According to new research by Epson, 54 per cent of healthcare workers in Italy (in line with 55 per cent, which is the average for the top five European countries) admit that faulty processes have led to the loss of data or documents in the last 12 months. Commissioned by Epson, the research was conducted online by Coleman Parkes and surveyed 5,650 decision-makers, users and influencers in IT and peripheral technology between April and June 2022. The research focused on education, the healthcare sector and the public sector
Although many factors can cause such problems, 46 per cent (48 per cent of the EU5 average) say switching to digitized and scanned documents would reduce the risk. Many also believe such a switch would reduce storage costs (68 per cent in Italy and 64 per cent EU5 average) and improve efficiency (45 per cent Italy and 53 per cent EU5 average). In terms of feasibility, this represents a simple yet huge opportunity to improve data protection and increase organizational efficiency.
The survey of almost 1,000 (985) healthcare workers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa also revealed that, on average, they lose nearly one day per month (7 hours) due to poor IT infrastructure and tools. Considering that more than 600,000 people are employed in the National Health Service in Italy, this amounts to more than 50 million hours lost yearly.
When digital means safer
When asked what essential requirements are considered when investing in new technologies for the sector, the most frequent answer is cost, cited in Italy by 59% of respondents (the same percentage as in the EU5 countries). Although cost is a major concern, it is reassuring to know that funding is not a factor limiting purchases to reduce expenses and wasted time. The peripherals, if chosen carefully and used appropriately, can contribute to reducing costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions, as well as optimizing results in many ways: from improving sustainability and workflow to reducing data breaches and loss of working hours.
“Thanks to the initial momentum implemented in response to the pandemic, great strides have been made in the world of healthcare, and even though digitization healthcare processes are constantly evolving,” said Cristiano Vignati, Scanner Sales Manager at Epson Italia, “changing patient expectations, backlogs and staff shortages are still significant issues. The loss of data and valuable time is a major concern, and technology manufacturers like us must do everything we can to solve the problems faced by healthcare staff. Our goal is to support the industry in this process of digitizing data and improving workflows.”
