriptions and e-mails sent to the phone, access to the history of medical events, buying the medicine by showing the QR code (without PESEL administration), checking leaflets and dosage of prescribed medicines, checking the expiration date by scanning QR code and setting reminds about drugs.

Future: more than teleterady

The future of the Polish e-E-Church of Health is drawn in four main directions. The first is the further development of artificial intelligence, advanced diagnostic algorithms and intelligent medical decisions support systems – this is not science fiction, but the reality of the coming years.

The second trend is the actual shortening of queues thanks to telemedicine, which ceases to be an emergency solution and becomes a standard option. The industry is developing in the direction of music video, telerehabilitation and telemonitoring. Patients with heart disease will wear intelligent devices that send data in real time, and people after stroke will rehabilitate at home under the watchful eye of remote physiotherapists.

It is equally important to create safety and ethics standards. The Ministry of Health is working on telemedicial models adapted to Polish financial and clinical realities so that every patient using digital solutions is safe and guarantees high -quality care.

Conclusions: Revolution in progress

The digital transformation of Polish health protection is a reality confirmed by hard data. Poland is located at the European leading digitization of health, which is a significant achievement, especially in the context of other problems of the healthcare system.

Technology does not solve all the problems of the Polish health service, but it can be a catalyst for positive changes. It is crucial to maintain a balance between technology efficiency and the human dimension of medicine and to continue investments in digitization while solving the basic system problems, such as staff shortages or underfunding.

As Leszek Moszyński from EasyCall sums up: “Technology is to serve people, not the other way around. We achieve the best results when we combine digital tools with empathy and professionalism of medics.”