The advancement of internet technology is greatly enhancing healthcare and medicine quality. In Thailand, an example of this is Telemedicine, a significant technology allowing patients to remotely follow up with their doctors, eliminating the need to visit the hospital. Patients can use their smartphones or laptops to get diagnoses and recommendations from doctors. The hospital then delivers their medication to their homes. However, some elderly individuals face challenges using this technology as they may not know how to access it. They often rely on their children for assistance, and those who live alone may find it challenging to navigate the system independently.

Access to healthcare information is now simpler than ever, big thanks to internet technologies. Online health information can increase patients’ knowledge of health and increase their capability to make decisions on their health. Patients might contribute insights that might aid other patients in learning more about the illness and their personal experiences with health and illness.

One of the challenges is that online health information is difficult to regulate and cannot be verified. As a result, decision-making is significantly influenced by Thai patients’ various levels of health information literacy. Health information can be perceived incorrectly, which might have negative consequences.

In my view, Internet technology significantly enhances healthcare.
For instance, Telemedicine enables remote patient-doctor connections, vital for underserved areas. Health Monitoring Devices collect real-time health data, aiding chronic condition management. Data Analytics and Research advance treatments through thorough healthcare data analysis.

Presently, in Thailand, data security is a challenge; the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) guards against cyber risks, underscoring the importance of shielding sensitive medical information.

Definitely, the internet has sped up how we get information here in Myanmar. This helps healthcare professionals like us stay updated on new research, treatment methods, and medical practices. Websites and resources like this course are great for improving our skills through webinars and learning materials. The use of internet-based health data systems also gives us insights into specific disease trends and how monitoring works in healthcare.

But, we do face challenges too. The internet setup is limited, especially in remote areas, which can make it hard to use online healthcare services. Many people in Myanmar don’t have strong digital skills, so it’s tough for them to use online healthcare tools or understand the information online. Also, there are worries about privacy and security with online health platforms and electronic records. This is a big deal in healthcare. And, the power goes out a lot, and the internet setup isn’t always reliable.

We’ve got a mix of benefits and challenges with using the internet in healthcare here in Myanmar.

The Internet has brought substantial improvements to healthcare and medicine in Myanmar. It enables easy access to medical information, aiding healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients in making informed decisions. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to post-coup conflict settings, telemedicine services have become possible, allowing doctors to consult with patients, which is especially beneficial for marginalized populations in remote areas. Electronic Health Records (EHRs), used in private healthcare systems, facilitate efficient sharing of patient information among healthcare providers, improving patient care and safety.
However, Myanmar faces challenges in adopting IT in healthcare. Limited internet infrastructure hampers effective telemedicine and information sharing, particularly in rural regions. Ensuring digital literacy among healthcare professionals and patients is essential. Data privacy and security are critical concerns. Developing appropriate regulations and standards for online medical services is necessary for quality care and patient safety. Cultural and language diversity in Myanmar poses challenges in creating healthcare tools that cater to different languages and cultures. Despite these challenges, IT is promising to enhance healthcare quality and accessibility.

There are significant improvements in many aspects since the implementation of internet technology in healthcare. For example, in clinic, health professionals work more comfortable, more efficient, effective and accurate than in the past with the assistance of internet technology.
Telemedicine is another example of benefit of internet technology. Patients can visit doctors remotely despite they lives faraway from the hospital. In educational aspect, internet technology help researchers, educators, students and staff search for knowledges online and set up the online conference easily just go one click, even they have only their smartphones in hands. With the updated knowledge, they can provide the best quality of care for patients. Another benefit is for the administrative aspect, internet technology also benefit for the hospital cost reduction. Establishing the EMRs not only support staff’s workflow and improve care quality but also helps reduce using thousand piles of papers and hired less administrative staff. The challenge in my opinion is group of seniors, sometimes they will find it difficult using technology, so the design of any platform should consider the usability of every group of users if possible. Another example that I experience in my workplace is sometime the internet system is unstable, during the life-threatening situation and we have to work manually, it really affects the critically ill patients.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) utilizes the Internet for real-time surveillance reporting, linking with Offices of Disease Prevention and Control throughout Thailand. This ensures swift responses to outbreaks and aids in decision-making and preventive coordination, enhancing public health.

However, this comes with challenges. The foremost is data security. As we transmit sensitive health data nationwide, the risks of breaches or unauthorized access persist. This can compromise patient privacy and spread misinformation with significant health repercussions. We’re addressing these concerns with strong security measures, stakeholder education, and continuous monitoring, though evolving cyber threats necessitate constant vigilance.

Internet technology significantly enhances quality of healthcare by facilitating access to medical information, promoting electronic health records. Helping patient access to treatment easier. For example, telemedicine allows patients to consult with doctors about their minor illnesses remotely, reducing the need for hospital visits.
However, challenges include maintaining patient privacy and security. Not everyone has the same access to the internet, and we must ensure that the internet connection works well. We also need to be careful about incorectly information online and follow rules and ethics. Training needs for healthcare professionals and patients also important to maximizing the benefits of internet integration in healthcare.

Besides telehealth, I think the Internet has transformed a lot of aspects in health service delivery to make things more reliable and convenient for both workers and patients. In Hong Kong, the traditional way of scheduling a doctor’s appointment is to call in. This is now replaced by apps, where patients could fill in their information and make an appointment without calling. This decreases the workload of nurses and receptionists when they used to pick up the phone to schedule an appointment or answer questions before. I also get a lot of automated reminders on my phone, reminding me to pay my hospital fees or attend the PET scan tomorrow, or my medicines are ready and I could go pick it up now. This is all possible due to a well-built information system, which saves a lot of time and labour when these reminders had to be done by humans in the old days. And finally of course, electronic health records. The internet has made the paperless norm possible, where large amount of medical information could be sent, and doctors from different hospitals are able to view them. The patient no longer needs to bring a bunch of hard copy reparts.

Internet technology helps improve the quality of healthcare in many ways. Health data from different locations can be collected and analyzed, and the processed health information could be disseminated to front-line health workers timely to be aware of irregular disease patterns and to identify gaps and challenges in service accessibility. Officers from the central level to local healthcare providers can gather online to participate in a workshop or meeting to have meaningful discussions on promoting the healthcare system and overcoming the challenges.
There are many challenges to using the Internet in healthcare in my country. The primary concern is that the Internet is not accessible in remote areas of the country. Healthcare providers gather health data with paper-based collection systems in some hard-to-reach areas. The resources such as electronic devices are limited and the capacity of healthcare workers which are required to be enhanced to use electronic healthcare information system properly through the internet.

Internet technology through information systems was very useful in improving healthcare, especially in managing health-related data without limiting distance and time. Based on my experience, the status of health commodities from rural health entities can be reported within a given time through the information system and internet technology. Decision makers can access this data and manage to deliver important medicines to healthcare centers on time and secure health commodities. This enables healthcare providers to offer better services to patients with secure medicines and quality care. The internet has facilitated many useful things for better public health endeavors, such as using mobile data collection at the surveillance system and developing a network for updating and continuous learning of quality healthcare as well.
As our friends from Myanmar discussed, several challenges to using and implementing IT in healthcare in Myanmar. Internet infrastructure is underdeveloped, with no specific or properly managed information system for healthcare, very limited access to the Internet, and low digital literacy and technologies, especially in rural areas.