Telemedicine: experience at SGPGIMS, Lucknow.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Public Health Technology
• Telemedicine and e-Health

Background:

• Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is a leading tertiary care academic medical center in Northern India.
• It was the first public sector hospital in India to integrate Information Technology (IT) for healthcare delivery.
• SGPGIMS has been instrumental in advancing healthcare through technological innovation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the pioneering adoption of Information Technology (IT) and telemedicine at SGPGIMS.
• To showcase the development and implementation of a Hospital Information System (HIS).
• To demonstrate the expansion of tele-healthcare and tele-educational services nationwide.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an in-house developed Hospital Information System (HIS) in 1998.
• Initiation of telemedicine activities in 1999, followed by infrastructure development in 2001.
• Establishment of regular tele-healthcare and tele-educational services for medical professionals.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of IT for comprehensive patient data management through HIS.
• Expansion of telemedicine services beyond initial pilot phases to multiple states.
• Development of a national network for tele-healthcare and medical education.

Conclusions:

• SGPGIMS has established itself as a leader in implementing IT and telemedicine in public healthcare.
• The institute's initiatives have significantly contributed to the advancement of e-health and telemedicine education in India.
• A new school of telemedicine is being established to foster skilled manpower and R&D in the field.