Digital Technology & Healthcare

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Digital technology is fast becoming ‘the norm’ in all aspects of our society, and healthcare is no exception.  From having access to healthcare records with a few key strokes to simple things, such as new hands-free and wireless telephones for healthcare staff, technology is making most healthcare professionals’ jobs easier.  It’s great to have a smart device or computer unhand to look up any desired information at a moments notice.  I am by no means ‘a techie’, but I fully embrace  the technological advances and am willing to learn the newest things that come out.

I think that the new EHR’s and healthcare documentation software are making assessment documentation somewhat easier for nursing staff.  With an increasing number of RN’s coming into the workforce that are tech savvy, it is a time saver. However, in regards to the older nurse population, is has made documentation more difficult, as some are not comfortable with computers in general.  EHR’s also require a multitude of man hours for education in order to teach staff how to use the new systems.

Another downside to mobile technology is that it has driven people to seek healthcare advice from internet resources which may, or may not be reliable sources. People need to realize that digital media is a decent starting point, but if they have questions or concerns about health, their primary care physician is the best source.

I see technology used frequently within the hospital setting for patient education.  The hospital uses printed sources from Krames and other similar sites for medications, patient safety, exercise programs, and disease process education.

Introduction

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Hi my name is Lisa Acquisto and I am a native of Ventura. I have three great kids. Ashlynn is 28 years old, lives in North Carolina, and is a successful beautician. She has recently returned to school to be a dietician. Anicia is 24 years old, has begun classes this fall at CSUCI as a junior studying Business. She works as a waitress at Brophy’s in Ventura and is soon to begin her second job at Farmer Boy’s in Santa Barbara. My youngest, Ben is 22 years old, and is in his final year at USC studying Public Relations in sports. He is interning with USC Athletic Marketing and Pollack PR Marketing Firm, and works for Annenberg Facilities. I also have two little dogs, which are big dogs at heart. Daphne is 8 year old, Chihuahua/Dachshund mix, and Peewee is a three year old Chihuahua/Terrier mix.

Nursing401

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Technology is constantly growing and changing the way we do things as nurses for the purpose of improving patient care and outcomes. I think technology advances are wonderful in the healthcare setting and something all healthcare providers need to embrace for the benefits of our patients. For me as a nurse this means I need to stay educated and engaged in what’s going on and to not be afraid of accepting change in the workplace. My hospital recently began scanning patients’ wrist bands and medications to minimize medication errors and this has proven to be beneficial. As far as technology relating to assessment, once these applications become more mainstream our patient’s will address their health issues with us and most likely refer to their mobile devices to give us history on their health status and conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the $200 iPhone case that turns your phone into an EKG monitor to prevent incidences of stroke which shows technology aiding in managing care at home. A Canadian randomized clinical trial found that AF was diagnosed five more times in patients that wore special monitors for 30 days than for those who underwent 24 hour testing, the American Heart Association also supports the prolonged EKG monitoring. The pros to technology are advances in patient outcomes, the cons are protecting patient privacy with all of the data that’s collected. So far I’ve seen technology for patient education being provided through the television sets in each room that provide videos on a diagnosis specific to each patient. I’ve also seen technology used such as iPods providing translation services. As nurses we need to make sure that we utilize and practice the best research out there and that means embracing technology for improving patient outcomes.

Digital Technology in Healthcare

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Digital technology is increasingly playing an important role in facilitating the delivery of patient care, with everything from electronic health records to phone applications that allow health care providers to quickly research a disease or look up side effects to a new diabetic medication, for example.  As someone that embraces technology, I have always incorporated it into my nursing career.  As a nursing student, I always had my drug guide, lab book, and Taber’s Encyclopedia—among other applications—on my smart phone for easy access which saved time, especially during clinical rotations, and significantly reduced my stress level.  Currently, I use several mobile applications, including epocrates, to help manage and educate my Hepatitis C patients and ensure my warfarin patients maintain therapeutic INR levels.

There are, however, drawbacks to the new digital era, such as ineffective staff training regarding new electronic health records and equipment. In 2011, a nurse, who misunderstood a confusing pop-up on a new glucometer, accidentally administered insulin to a hypoglycemic patient, causing the patient to go into a diabetic coma (Rice, 2014).  In 2013, a hospitalized patient did not receive his psychiatric medication for three weeks, as the computer system was programmed to discontinue certain medications after a predetermined time (Rice, 2014).   These examples point to the importance of effective staff training, given different individual learning curves and willingness to adapt to change. Rice (2014) suggests the implementation of a national surveillance system for reporting technological problems to help other healthcare providers learn from previous experiences, which would result in better integration of new technologies.  Despite these setbacks, it is crucial to adapt to the digital era, as digital technology will continue to flourish and impact the medical field in the years to come.

Reference:

Rice, S. (2014). New medical technology poses safety problems if users not trained properly. Modern Healthcare. Retrieved   from http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140816

 

 

Digital Technology and Healthcare Blog

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Digital Technology and Healthcare

Digital technology will eventually serve healthcare providers and clients as a communication abridge allowing consumers to get healthcare when and where they need it regardless of distance. Digital technology will help increase the client’s participation in their healthcare by closing communication gaps between clients and providers. Digital technology will help healthcare providers focus on the needs of the client while improving care and ultimately reducing cost. Digital technology can be intimidating but the benefits are great for client care and increase satisfaction allowing clients to better manage their own health. Digital technology will give clients more autonomy to manage their health while still having the support and guidance of experienced healthcare providers. New mobile health technology is emerging so quickly that client privacy and security are of great concern to both clients and healthcare providers. It is imperative these concerns be resolved before the implementation of new technology.

Many healthcare professionals believe digital technology has impacted the nursing profession in many ways and will continue to bring about changes in the delivery of care. Digital technology impacts the future of nursing because healthcare providers such as nurses must keep up with the new technological advances if they want to continue to practice in the healthcare profession. Technology may drive older nurses who are not technology driven into another profession or early retirement. Adaptation to new technology may be challenging and intimidating cause anxiety and fear in healthcare providers. The healthcare system is rapidly moving towards a technology driven era. In the near future healthcare providers will be forced to use more technology than in the past years or even months.

Technology relates to assessment in multiple ways. With modern technology it will be possible to monitor clients at home for longer periods of time without having to admit them into a clinic or hospital. Technology will change the form and location client assessment is performed. Having the ability to monitor the clients in the home sitting can provide better and more accurate information for the diagnosis and treatment of curtain medical conditions. For instance in clients with A-fib, 30 day EKG monitoring can be useful for the detection of this condition. Early detection of health problems may decrease the cost of care and suffering for clients. With the new technological advances it is realistic to consider mobile technology as part of the client’s plan of care. Technology will surely impact the way healthcare providers manage the clients care at home. The use of text messages for negative test results, electronic prescribing and electronic patient records will improve care, allowing health professionals to spend more time with each client, thus saving money. One meta-analysis reviewed several trials and reported overall modest evidence that text messaging has a positive impact on self-management and outcomes in conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension (Dicianno, Parmanto, Fairman, Crytzer, Yu, Parmana, Coughenour, Petrazzi, 2015).

Health care is growing increasingly complex, and most clinical research focuses on new approaches to diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, little effort has been targeted at the perfection of operational systems, client and medical safety. If medicine is to achieve major gains in quality, it must be transformed, and technology will play a key part, especially with respect to patient safety. Patient safety should be assured by extensive testing before implementation or placement into practice. Patient safety will continue to be assured with the reporting of glitches and continued testing of newly implemented technology.

The current research addressing the impact of mobile technology in client care focuses on healthcare outcomes, cost efficiency and accessibility. One of the biggest benefits reported by research of mobile health is time management. Physicians using mobile technology to treat clients, are finding more time in their day to help additional clients by limiting in-person office visits for when they’re absolutely necessary. The use of mobile health also allows instant access to a client’s Electronic Health Records. In selected facilities physicians are utilizing a mobile app, called eVisit, to facilitate online interactions with clients. Once a client has signed in to the hospital’s client portal and completed a questionnaire concerning their complaints, physicians can respond within minutes to provide care. If a prescription is required, the order can be submitted electronically to the client’s pharmacy.

Pros for using mobile technology include the ability of healthcare professionals to have access to multiple sources of data, including their clients’ activities over extended time periods. Mobile technology strives to be able to change the quality of public health care in general. For example, mobile tools can be used by diabetics in the management of their disease, thus changing the outcome and improving health. Better management of the disease can result in lower hospitalization rates for diabetic clients. Another benefit of mobile health is financial. Analysts suggest that the new mobile technology could save the health industry and its clients billions of dollars annually. Digital medical records allows healthcare providers to view the clients past medical history electronically. Digital medical records allows healthcare providers to monitor and trend labs, vitals, and visits to other healthcare providers, thus providing the client with better services and ultimately resulting in better outcomes. Mobile technology may soon become more available for use making it more affordable and convenient to both healthcare professionals and clients. Cons to the use of mobile technology include healthcare providers concern regarding overwhelming amounts of data to be assessed. A major concern for both clients and healthcare professional includes the loss of security and privacy of client information as well as the accuracy of the data obtained. Another major obstacle and concern will be the integration of technology into provider systems and its correct utilization.

Technology is being integrated into the hospitals and is being used daily to provide clients with health education. Hospitals utilize electronic discharge orders and education of admitting diagnosis and medications. Electronic technology is also being used to send medication orders directly to client’s pharmacy. Health technology is all around. Most smart phones can now be used to download applications related to healthcare. The provided article discussed some of the recent medical advances in digital technology including ambulatory EKG monitoring, PATRICIA and ear bud innovation for exercise. Mobile health applications promise both improvements in the quality of medical services and financial savings. Mobile health is still in the developmental stages, and it has some glitches to overcome. The integration of mobile health technology is inevitable, it is only a matter of when it will be implemented. Healthcare providers would be wise to embrace the new technology as it promises to facilitate and optimize client health.

Resources

Dicianno, E, B., Parmanto, B., Fairman, D. A., Crytzer, M. T., Yu, X. D., Parmana, G., Coughenour, D., Petrazzi, A. A. (2015). Perspectives on the evolution of mobile (mHealth) technologies and application to rehabilitation. American Physical Therapy Association. 95(3). DOI: 10.2522/ptj.201 30534

 

 

Digital Technology & Healthcare

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I think digital technology in the field of healthcare is great. It has allowed researches to gain a lot of insight on health issues such as mental health, academic performance, and behavioral trends. Computers process the information in a clear, organized way and it has saved a tremendous amount of time on the researchers’ part.
Abnormal heart rhythms are another area where technology has come a long way in, specifically atrial fibrillation. Many people have died due to clots resulting from AF. Now we have pacemakers and defibrillators that continuously report data to help diagnose and understand this condition better. According to results from a Canadian randomized clinical trial, patients who wore ambulatory EKG monitors for 30 days had better outcomes because AF was diagnosed five times more frequently in those patients vs. those who underwent conventional 24hr testing.
Technology has improved and saved many lives. It allows us to share information more easily in a matter of seconds. If I’m missing an H&P or if I need orders, I can call the doctor and they can just log on from where they’re at and I’ll get it in a couple minutes. Technology is also wonderful when it comes to patient education. More and more doctors’ offices and hospitals use tablets now in addition to one on one teaching to show patients where they can obtain more info on disease process and other support websites. Technology is here to stay so nurses need to jump on board.

Digital technology in healthcare

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After reading Digital Trends In Nursing, I was surprised to learn about some of the advancements in healthcare, sensors attached to smartphones that can assess a person’s mental health, academic performance, and behavioral trends, an app dubbed PATRICIA that can assist veterans with PTSD, iPhone’s turned into portable EKG monitors, and ear buds that are not only used to hear music but they also record heart rate, calories burned, total energy expenditure, and maximum oxygen consumption. These are only a few advancements tech companies are currently working on. I read an article that mentioned a digital health company that is located in California and London and is currently developing a sensor for medications that is activated by digestive juices when taken by mouth (Morrissey, 2015). This sensor will be both ingestible and digestible (Morrissey, 2015). After this sensor is activated, it is suppose to transmit information to a skin patch, which then sends the information to an app on a smart phone device (Morrissey, 2015). Healthcare providers can then access this information to see if a person has been compliant with taking their medications (Morrissey, 2015). With the Affordable Care Act and the federal government providing incentives for healthcare providers to go digital; It should be of no surprise that technology is now transforming healthcare (Lee, 2013). Tech companies are now finding ways to make their innovations compatible with smartphones, which the majority of society already owns. Nurses will need to be up-to date with technology in order to properly educate patients on these advancements in a hospital setting, doctor’s office, and at home. In the hospital I work in patients are being taught how to access their health records at home via mobile devices. The plus side to all these innovations is being able to obtain individual data that can help with assessing and properly diagnosing a patient. It all sounds great. These advancements will provide individual patient centered care and I can see an increase of nurses working in home health versus a hospital setting in the near future. Patient’s will no longer need unnecessary test or have to be admitted into a hospital for monitoring that can be done at home using your mobile device. This new technology could help save money in healthcare cost and improve a person’s health by detecting certain diseases early, but at what price? Are they safe? To some degree a person’s privacy will be affected. Someone will have access to every place you go, what you eat and what activities you do. It reminds me of the 1993 movie Demolition Man staring Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock. As I was watching this movie I remember, thinking when will we have this type of technology? It all seemed far-fetched. Now I can see myself utilizing this technology in the near future. All this technology is in the early and experimental stages (Lee, 2013). I don’t believe anyone knows the long terms effects these advancements will have on a person? Only time will tell. Until then many tech companies are will continue to find innovated ways for patients to be monitored at outside the hospital setting with incentives being dollar signs, lowering healthcare cost and making individualized patient centered care.

Reference

Lee, E. (2013). 5 ways technology is transforming health care. Forbes.            Retrieved from:http://www.forbes.com/sites/bmoharrisbank/2013/01/24/5-ways-technology-is-transforming-health-care/

Morrissey, J. (2015). The medical technologies that are changing health care. Hospitals &Health Networks. Retrieved from:http://www.hhnmag.com/  Magazine /2015/Apr/cover-medical-technology

Digital Technology and Healthcare

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I found it both interesting and a little overwhelming at the numbers of apps out there for nurses and other medical professionals. The increased use of technology in nursing impacts us in many ways. The time invested in learning new software takes away from hands on care in hopes that it will eventually allow us to make better use of our time and ultimately patient care will benefit. Unfortunately, many of the newer charting systems seem geared more toward those things that increase hospital reimbursement and not with the nurse’s workload in mind. While these technological advances should make charting easier and less time consuming, I do not hear nurses saying how much more they have for hands on patient care. Some of the electronic charting has alerts set up that are routinely ignored by the nurse due to redundancies in the software. It is difficult to imagine working without the technology that we now have. With drug resources, lab values, assessment data, and clinical procedures all available on hand held electronic devices we definitely have an advantage and opportunity to increase the quality of care. On the other hand, do these resources make us less available to our patients? It seems like the more technology we have available, the more we are expected to do. So, do we really have more time for patient care and what is the quality of that care?
A study done by Free et al. (2013) on the effects of mobile technology using text messaging to patients using ARTs and smoking cessation programs supports that these types of interventions can increase adherence. Health-care providers need effective ways to encourage “health-care consumers” to make healthy lifestyle choices and to self-manage chronic diseases. The amount of information, encouragement and support that can be conveyed to individuals during face-to-face consultations or through traditional media such as leaflets is limited, but mobile technologies such as mobile phones and portable computers have the potential to transform the delivery of health messages (Free et al., 2013).
My only experience with technology and patient education is on a personal level. My husband is a diabetic and has an app suggested by his primary care provider. The app allows him to track blood glucose levels, insulin administration, carb counting, and exercise. He used is religiously when it was first introduced but the frequency decreased over time. His feelings were that it was too time consuming and he could not see the benefit from it.

Free, C., Phillips, G., Galli, L., Watson, L., Felix, L., Edwards, P.,…Haines, A. (2013). The effectiveness of mobile-health technology-based health behavior change or disease management interventions for health care consumers: A systematic review [Supplemental material]. PLOS Medicine, , . doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001362

September 6, 2015 Theoharis Chapter 1

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There are three thoughts that struck me as I read the this text. First, I was impressed (and also personally challenged) by the boldness of principal Janice as described in the final paragraph of page 21. She definitely was leading by example and commitment. She used her leadership team to develop the plan and then clearly supported their decisions. She was clear that everyone on staff needed to be a part of the team. Second, I agreed with the assertion on page 18 that there is a need to keep in mind the social construction of disabilities so that we can collectively work towards a more “asset-based” way of educating special needs students. Third, based on my personal experience, I initially strongly disagreed with research finding on page 19 which said, “…placing students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms had no impact on amount or disruption of instruction time.” However, the inclusion model I experienced did not follow the models that were presented in the chapter…not even remotely. After reading the quote by Donna Hooper on page 32 I found my mind significantly open to greater possibilities. Wouldn’t it be great to stop worrying if this student or that student should be in our classroom, and instead learn to co-teach and differentiate better?! I think the goal and vision are important.