Module 4, Week 6 Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends
Description of healthcare technology trends
A healthcare technology trend that has become more available and useful since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic is telehealth. Telehealth includes real-time video visits, telephone visits, interactive technologies to provide health advice, transmitting clinical data and transmitting medical images (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). Telehealth has been available for many years, but in the past barriers to telehealth included reimbursement, connectivity and equipment issues. In March 2020, legislation was created to allow Medicare beneficiaries to use telehealth services to avoid exposure to COVID-19 in the clinics (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). In the oncology clinic where I work, real-time video telehealth visits had not been offered to patients until 2020, and with the arrival of COVID-19 most of the visits not requiring treatment were done via telehealth. Now, three years later, the existing technology has become commonly used among our patients whether they are too ill to come into the clinic, due to inclement weather, or if they live in a rural area making travel to the clinic difficult. In addition to provider visits via telehealth, nurse-to-patient communication via telehealth has also increased. Patients are using the patient portal to communicate with nurses about topics such as treatment side effects, disease symptoms or medication questions.
Challenges associated with telehealth visits
Challenges of using telehealth visits include insurance coverage of the visit, internet and device access, cross-state licensing of providers, and patients’ ability to use the technology.
Prior to March 2020, Medicare coverage of telehealth visits was limited to patients who live in rural areas and only allowed telehealth visits for patients with established providers. After March 1, 2020 due to the national public health emergency caused by COVID-19, Medicare and Medicaid expanded telehealth coverage to patients living in all areas of the country and in all settings, and patients no longer were required to have an established relationship with the provider (Carr, 2020). This expanded coverage was created to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep patients out of clinics and emergency rooms.
In our clinic, we have a large geriatric population. Over fifty percent of all cancer cases are associated with individuals age sixty-five or older and one quarter of this group are living in rural areas. As a result, the cost and burden of traveling to healthcare appointments means this population often goes without medical care (Chien et al., 2020). Unfortunately, this demographic often does not have access to a device such as an iPad or computer that will allow them to access a telehealth visit. And if they do have a device, they often lack the knowledge to log in and connect to their telehealth visit. In the United States, over 30 million people lack broadband internet, including 39% of those living in rural areas (Chien et al., 2020).
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In addition, our clinic is located in Minnesota, but near the Wisconsin boarder. Therefore, we have many patients who live in Wisconsin. In the United States, nurses are required to be licensed to practice in each of the states in which they provide telehealth (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). Some states have enacted a licensure compact allowing nurses to practice across state lines, but Minnesota and Wisconsin do not allow this so all nurses in our clinic must be licensed in both states. Licensing in both states is also required for the providers.
Benefit and risk of data safety, legislation, and patient care
With the increased use of telehealth, there is an increasing need for cybersecurity and privacy. During the first half of 2019, an estimated 28 million health records were breached by hacking. Hackers can remotely access medical records and can disrupt health care operations, increasing patient safety risk (Perakslis & Ginsburg, 2021). In addition, telehealth monitoring and surveillance increases this privacy risk as it reveals the location of patients and can lead to burglary and physical tracking. And the more devices, accounts and networks used by each patients increases the risk (Perakslis & Ginsburg, 2021).
The major benefit of using telehealth is to improve health outcomes in underserved areas. Telemedicine has the potential to overcome health inequities. In addition, telehealth gives patients more control over their care. Instead of choosing between an in person visit or no care, the patient has the third option of a virtual visit. When patients have more control over their healthcare, they have more positive feelings about the healthcare system in general and their health outcomes are likely to be better. Another way telehealth benefits patient care is by making healthcare more efficient. It is less likely that a patient will have to wait days to get in for a visit if they are seen via telehealth. Reduced waiting times can also improve patient safety by providing time-sensitive treatments earlier and reducing the risk of complications (Parsons, 2021).
Which trends are most promising?
Telehealth impacts nursing practice by allowing nurses to evaluate and assess patients without patients needing to travel to the clinic, giving patients cost-effective, comprehensive care in a timelier manner. Whether it is via phone, real-time video visits or messaging patients now have numerous ways to communicate with nurses. Nurses can provide medication or disease management education, evaluate images of wounds, evaluate data from remote monitoring devices, and more all without the patient coming to the clinic. In addition to these telehealth nursing services, a promising trend in telehealth is mobile health, making care from home even more convenient for patients. Now there are “numerous apps that target specific illnesses and provide a platform for management at a distance” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022, p. 414).
Contribution of telehealth to patient care outcomes
Telehealth has the possibility of transforming how we meet the health care needs of the cancer patients we care for. Many patients are too sick or weak to come into the clinic for a visit, and without the availability of telehealth visits and communication tools patients would be left alone to deal with their treatment side effects and disease symptoms. Patients with chronic diseases are at significant risk of having an acute episode when subtle changes in their condition occur. The ability to identify these changes in a timely fashion allows the nurse or provider to change medications or treatments quickly. This additional communication and monitoring often prevents an Emergency Room visit for these patients (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). For example, a patient diagnosed with colon cancer sends a portal message to the clinic nurse describing new nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. With assessment via telehealth, the nurse determines that the patient is at high risk for a bowel obstruction and is able to arrange for a CT scan and direct admission to the hospital, avoiding an unnecessary emergency room visit. This is just one example of how telehealth can provide a cost-effective, timely care for patients and provide life-saving patient outcomes.
References
Carr, E. (2020). eHealth During a Pandemic. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 24, 3. https://doi.org/10.1188/20.CJON.S1.3
Chien, L., Roberts, E., Soto-Perez-de-Celis, E., Katheria, V., Hite, S., Tran, R., Bhatt, D., Donner, A., Burhenn, P., Charles, K., Fernandes Dos Santos Hughes,
S., Dale, W.
Vazquez, J., Mitani, D., Sedrak, M. & Li, D. (2020). Telehealth in geriatric oncology: A novel approach to deliver multidisciplinary care for older adults with
cancer. Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 11(2), 197-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgo.2019.06.011
McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Parsons, J. (2021). The telemedical imperative. Bioethics, 35(4), 298-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12847
Perakslis, E. & Ginsburg, G. (2021). Digital health: The need to assess benefits, risks and value. JAMA, 325(2), 127-128.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.22919
HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
- Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
- Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 6
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described. Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described. Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples.
BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering additional/alternative ideas regarding opportunities and risks related to the observations shared.
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General healthcare technology trends
As technology continues to improve and grow, so does accessibility for patients to health information. This information is not only limited to general knowledge, but also accessible to a patient’s own health information. One of these platforms would be a patient portal. A patient portal is ultimately a website or online database that allows a patient anytime to access to their health records. Patient portals have become increasingly popular, and have really taken a surge since the pandemic. Some of the immediate benefits of the patient portal according to (Lee & Holland-Hall, 2021), are an “increased patient engagement in their healthcare as well as immediate access to their physicians”.
One challenge/ risk
Ironically, while the patient portal continues to be a growing trend, one noted challenge is the lack of personal connection (Lee & Holland-Hall, 2021). While the challenge to connect while utilizing various electronic platforms will always exist, there is still a level of care that should be expected by a patient and applied by healthcare professionals when in person that should help to reduce this risk. (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022) discusses this art of caring and how these simple processes can make a major difference in the world of technology.
Risks & Benefits to data safety
In addition to various challenges, there also comes risks. One of the biggest risks is the potential for patient data to become un-secure. Whether this comes from a data breach, or in some cases, just a lack of security. While a lot of hospitals vary, loose requirements for account set up can result in patient data exposure. According to (Celine Latulipe, 2020), the requirement of proxy accounts to limit credential sharing would be beneficial. The benefit to these proxy accounts, or even proxy sharing for that matter is an additional drive for family support. Regardless of various pros and cons, it does seem that this trend continues to generate support. Even within legislation there continues to be a drive for increasing accessibility of patient records, mainly through these types of atient portal platforms. (Jama Network)
While it is easy to weigh on the negatives, there are certainly positives as well.
One of the biggest benefits in patient portals and the available patient information is accurate and readily available information. “Up to 18% of the patient safety errors generally and as many as 70% of adverse drug events could be eliminated if the right information about the right patient is available at the right time.” (Kaelber & Bates, 2007)
Trends to impact healthcare technology
While the benefits and challenges are evident, I do believe that the continued improvement of the patient portal and other patient interaction platforms can only be a benefit to the healthcare world. As noted above, just the increase in patient safety should outweigh any of these potential challenges. I think that these benefits all are a result of one another. “It is estimated each year that approximately 100,000 deaths a year occur due to adverse drug reactions.” (Kaelber & Bates, 2007). If this number can continue to improve and gain efficiencies, it will only be a benefit to the.
References
Celine Latulipe, P. D. (2020, June 1). Security and privacy risks associated with Patient Portal Accounts. JAMA Internal Medicine. Retrieved January 4, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2764648Links to an external site.
Jama Network. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2022 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2766776Links to an external site.
Kaelber, D. C., & Bates, D. W. (2007, September 7). Health Information Exchange and patient safety. Journal of Biomedical Informatics. Retrieved January 4, 2022 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1532046407000901Links to an external site.
Lee, J. A., & Holland-Hall, C. (2021, November 11). Patient portals for the adolescent and young adult population: Benefits, risks and guidance for use. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care. Retrieved January 4, 2022. from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1538544221001565Links to an external site.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Chapter 25: The Art of Caring in Technology-Laden Environments. . In Nursing Informatics and the foundation of knowledge (pp. 582–610). essay, Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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Collapse SubdiscussionBenedicta Kwevie Response 2
Hello Erica.
Great post. A patient portal can help give healthcare providers a place to keep patient information quickly. Using a patient portal, doctors can input patient information the moment they are told, order medication when they think the patient needs it, and access any lab results or medical records (Medical, 2019). A challenge of the patient portal could be connection issues. Patient portals are online, and there can be the usual network error (Elevate Services Group, 2021). When this happens, time-sensitive information that needs to be put in would be delayed, or patient medication that they need quickly could be pushed back, potentially harming the patient
References
Elevate Services Group. (2021, September 21). Is Your Patient Portal Putting You At Risk? | IT Support
Denver Blog. Elevate.
https://www.elevateservicesgroup.com/patient-portal-risk/Links to an external site.
Medical, B. (2019, July 15). 10 Benefits Of Patient Portals You Can’t Miss For Your Practice | Boost. Boost
Medical.
https://boostmedical.com/benefits-of-patient-portals/Links to an external site.
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Collapse SubdiscussionMleh Porter Description of General Healthcare Technology Trends
Healthcare technology has advanced significantly in recent years, providing more efficient and effective patient care. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the significant trends that has taken the healthcare industry by storm (Rong et al., 2020). AI technology automates tedious tasks, such as data entry and diagnosing and treating illness. A second trend in healthcare is wearable medical devices and sensors. Lu et al. (2020) have explained that wearable medical devices have become increasingly popular as they allow for better monitoring of health and fitness levels. Cloud computing is the third technology that has been gaining traction in healthcare, as it allows for secure and efficient data storage and sharing. Finally, mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare. These applications provide a convenient way for patients to access health information, book appointments, and even participate in telemedicine.
Potential Risks
One potential challenge with artificial intelligence (AI) is the risk of data privacy and security breaches (Rong et al., 2020). AI systems may be vulnerable to hacking, which could allow unauthorized access to confidential patient data. Wearable medical devices are convenient for patients but can introduce risks if the data collected is not managed and secured correctly (Lu et al., 2020). These risks include data breaches, unauthorized access, and the risk of data misinterpretation. Cloud computing can be an effective tool for storing and sharing medical data. Still, it also carries the potential risk of data loss or breaches due to inadequate security measures. Lastly, mobile applications pose a risk if not designed with security because they are vulnerable to malware, data theft, and other security breaches.
Benefits and Risks
On benefits, AI technology is used to accurately diagnose and treat patients, which saves time and money. Wearable medical devices provide doctors and other healthcare professionals with real-time access to patient data, allowing for better patient monitoring and faster response times. Cloud computing provides large amounts of data storage, allowing healthcare providers to organize better and track patient records. Mobile applications provide patients with better access to healthcare, allowing for on-the-go care and more accessible communication with healthcare providers. On risks, data safety, and legislation around the use of these technologies can sometimes be challenging to manage and enforce (Rong et al., 2020). With these new technologies comes the risk of data security, consent, and other patient privacy issues. The current regulations and oversight risk falling behind the technologies they should govern with this growing technology trend. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may not be sufficient to protect patient privacy with new technology trends like AI. New regulations emphasizing patient privacy and consent must be implemented with sophisticated data de-identification and protection methods that keep up with these newer technologies (Murdoch, 2021). Patient data is vulnerable to breaches without proper safeguards, which could lead to serious privacy violations.
Most Promising Healthcare Technology in Nursing Practice
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Wearable Medical Devices are the most promising trends impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice. AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by automating data-driven insights and complex decision-making processes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). According to Lu et al. (2020), wearable medical devices are also highly promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice. Wearable devices allow nurses to monitor patients’ vital signs and symptoms in real time.
Contribution to Patient Care Outcomes, Efficiencies, Or Data Management
The promise of AI and wearable medical devices in healthcare technology will improve patient care outcomes, efficiencies, and data management. With AI, nurses can gain insights into complex medical data, allowing them to make better-informed decisions about patient care. AI can also automate data-driven processes, such as drug dosage calculations, freeing nurses to focus on patient care. The use of wearable medical devices can also improve patient care outcomes by allowing nurses to monitor a patient’s vital signs and symptoms in real time. Furthermore, wearable medical devices can track a patient’s progress, allowing nurses to make more informed decisions about patient care.
Technologies will continue to impact all aspects of life, including healthcare, significantly. AI and wearable medical devices are some technological trends that can substantially improve healthcare delivery. Although there are benefits to these healthcare technologies, they also have the risk of privacy and security breaches. Putting safeguards and legislation in place to address these concerns will improve patient outcomes.
References
Lu, L., Zhang, J., Xie, Y., Gao, F., Xu, S., Wu, X., & Ye, Z. (2020). Wearable health devices in health care: Narrative systematic review. JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth, 8(11), e18907. https://doi.org/10.2196/18907Links to an external site.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Murdoch, B. (2021). Privacy and artificial intelligence: Challenges for protecting health information in a new era. BMC Medical Ethics, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00687-3
Rong, G., Mendez, A., Assi, E. B., Zhao, B., & Sawan, M. (2020). Artificial intelligence in healthcare: Review and prediction case studies. Engineering, 6(3), 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2019.08.015Links to an external site.
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Collapse SubdiscussionMleh Porter Description of General Healthcare Technology Trends
Healthcare technology has advanced significantly in recent years, providing more efficient and effective patient care. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the significant trends that has taken the healthcare industry by storm (Rong et al., 2020). AI technology automates tedious tasks, such as data entry and diagnosing and treating illness. A second trend in healthcare is wearable medical devices and sensors. Lu et al. (2020) have explained that wearable medical devices have become increasingly popular as they allow for better monitoring of health and fitness levels. Cloud computing is the third technology that has been gaining traction in healthcare, as it allows for secure and efficient data storage and sharing. Finally, mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare. These applications provide a convenient way for patients to access health information, book appointments, and even participate in telemedicine.
Potential Risks
One potential challenge with artificial intelligence (AI) is the risk of data privacy and security breaches (Rong et al., 2020). AI systems may be vulnerable to hacking, which could allow unauthorized access to confidential patient data. Wearable medical devices are convenient for patients but can introduce risks if the data collected is not managed and secured correctly (Lu et al., 2020). These risks include data breaches, unauthorized access, and the risk of data misinterpretation. Cloud computing can be an effective tool for storing and sharing medical data. Still, it also carries the potential risk of data loss or breaches due to inadequate security measures. Lastly, mobile applications pose a risk if not designed with security because they are vulnerable to malware, data theft, and other security breaches.
Benefits and Risks
On benefits, AI technology is used to accurately diagnose and treat patients, which saves time and money. Wearable medical devices provide doctors and other healthcare professionals with real-time access to patient data, allowing for better patient monitoring and faster response times. Cloud computing provides large amounts of data storage, allowing healthcare providers to organize better and track patient records. Mobile applications provide patients with better access to healthcare, allowing for on-the-go care and more accessible communication with healthcare providers. On risks, data safety, and legislation around the use of these technologies can sometimes be challenging to manage and enforce (Rong et al., 2020). With these new technologies comes the risk of data security, consent, and other patient privacy issues. The current regulations and oversight risk falling behind the technologies they should govern with this growing technology trend. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may not be sufficient to protect patient privacy with new technology trends like AI. New regulations emphasizing patient privacy and consent must be implemented with sophisticated data de-identification and protection methods that keep up with these newer technologies (Murdoch, 2021). Patient data is vulnerable to breaches without proper safeguards, which could lead to serious privacy violations.
Most Promising Healthcare Technology in Nursing Practice
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Wearable Medical Devices are the most promising trends impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice. AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by automating data-driven insights and complex decision-making processes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). According to Lu et al. (2020), wearable medical devices are also highly promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice. Wearable devices allow nurses to monitor patients’ vital signs and symptoms in real time.
Contribution to Patient Care Outcomes, Efficiencies, Or Data Management
The promise of AI and wearable medical devices in healthcare technology will improve patient care outcomes, efficiencies, and data management. With AI, nurses can gain insights into complex medical data, allowing them to make better-informed decisions about patient care. AI can also automate data-driven processes, such as drug dosage calculations, freeing nurses to focus on patient care. The use of wearable medical devices can also improve patient care outcomes by allowing nurses to monitor a patient’s vital signs and symptoms in real time. Furthermore, wearable medical devices can track a patient’s progress, allowing nurses to make more informed decisions about patient care.
Technologies will continue to impact all aspects of life, including healthcare, significantly. AI and wearable medical devices are some technological trends that can substantially improve healthcare delivery. Although there are benefits to these healthcare technologies, they also have the risk of privacy and security breaches. Putting safeguards and legislation in place to address these concerns will improve patient outcomes.
References
Lu, L., Zhang, J., Xie, Y., Gao, F., Xu, S., Wu, X., & Ye, Z. (2020). Wearable health devices in health care: Narrative systematic review. JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth, 8(11), e18907. https://doi.org/10.2196/18907
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Murdoch, B. (2021). Privacy and artificial intelligence: Challenges for protecting health information in a new era. BMC Medical Ethics, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00687-3
Rong, G., Mendez, A., Assi, E. B., Zhao, B., & Sawan, M. (2020). Artificial intelligence in healthcare: Review and prediction case studies. Engineering, 6(3), 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2019.08.015
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Collapse SubdiscussionJodian Walford As the health field grows technologically and seeks to modernize to the current standard other industries, like business, have set. There is the development of Electronic Health recording system.
My healthcare organization has recently transitioned to EHR systems from paper charting. HealthIT.gov (2019) defines EHR as a digital version of a patient’s paper chart that is a vital part of health IT and can allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions regarding patient care. Amongst its great benefits like creating better accessibility to patient charts which include patient’s history and medications regimes results. To Reduce the ordering of unnecessary tests. The prevention of medication errors or being time efficient.
They are still several challenges despite the great benefits. Data security is among the most concerning. Sensitive data are collected by healthcare organizations from their customers and stored on network servers to make them accessible all the time and to facilitate patient care, but unfortunately, every blessing has a curse (she et al.,2022). This creates a risk of hackers and cybercriminals trying to access this information. Health records have become a valuable commodity among hackers because EHRs offer identity information more comprehensive than almost any other type of record. (Advent Health,2021)
The healthcare trend of Telemedicine is likely to influence healthcare technology significantly. According to Harfield (2021), Telemedicine or telehealth is defined as virtual care, which refers to medical or mental health advice or treatment provided by phone, mobile app, or online video. Telehealth can facilitate patient care and monitoring from anywhere through a smart device, drastically increasing healthcare availability and patient outcomes. With telehealth, vulnerable, disabled, or otherwise impaired patients can still access high-quality healthcare without leaving their homes. (Harfield,2021)
Telemedicine offers promising signs of progress in health technology positively impacting patient care. Since the pandemic, Covid 19 have plaque the world; telehealth has become much more popular as it facilitates social distancing and keeps more patients safe. They could still be monitored throughout isolated periods. It incorporates family through education into the care and patients who live in rural areas or have difficulty accessing treatment. Providers can send prescriptions or use electronic health recordings to keep track of patients’ progress. The patient can access information on conditions and tests and get answers about health conditions from the treatment team.
References
AdventHealth University (2021) 5 important elements to establish data security in Healthcare.
https://www.ahu.edu/blog/data-security-in-healthcare
Hartfield.J(2021) What is telehealth and how does it work?, MUO. Available at:
https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-telehealth-how-does-it-work/.
HealthIT.gov (2019) What is an electronic health record (EHR)?
https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record- ehr#:~:text=An%20electronic%20health%20record%20%28EHR%29%20is%20a%20digital,information%20available%20instantly%20and%20securely%20to%20authorized%20users.
Seh, A.H. et al., (2020). “Healthcare data breaches: Insights and implications,” healthcare, 8(2), p. 133.
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020133.
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Collapse SubdiscussionRoberto Monroy Hello Jodian!
Telehealth is changing healthcare as we see it today; it offers benefits to virtually all patients who choose to use the service. Telehealth can also improve doctor-to-doctor communication and facilitate the creation of support networks to enhance their skills and the quality of care provided (Haleem et al., 2021). Collaboration between all physicians is key to optimizing treatment, and video communication bridges this gap.
There is no doubt that Covid-19 increased the demand for Telehealth, a 60% increase in 2020, and is expected to have a seven-fold increase by the year 2025 (Lieneck et al., 2020). I agree that Telehealth will continue to progress in healthcare; receiving quality care from the comfort of your own home is a future to look forward to!References
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for healthcare:
Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors international, 2, 100117.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100117Links to an external site.Lieneck, C., Garvey, J., Collins, C., Graham, D., Loving, C., & Pearson, R. (2020). Rapid
Telehealth Implementation during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: A Rapid
Review. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(4), 517.
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040517
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Collapse SubdiscussionRoberto Monroy Since the emergence of Covid-19, Telehealth/video communication has changed healthcare as we know it today. In 2020 Telehealth communications peaked as virtual visits doubled, leading to over 291 million minutes of Telehealth communications used and, on average, decreased visit time by 60% (Vogt et al., 2022). In my facility, not only do we utilize this technology to communicate with doctors virtually, but patients also can communicate with their families and even virtually attend court proceedings, all from within a psychiatric hospital. The main challenge I’ve seen with this technology is its dependence on internet services; variables such as weather, slow data speeds, and malfunctioning equipment can all lead to this system’s failure and delays in care.
Data safety and security are always considered when using internet-based systems to provide patient care. Laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health offer security and protection of these services; however, no platform is 100% safe from the potential of data breaches and hackers (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). There still are some noteworthy benefits, as mentioned before, visitation time is nearly cut in half, immediate treatment even in remote settings, and decreased risk of contamination/illnesses such as Covid-19 and the flu.
Another healthcare trend that I believe will become incredibly useful is augmented reality (AR). AR can provide real-world projections of objects which can be used to educate patients about their treatments, diagnoses, and procedures. (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). This is a great learning tool as clinicians and patients can use their sense of sight to gain a better perspective and understanding of their treatment. One scenario I see this advantageous is before surgery; surgeons can produce holograms of the surgery to gain familiarity with the procedure leading to a decreased risk of errors and better patient outcomes.
References
Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth Benefits and Barriers. The journal for nurse practitioners : JNP, 17(2), 218–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013Links to an external site.
McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K.G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jone & Bartlett Learning.
Vogt, E. L., Welch, B. M., Bunnell, B. E., Barrera, J. F., Paige, S. R., Owens, M., Coffey, P., Diazgranados, N., & Goldman, D. (2022). Quantifying the Impact of COVID-19 on
Telemedicine Utilization: Retrospective Observational Study. Interactive journal of medical research, 11(1), e29880. https://doi.org/10.2196/29880-
Collapse SubdiscussionBenedicta Kwevie Response 1
Hi Roberto
Telehealth communication during the rise of the pandemic helped significantly keep people safe while ensuring they are healthy through everything. With people fearing contracting the virus and spreading it to people they know through in-person visits, they were much more willing to use technological systems to keep track of their health (Watson, 2020). I agree; one big challenge could be network issues, which could stop patients from getting vital information about themselves. Another challenge could be their access to or knowledge of technology. Some patients might be limited to things like computers or tablets, things they can use to contact their doctors, and this can push back further their efforts to know their health status (Welkin, 2021).
References
Watson, S. (2020, October 12). Telehealth: The advantages and disadvantages. Harvard Health.
Welkin, W. (2021, March 30). Telehealth: Benefits and Challenges to Consider When Implementing the Healthcare of the Future. Welkin
Health.
https://welkinhealth.com/telehealth-benefits-and-challenges/Links to an external site.
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Collapse SubdiscussionMaxine A Lewis Re-posting as my APA formatting continues to be off when posted here, I am not sure what is hapening.
Week 6 Discussion Question
Covid-19 and its risk were initially identified by BlueDot a Canadian artificial intelligence platform (Han and Le, 2021). Since then, innovative medical technologies appear to have developed overnight i.e., MRNA, telemedicine, increase electronic health records, health wearables, virtual reality, neurotechnology and artificial intelligence and robotics to name a few. Over the years, technological and medical advances have resulted in continual advances in pharmacy and medicine, saving millions of lives and improving many others (Burke, 2020).
Within my facility, a teaching hospital, I have observed continuous EEG recording and telestroke/telemedicine and MedConnect EHR (Electronic Health Records) which according to Michaels’s prediction medConnect will not interrupt patient care and will improve access to vital signs, test results, or treatment outcomes of patients across the Medstar hospitals and physician practices (2023). EHRs (Electronic Health Records) is designed to provide a complete medical history of an individual and distribute health information to healthcare providers, laboratories and other diagnostic facilities involved in the patient’s care (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2022). With the initiation of Cerner and MedConect it is not Userfriendly and poses a potential by removing nurses’ autonomy in initiating certain patient care i.e., blood works, EKG, imaging without an immediate order hence delaying diagnosis resulting in increased patient risk of harm. The electronic charting tends to remove an individual ability to use their initiative for example round report indicated the need for a cat-scan and MRI prior to electronic order we would right away notify both department and coordinate times (I do not want my patient to travel twice) for both then right after rounding off to the test’s orders are sometimes obtain right there in the testing department. In the present day nothing is done without an order, hence delaying the patent’s care and diagnosis.
Another issue is electrolyte replacement: prior to electronic charting there was protocol to replace potassium (K), magnesium(mag)and phosphorous (phos). Now I have noticed a delay (sometimes a whole shift) in acting on this issue resulting in increased risk of complication. What result is the delay? Communication of needed electrolyte replace by nurse to resident there is a delay as the resident is dealing with an emergency and did not delegate the order to others, repeated order request from nurse to absent-minded resident who must be reminded multiple times to place the orders. This seems small but is my Achilles heel why not replicate the paper protocol which was successful on paper form into the electronic orders? Is not possible as certain intricated information like creatinine are not program in the system orders.
There are multiple other issues such as “STAT” order which were electronically order which the nurse is in a room trying to stabilize a patient no time to look at the computer the residents pop his/her head in the room and ask, “did you give that stat order I wrote at 930 pm to your patient next door?”. My response with a smile was no “I was not aware as I have been in this room since 730, next time you write a stat order please notify the nurse or charge nurse and follow up at a suitable time like 5-10 minutes after you have written it.”
Technology will improve and save lots of lives and with the “increasing use of EHRs in place of face-to-face communication, it is essential that these technologies support effective communication” (Kandaswamy, 2021). Technology should not take the place of a face-to-face conversation with nurses concerning medications or interventions ordered ASAP, STAT or immediate orders when written electronically.
Electronic health record (EHR) systems can transform the healthcare system from a paper-based industry to one that uses clinical and other information to help providers provide better, quality care for their patients (Menachemi and Collum, 2011)) . However, EHRs must support multiple user views and user interfaces and provide access to patient data in a variety of formats and formats for the future. Future trends of EHR include integration of clinical information systems (CIS) technology to allow clinicians to access information instantly; clinical decision support and professional development tools and developing standardize terminology (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2022) to name a few.
References
H. Han and J. Y. Lee, “Digital Healthcare Industry and Technology Trends,” 2021 IEEE International Conference on Big Data and Smart Computing (BigComp), 2021, pp. 375- 377, doi: 10.1109/BigComp51126.2021.00083.
Kandaswamy, S., Hettinger, A. Z., Hoffman, D. J., Ratwani, R. M., & Marquard, J. (2020). Communication through the electronic health record: frequency and implications of free text orders. JAMIA open, 3(2), 154–159. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooaa020
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2022). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781284234701Links to an external site.
Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Risk management and healthcare policy, 4, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S12985
Michaels S., MedStar Health Improving Reach of Electronic Health Record,January 11, 2021, https://www.medstarhealth.org/news-and- publications/news/medstar-health-Links to an external site. improving- reach-of-electronic-health-record
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Collapse SubdiscussionSimranjeet Brar Maxine,
Your post is very thorough and descriptive about benefits and potentials risks associated with EHRs and clinical improvements made at your facility using electronic health records (EHR). These revolutionary times provide immense curiosity with unlimited potential and countless possibilities due to the rapid development and evolution of technology equipment. Dykes et al. (2017) addressed how collaborations between healthcare professionals, providers, patients, and family members greatly improve healthcare delivery, safety, and quality. It is possible to enhance safety, provider satisfaction, the standard of care, and patient outcomes by combining patient-centered care with health IT like EHRs.
As a digital backbone for patient care, treatment planning, document management, clinical pathways, workflow managers, billing services, verification, and record systems, numerous healthcare data and tools are also linked into EHRs (Jacobs et al., 2019). The disruption of the patient’s course of care and treatment during the EHR deployment process was highlighted as the main obstacle, despite the fact that this complicated system offers many advantages with its vast range and expanding features. Jacobs et al. (2019) advised being patient throughout the transitioning phase and realizing that interruptions are only present for around six months before becoming greatly reduced or even gone. The nursing profession and healthcare team acquire significant knowledge, efficiency, and data management via the incorporation of different digital systems, tools, technologies, and trends, which also improve patient care and overall results (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022).
References
Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Collins, S., Donze, J., Fagan, M., Gazarian, P., Hanna, J., Lehmann, L., Leone, K., Lipsitz, S., McNally, K., Morrison, C., Samal, L., Mlaver, E., Schnock, K., … Bates, D. W. (2017). Prospective evaluation of a multifaceted intervention to improve outcomes in intensive care: The promoting respect and ongoing safety through patient engagement communication and technology study. Critical Care Medicine, 45(8), e806–e813. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000002449.
Jacobs, M., Boersma, L. J., Swart, R., Mannens, R., Reymen, B., Körver, F., van Merode, F., & Dekker, A. (2019). Electronic Health Record implementation in a large academic radiotherapy department: Temporarily disruptions but long-term benefits. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 129, 342–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.07.008
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2022). Administrative information systems. In McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (Ed.), Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. (5th ed., pp. 207-225). Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Collapse SubdiscussionBertina Boma Soh - General healthcare technology trends in my healthcare organization
- reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
I work as RN Care Manager for an insurance company. The healthcare organization I work for has always been an early technology adapter. We’ve been using electronic patient records since 2010. One trend I have observed in my environment is the utilization of telehealth services. Telehealth provides patients with easier access to physicians and other medical specialists without having to leave their homes. This helps reduce wait time and travel and lodging costs when visiting distant hospitals or clinics (Wong et al., 2019). For example, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, my organization upscaled its telehealth equipment to offer video conferencing or phone calls to provide remote medical care. Some nurses and physicians could provide care from remote offices or homes. This was done to reduce physical contact, which is essential to reduce the spread of COVID-19. From the Quality improvement reports released in the last quarter, my organization has seen more positive outcomes from these remote visits than face-to-face appointments.
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
The resources at my place of work include telehealth software applications such as video conferencing, virtual visits, remote monitoring devices, secure messaging platforms, and others. We also have access to cloud storage solutions that enable us to securely store patient data in a central repository that can be easily accessed from any device connected to the internet. Furthermore, our team has access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools that help us diagnose diseases more accurately and quickly and assist us with research for new advancements in healthcare technology. AI also enables us to practice evidence-based medicine since it makes it easier to identify patterns from past cases that may be useful in similar situations (Wong et al., 2019).
- Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
My healthcare organization has been actively utilizing a multitude of healthcare technologies to both manage and distribute information securely. These technologies include electronic health quickly accessing patients’ medical history systems designed to store patient data, billing and claims processing systems for insurance companies, pharmacy management systems for medication orders, imaging technology for diagnostic purposes, and more. These various technologies allow my healthcare organization to provide more accurate diagnoses, faster prescription fillings, and improved provider communication. For example, our Electronic Health Records system will enable physicians to quickly access patients’ medical history from any location to make informed decisions about their treatment plan. Additionally, we can manage our in-house pharmacy services with the help of a comprehensive pharmacy management system that helps streamline ordering processes and reduce errors related to drug interactions or dosages.
- Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
In my organization, I have seen cutting-edge technologies implemented and even old technologies used in a way never seen before. For instance, social media has become a way to interact with customers in a way that was never before possible. This has allowed businesses to connect directly with their customers and better understand their needs and wants. This means that patients can now be reached and communicated more directly, allowing for better customer service. I have also seen the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help automate processes, making them more efficient and cost-effective. This has resulted in a more streamlined workflow and faster turnarounds for patients.
One future trend that I foresee is using predictive analytics and big data. This trend is already being used in many industries and will continue to grow in healthcare. Predictive analytics can identify trends and patterns in patient data, allowing for better and more personalized care. Big data can be used to analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns and correlations that can help predict outcomes and suggest treatments. By leveraging these technologies, healthcare providers can provide better and more efficient patient care. Additionally, the healthcare sector will likely see a boom in mobile application development as patients increasingly look to access their healthcare information and services through their mobile devices. This will allow healthcare providers to remain connected to their patients and to provide better and more personalized care even when they are on the go.
Potential challenges
One potential challenge is the privacy and security risks associated with telehealth services. The internet provides an efficient platform for delivering telehealth services and opens possible safety and privacy concerns. All patient data must be kept confidential and secure. Yet, due to its nature, information sent over the internet may be vulnerable to hacking or other forms of interference from malicious entities. Yet, telehealth services must adhere to the same privacy and security regulations as in-person healthcare services, such as HIPAA. To address these issues, organizations should take appropriate measures to ensure that all patient data remains secure while utilizing telehealth services. This includes data encryption, limited access controls, and robust authentication methods for sensitive information.
Another potential challenge associated with telehealth visits is inadequate technological infrastructure. In some regions, internet connections are too slow or unreliable to ensure that the relationship between patient and doctor remains stable during an appointment. Additionally, if the doctor’s technology is not up-to-date or compatible with the patient’s, it may be impossible to conduct an effective consultation. Furthermore, there may be limits on what kind of services can be provided virtually due to technical barriers such as video resolution or limited communication options.
One potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care in telehealth services
Telehealth services have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. With technological advancements, telehealth services enable healthcare providers to offer remotely timely and efficient patient care. However, with such technology comes certain risks and benefits associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care. One potential use of telehealth is improved access to care for patients who may not otherwise be able to receive it due to location or transportation issues. It also allows for more efficient patient-provider communication and can reduce the time spent waiting for appointments or in transit between the provider’s office and the patient’s home. In addition, telehealth can reduce costs by reducing travel expenses associated with traditional visits and costs related to staff salaries and overhead expenses (Ali et al., 2020).
One risk is the need for consistent legislation regarding telehealth services between states. Because each state in the U.S. has its laws and regulations surrounding healthcare, it can be challenging to ensure that all providers meet specific standards when providing care through a digital platform (Nicol & Roberts, 2020). This makes it hard to ensure data safety and secure transmission of information, as well as guarantee that patients receive quality care from qualified professionals. Consistency may also lead to gaps in coverage if patients move or require treatment in another state due to differences in provider networks and insurance eligibility requirements across jurisdictional boundaries (Kim et al., 2020).
Most Promising Healthcare Technology Developments for Influencing Healthcare Technology in Nursing Practice
The use of telehealth, or the use of electronic means to provide healthcare services, is evolving rapidly. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing, telehealth has incredible potential to revolutionize nursing practice. AI-driven telehealth can improve patient outcomes by allowing nurses to work more efficiently and accurately while providing improved care. Thanks to AI’s ability to analyze patient data quickly and accurately, nurses can diagnose conditions faster and make recommendations more accurately. In addition, AI-based systems can help nurses better manage their workloads by automatically scheduling tasks based on priority levels. By automating routine tasks such as scheduling appointments or managing medication reminders, nurses can free up time for more complex clinical interventions requiring higher expertise (Kuziemsky et al., 2019)
Contribution to Better Patient Outcomes, Efficiency, and Data Management
Telehealth and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, and data management in several ways. First, telehealth can enable patients to access healthcare services remotely, which can be especially useful for those who live in rural or underserved areas. This can help to improve patient outcomes by increasing access to care and reducing the need for patients to travel long distances to see a healthcare provider. AI can also be used to analyze patient data and identify patterns or trends indicative of certain health conditions, enabling healthcare providers to identify potential issues earlier and take appropriate action. Secondly, there will be increased efficiencies. Telehealth can help reduce patients’ need to travel to see a healthcare provider, saving time and resources. AI can also automate specific tasks, such as data entry or analysis, which can free up time for healthcare providers to focus on more critical studies. Lastly, there will be improved data management. Digital health records can be used to store and share patient information electronically, which can help to improve the accuracy and accessibility of patient data. AI can also analyze large amounts of data, enabling healthcare providers to identify patterns or trends that may not be immediately obvious to the human eye. This can help to improve decision-making and inform the development of more effective treatment plans (Kuziemsky et al., 2019)
Conclusion
In conclusion, healthcare technology is transforming the industry in exciting ways. The advancements in healthcare technology have enabled hospitals to provide better, more accessible healthcare services. Telehealth has allowed more people to access healthcare services with convenience and ease. While in its early stages, AI promises improved diagnostic accuracy and reduced costs. Healthcare providers must keep up with these trends and utilize them responsibly to ensure quality patient care. It is essential for government organizations and private institutions to collaborate on developing regulations that protect both patients and providers as this technology continues to evolve.
References
Ali, S. A., Arif, T. B., Maab, H., Baloch, M., Manazir, S., Jawed, F., & Ochani, R. K. (2020). Global interest in telehealth during COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of Google Trends™. Cureus, 12(9).
Kim, D. W., Choi, J. Y., & Han, K. H. (2020). Risk management-based security evaluation model for telemedicine systems. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 20(1), 1-14.
Nicol, J. K., & Roberts, J. (2020). Removing regulatory barriers to telehealth before and after COVID-19. Brookings Institution.
Kuziemsky, C., Maeder, A. J., John, O., Gogia, S. B., Basu, A., Meher, S., & Ito, M. (2019). Role of artificial intelligence within the telehealth domain. Yearbook of medical informatics, 28(01), 035-040.
Wong, M. Y. Z., Gunasekeran, D. V., Nusinovici, S., Sabanayagam, C., Yeo, K. K., Cheng, C. Y., & Tham, Y. C. (2021). Telehealth demand trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in the top 50 most affected countries: Infodemiological evaluation. JMIR public health and surveillance, 7(2), e24445.
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Collapse SubdiscussionMansong Ntekim Hello Bertina
Thanks for your informative discussion post. Technological innovations have changed the healthcare industry for good. The telehealth technologies has a great impact on our current care delivery system. Although telehealth was used in the healthcare system, the Covid-19 pandemic popularized telehealth, and there is no going back. Some medical offices have indulged so much into telehealth that it is now considered a cost-saving measure. They use Telehealth rather than pay for office space. Progressively, innovations in telehealth technologies are being acquired and used as an efficient and cost-effective way of delivering and accessing good healthcare services and outcomes (Rutledge, et al., 2017).
The COVID-19 pandemic presented multiple challenges for every facet of the healthcare delivery system. The continued care for patients with and without COVID-19 safely and effectively required changes in practice models. This triggered a shift to telehealth designs in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings. Providers and patients had to quickly adapt telehealth innovations to prevent and stem the transmission of COVID-19 (Gajarawala and Pelkowski, 2021).
Despite the advantages of telehealth technology, there are barriers to performing comprehensive physical examinations, possibilities for technical difficulties, security breaches, and regulatory barrier (Balestra, 2017)
References
Balestra M. Telehealth and Legal Implications for Nurse Practitioners. Journal for Nurse Practioners. 2018;14(1):33–39. https://www.npjournal.org/article/S1555-4155(17)30808-5/fulltext
Gajarawala SN, Pelkowski JN. Telehealth Benefits and Barriers. Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 2021 Feb;17(2):218-221. doi: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013. Epub 2020 Oct 21. PMID: 33106751; PMCID: PMC7577680. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7577680/#bib1
Rutledge CM, Kott K, Schweickert PA, Poston R, Fowler C, Haney TS. Telehealth and eHealth in Nurse Practitioner Training: Current Perspectives. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2017 Jun 26;8:399-409. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S116071. PMID: 28721113; PMCID: PMC5498674. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28721113/
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Collapse SubdiscussionChristiana Nuworsoo Initial Post – Healthcare Information Technology Trends
Since 1999, after the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report “To Err is Human,” which called for the development and testing of new
technologies to reduce medical errors, there has been an accelerated adoption of health information with varying degrees of its impact
on patient safety (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Healthcare technology has come a long way, with the adoption of electronic health records
(EHR), the artificial intelligence of Things (AIoT), wearable medical devices, and as a result of Covid-19, telehealth. It will continue to push
the boundaries of how healthcare is delivered to ensure patient safety and optimum patient care. At my current organization, all the
technologies mentioned earlier are in use; however, my favorite is handheld devices for medication administration. Imagine going to a
Covid’-19 patient’s room with a workstation on wheels (WOW). Stressful, but with a small handheld device integrated with your
charting system, it is much easier.
Many challenges or risks arise in implementing new technologies, and healthcare technologies are no exception. These challenges
include initial high cost, technical issues, system interoperability, concerns about privacy and confidentiality, and a need for a well-
trained clinical informatics workforce to lead the process (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.). Anything new and
innovative can be costly; one must weigh the benefits and risks and decide which is more important. EHRs have proven to benefit
healthcare even with their challenges greatly.
There are many benefits associated with the technologies above. The benefits of EHR include improved patient care, quick access
to patient information at the point of care, integration of patient information from multiple sources, and improved communication
between providers, nurses, and patients (HealthIT.gov, 2017). Even with all these benefits, there are still risks involved that healthcare
management needs to work hard and diligently to overcome. Potential risks associated with data safety include security breaches such
as phishing attacks, malware, overlooked gaps in encryption, cloud threats, and employee negligence (Jericich, 2022). It is essential to
prevent employees from being able to access specific sites from hospital computers because that is where most of the data breaches
occur.
AIoT and telehealth are the most promising healthcare technology trends that impact healthcare technology in nursing. AIoT
allows for nurturing the development of the intellectual properties of the devices we use. Telehealth is healthcare services delivered by
telecommunication tools such as telephones, videophones, smartphones, and computers (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). Once upon a
time, to search for something in google, you had to type it. Nowadays, you can easily activate the voice function and tell google or Siri
what you are looking for. When my kids couldn’t spell searching for a show on YouTube, they used the voice feature to tell YouTube what
they were searching for; how convenient.
Telehealth is on the rise and has become very popular due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With an aging population and the nursing
shortage, telehealth might be the solution to ensuring that care is still provided when needed. Incorporating telehealth services into
nursing can help lower healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes by ensuring that more individuals can receive timely nursing care
(Gagnon, 2020). AIoT and telehealth will decrease costs, which will significantly benefit any institution. AIoT makes it easy to access
information, and Telehealth makes it easy to access healthcare. Both are efficient and will improve patient outcomes in the long run,
making it easier to achieve the goal of healthcare, patient safety, and optimum care.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Barriers to HIT implementation. Retrieved January 4, 2023 from
https://digital.ahrq.gov/barriers-hit-implementationLinks to an external site.
Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173–
1180. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631Links to an external site.
Gagnon, D. (2020). The role of telehealth in nursing. Southern New Hampshire University. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from
HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from
https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-Links to an external site.record-ehrLinks to an external site.
Jericich, K. (2022). HHS cyber arm warns of HER vulnerabilities. HealthITNews. Retrieved January 3, 2023 from
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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Collapse SubdiscussionRemi Oluremi Ojo Hi christiana,
I agree with you that telehealth is one of the most promising healthcare technology trends that impact healthcare technology in nursing. Promoting telemedicine/telehealth will have the greatest and most positive impact in the healthcare industry. The healthcare delivery marketplace is experiencing expansion due to advances in technology, making it possible to receive access to healthcare, where in previous times had been gaps (Litwin, 2021). The remote location and places where care had been unavailable are now allowing healthcare clinicians to provide care to their patients via Telehealth. Telemedicine makes it possible to telemonitor patients with chronic conditions and to improve their quality of care. They can be given equipment to monitor their vital signs and blood glucose. This allows for patients to have regular visits with their providers, this saves time and prevent missed appointments caused by various factors (Snoswell et al, 2020).
References
Litwin A. S. (2021). Technological change and frontline care delivery work: Toward the quadruple aim. Advances in health care management, 20, 10.1108/S1474-823120210000020005. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-823120210000020005
Snoswell, C. L., Taylor, M. L., Comans, T. A., Smith, A. C., Gray, L. C., & Caffery, L. J. (2020). Determining if telehealth can reduce health system costs: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(10), N.PAG.
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Collapse SubdiscussionRemi Oluremi Ojo Healthcare Information Technology Trends
The healthcare system globally has tremendously benefitted from the advancement of technology. The technology trend related to data that I have observed in my organization and that is most promising for impacting healthcare technology is the use of barcode medication administration (BCMA). The administration of medication is a complex process that involves pharmacists, medical professionals, and nurses. It requires several steps such as prescribing, transcribing and dispensing administration which is prone to a potential risk of errors resulting in harming the patient. Most medication errors occur as a result of human errors such as negligence, fatigue, lack of concentration, decreased knowledge, and stress. In the past, my facility recorded a high amount of medication error incidents and studies also show that many patients have experienced harm caused by medication errors. These errors, therefore, created a need for an improved medication administration system (Naidu & Alicia, 2019). Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) systems utilize an electronic scanning tool to scan a bar code on a patient’s wristband to verify that they have the right patient and scan the bar code on the medication to verify that they are about the administer the right medication. The BCMA system detects medication errors before the administration of the medication because the information encrypted in the patient’s identification tag barcode and the medication pack allows the nurse or clinician confirms the five rights of medication administration. It verifies that the clinician has the right patient, medication, and dose, given at the right time via the right route. BCMA systems linked with electronic medication administration records (eMARs) are designed to avoid medication errors at the time of administering medication to patients and maintain a patient safety culture (Saleem, 2023). The system is also linked with electronic health records (EHR) to check for allergies and vital signs. This has reduced medication-related errors, improved clinical outcomes, and provided cost-effective treatment for patients in my facility.
The potential challenge is the identification of the noncompliance attitude of clinicians toward the usage of the BCMA system. Nurses sometimes do not comply with scanning the bar codes before administering the medication because they are reluctant to use the system due to not being familiar with how to use the system. Some nurses complain that sometimes the scanner is unable to read the bar codes, thereby prolonging the time spent on administering medications. Some nurses are resistant to change and prefer to stick to their old way of doing things, while others believe they are familiar with the patients in the case of long-term facilities (Mulac, et al., 2021). As a result of these reasons, nurses skip confirming patient identification putting them at risk of getting misidentified. The solution to this problem is to organize training programs for the nurses based on the use of the specific system, its risk, and its benefits. The success of the technology innovation is to convince the staff, leadership, and management to embrace the change. The execution of the BCMA and e-MAR in the organization needs cooperation from the management and staff. It is crucial for them to realize the crisis in the increasing number of medication errors.
Potential benefits associated with the use of the BCMA system linked with eMARs are that it prevents errors that were caused by physicians’ unreadable handwriting and ensures that the right dosage of medication with available information is being administered to the right patient for the right documentation. This technology’s main purpose is to decrease medication errors to ensure that the correct medication is administered to the right patients thereby observing the rights of medication administration.
The potential risk associated with the use of the BCMA system linked with eMARs is the risk of malfunctions, high cost, and cybercrime. The inability to scan the bar codes due to technology failure, damaged labels, and malfunctioning software may impair the use of the BCMA system and decrease safety benefits. BCMA and e-MAR require adequate finances to purchase the software, equipment, and technical support, which may not be feasible for some healthcare organizations especially private organizations, and this may delay the launching of technological advancement. The BCMA with eMAR is prone to cyberattacks or ransom because of patient information that is online. Some hackers hold patients’ medical data hostage and request a large amount of money before releasing the data.
References
Mulac, A., Mathiesen, L., Taxis, K., & Gerd Granås, A. (2021). Barcode medication administration technology use in hospital practice: a mixed-methods observational study of policy deviations. BMJ quality & safety, 30(12), 1021–1030. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2021-013223
Naidu, M. and Alicia, Y. (2019) Impact of bar-code medication administration and electronic medication administration record system in clinical practice for an effective medication administration process. Health, 11, 511-526. doi: 10.4236/health.2019.115044.
Saleem M. (2023). Barcode medication administration technology to prevent medication errors. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons–Pakistan : JCPSP, 33(1), 107–108. https://doi.org/10.29271/jcpsp.2023.01.107
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Collapse SubdiscussionAdrienne Aasand Response #1
Remi,
Thank you for your discussion about bar code medication administration (BCMA) as a healthcare technology trend. As you stated, a very important benefit of BCMA is reducing the number of medication errors and ensuring the right medication and dose is given to the right patient. Medication administration errors can directly harm patients and can lead to prolonged hospitalization, morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs (Jessurun et al., 2022). And you also state in your discussion that a challenge of using BCMA is the high cost. I read one study that compared these two issues, it evaluated the cost-effectiveness of BCMA compared to usual care. The conclusion of the study found that the costs per avoided error are relatively low, therefore the BCMA is an important strategy to improve patient safety in hospitals (Jessurun et al., 2022).
You also mention in your discussion that a risk of using BCMA is nursing staff not complying with scanning medications prior to administration. I read a study that gathered information about “workarounds” related to the BCMA. The purpose of the study was to identify workarounds because this information helps to develop better software that will fit the nurse workflow. The study used disguised observation and included over five thousand medication administrations. In 62.7% of the administrations, one or more workarounds were observed. The conclusion was that nurse workload and patient to nurse ratios are directly related to BCMA workarounds, leading to higher medication administration errors (Vanderveen et al., 2022). Therefore, healthcare organizations implementing a new BCMA system need to be sure the system fits the nurses’ workflow so they are able to use this costly technology to benefit the safety of patients.
References
Jessurun, J., Hunfeld, N., Vandijk, M., Vandendemt, P. & Polinder, S. (2022). Cost-effectiveness of central automated unit dose dispensing with
barcode-assisted medication administration in a hospital setting. Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 18(11), 3980-3987.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.07.006Links to an external site.
Vanderveen, W. Taxis, K., Wouters, H., Vermeulen, H., Bates, D. & Vandenbemt, P. (2020). Factors associated with workarounds in barcode-
assisted medication administration in hospitals. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(13-14), 2239-2250. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15217
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Collapse SubdiscussionJamee Renee Linnenbrink Health Care Technology
Technology has significantly changed in the last 20 years. Even in the past 10 years that I have been a nurse, there have been significant changes in
the way we document, the technology for treatment, the way medical records are stored, telehealth, and the way that hospitals give access to patient
results and charts. The organization that I currently work for calls it “My Chart”, but other organizations have different names for the website or link that
allows patients access to their notes and chart. The increased access for patients to their charts is driven by the push for patient autonomy in the last
10-15 years (Costa et al, 2020). There are many benefits to patient autonomy and being a part of their own healthcare and having access to all of their
own medical records. One of the downfalls is that patients have access to information that they may not understand. Slightly off lab results that have no
significant meanings, or normal results of radiology exams with normal age-related changes that patients may not realize are normal. Doctors may put
language in a chart that the patient may not understand. In my own doctor’s office, I have access to my own lab results before my provider may have
time to review them. If something was off and the provider may not review them for several days (which is a normal time frame in a doctor’s office
unless the result is critical) this can lead to the patient being upset.
Potential Technology Difficulties
Living in a time of technology and infinite amounts of data, the time comes with large amounts of data breaches. Between 2015-2020, there have been
an estimated 157.40 million healthcare data breaches (Seh et al, 2020). The breaches include insurance information, names, social security numbers,
birth dates, and more. This information can be used for a multitude of things, but as an individual, this is deeply invasive and gives a strong sense of
vulnerability. When a patient checks into a hospital there is a large amount of information given and then continues to be collected once that visit
continues, such as test results, and even payment information. Also, the age of digital is a concern for the older population, the more that we move
toward digital communication we create a deficit for the aging population and the populations that have no access to the internet, smartphones, or
computers (Portz et al, 2019).
Outcomes
Even with the gap in technology use between age groups the aging population is getting better with technology as it is needed for many things in life.
The use of digital access patients have to their own files will continue to benefit healthcare providers as well as patients. This gives healthcare workers
easy access to results, charts, and also communication. No more “missed calls” and possible HIPPA violations with voicemails. Patients also have the
ability to easily message questions to the provider’s team. This specific technology will continue to grow with each company and the newer best version
will continue to appear.
References
Seh, A. H., Zarour, M., Alenezi, M., Sarkar, A. K., Agrawal, A., Kumar, R., & Ahmad Khan, R. (2020, June). Healthcare data breaches: insights and
implications. In Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 133). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
D’Costa, S. N., Kuhn, I. L., & Fritz, Z. (2020). A systematic review of patient access to medical records in the acute setting: practicalities, perspectives and
ethical consequences. BMC medical ethics, 21(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-0459-6Links to an external site.
Portz, J. D., Bayliss, E. A., Bull, S., Boxer, R. S., Bekelman, D. B., Gleason, K., & Czaja, S. (2019). Using the technology acceptance model to explore user
experience, intent to use, and use behavior of a patient portal among older adults with multiple chronic conditions: descriptive qualitative
study. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(4), e11604.
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Collapse SubdiscussionAdrienne Aasand Response #2
Jamee,
Thank you for your discussion post about the challenges and opportunities of offering a patient portal such as My Chart to patients. Where I work we also offer a patient portal where patients can view their lab results, provider notes, radiology exams, and pathology reports. The challenges you mentioned in your post are also relevant where I work. I receive multiple calls a week from patients who are upset that their lab results show abnormalities – they are concerned that this indicates their cancer has progressed. It can be difficult for patients to understand that often a slightly abnormal lab is not significant to their disease status. This results in unnecessary distress for patients who are already under a lot of stress.
You also mention radiology exams in your post. The Information Blocking Statute (part of the 21stCentury Cures Act) went into effect in April 2021. This was designed to “promote health date interoperability between patients, providers, and payers by deterring barriers to the timely access and efficient exchange of patients’ electronic health information” (Leonard et al., 2022, p. 27). Before this statute was created, complex or distressing results were delayed to allow the provider to discuss with the patient first. Now, all results are released for patients to view immediately when completed. A benefit of this information sharing is that it supports a trusted patient-provider relationship and empowers patients to participate in their own care (Leonard et al., 2022). A challenge of this is that patients often see distressing, complex results before they understand their meaning. Where I work, our providers do their best to review radiology exams and pathology results before the patient can see them, but sometimes this is not possible. This results in confusion and stress for the patient as they are trying to understand these reports without guidance from their provider.
One study I read investigated attitudes, experiences, and opinions about the release of normal versus abnormal results, the timing of the release to patients relative to communication with the provider, and the impact of electronic release of reports to patients. The conclusion of the study was that patients are not able to interpret results as written, because reports are written for clinicians, not patients. In addition, when patients research medical terminology found in reports it leads to additional misunderstanding and anxiety (Winget et al., 2016).
There are many benefits to patients having access to their medical records, but it puts added stress on the provider to correct misinformation gathered by the patients as a result of reviewing a result too early. Providers often do not have time for this additional discussion and it can fall on the nurse. Overall, I believe patients should have access to their health information, but I believe there should be a safeguard on the system to be sure a provider can discuss a distressing result prior to patient access.
References
Leonard, L., Himelhoch, B., Huynh, V., Wolverton, D., Jaiswal, K., Ahrendt, G., Sams, S., Cumbler, E., Schulick, R. & Tevis, S. (2022). Patient and
clinician perceptions of the immediate release of electronic health information. American Journal of Surgery, 224(1 Pt A), 27-34.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.12.002Links to an external site.
Winget, M., Haji-Sheikhi, F., Brown-Johnson, C., Rosenthal, E., Sharp, C., Buyyounouski, M., Asch, S. (2016). Electronic release of pathology and
radiology results to patients: Opinions and experiences of oncologists. Journal of Oncology Practice, 12(8), 729-730.
https://doi.org/10.1200/JOP.2016.011098 Healthcare Information Technology Trends
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