new year brings about new
memories, new sciences and also let us not forget, new technologies! The
world has seen a tremendous technology-driven change in the last couple
of decades. Many things that were expensive and affordable only to the
wealthiest people are now within reach of the common man.
The Internet, the World Wide Web, mobile phones and
mobile smart phones have reduced the cost of communication to zero.
Ready access to knowledge is no longer the privilege of the few. These
technologies have also created an explosion of innovative services.
These services include social media, search engines, online
marketplaces, online stores, mobile payment, app taxis, online health
services, and many more.
The next wave of change is even faster and more
significant in impact. The wave is born of the convergence of the above
technologies with the Internet of things, Artificial intelligence,
Genetic engineering and Bio-technology.We have all experienced the
change, and in media, we often hear and read of the impending
acceleration of change. But what does it mean for clinical pediatrics?
What does it mean for the pediatrician? Is this a great opportunity that
we must grab or does it threaten to disrupt our purpose, our profession
and our practice?
And what does it mean for our Academy? How can we
better serve our members and society at large by riding this wave of
change?
Impact on Clinical Pediatrics and the Pediatrician
Technology enables us to diagnose faster and more
accurately. Diagnostic algorithms, diagnostic support and advanced
diagnostic technology are available at the point-of-care. We can treat
better. Standard therapeutic guidelines, Prescription guidelines,
Algorithms and Specialist advice are integrated into Point of Care
systems.
The increased capabilities at the point of care lead
to an increase in the number of services offered by the pediatric
clinic. We are thus reducing the need for referring patients elsewhere
for specialized diagnostics or treatment. Pediatricians will have robust
patient education and telemedicine tools. So we can expect
better-informed patients and improved health outcomes.
The democratization of mobile phone technology has
improved the phone density in India and brought it to the same level as
in developed countries. In the same way, the democratization of
technology for clinical practitioners gives our pediatricians access to
the same capabilities that their developed-world counterparts have.
The Technology Enabled Academy
Our Academy is very well positioned to play a
leadership role to accelerate the availability of technology and its
benefits for our member pediatricians.
• We must integrate the output of our Academy’s
committees, chapters and experts into digital systems. The output
must become instantly available to all our members. The creators
must have total and direct control over creation, publishing,
updating and distribution. All types of one-way or interactive
content must be supported – guidelines, papers, courses, lectures,
interviews, demonstrations or clinics.
• We must establish physical video conferencing
and webinar infrastructure across the nation. This infrastructure
will create a vibrant Academy with the in-house capability to have
thousands of academic activities, round the year, accessible to all
members
• We must leverage the Academy’s reputation and
large membership numbers to gain access to the latest and best
technologies from anywhere in the world to serve our
member-pediatricians.
• We must create technology infrastructure for
inexpensive assimilation and rapid availability of cutting-edge
services and technologies and make it available to all our members
at the point-of-care.
dIAP is Planned to Achieve This Goal
We conceived and launched the dIAP program for IAP
with precisely these objectives. dIAP is not only a window to IAP’s
services, but it is also the institutional, digital and financial
architecture that will enable IAP to deliver on this promise – it is an
integrated window to all existing IAP online services. The key
components of dIAP are shown in Box I.
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Box I Key Components of dIAP
• A financially self-sustaining professional
education service for pediatricians. This service combines
accredited courses, scientific reference material and a
reservoir of searchable content; all created and published by
IAP experts. Direct publishing and editorial interfaces are
available to chapters and expert groups, ensuring ownership,
credit and regular updates.
• A network of videoconferencing and webinar
centers at IAP offices across the country. These centers allow
for thousands of online lectures, clinics, webinars and more,
accessible by all IAP members and available as an online
searchable archive.
• A financially self-sustaining patient
education service usable in a doctor/clinic personalized
fashion.
• Academy created diagnostic support,
specialist advice services, prescription guidelines, and
diagnostic algorithms, embedded into a software system available
for use at the point-of-care.
• A structured and formal Academy interface with technology
innovation groups in the USA, Europe and India for early
acquisition of the latest technologies for our members on
attractive terms.
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The Plan is Already Activated!
It gives me great pleasure to say that the Plan has
already been activated. Some of these services are already available
immediately to our members within the dIAP application. The dIAP
application will be ready soon and I am sure that all of you will
appreciate the hard work and the number of sleepless nights that have
been spent by the entire team who have burnt the midnight oil just to
turn our vision into a reality. I look forward to your support so that
the rest of the dIAP Plan is implemented and made available to our
members in the coming months.
Last, but not the least, I take this opportunity to
welcome and congratulate all the elected Office Bearers, Executive Board
members and most importantly, one of the past editor-in-chief of
Indian Pediatrics and a great academician – Dr. Piyush Gupta, who
has been elected as the President Elect. I feel truly honored and
blessed to be working with such a dynamic team which is focused on
taking IAP ahead. On seeing the wonderful team that has been elected by
all of you, I can certainly say that IAP is going to achieve much
greater heights in the coming year !
