DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTHCARE
The “Digital Trends in Nursing” blog is a comprehensive opinion based blog designed to bring fourth changing technologies and how it is being incorporated into the nursing world. Unfortunately the blogger (Raney Linck) has not kept up the site, and the most recent post is almost a full year old. With the continued advances in technology, and integration of that technology in healthcare, it is important to remember that changes happen everyday.
I feel like the technology referenced in this blog is becoming more mainstreamed and is available to the masses, not just health care providers. I feel in the next few months the department I work for will be utilizing the technology available; in fact, today I participated in an inservice for my hospitals new tele robot. This robot will be replacing the current tele stroke robot, that essentially video conferences a neurologist to a potential stroke patient, and will be used to conduct follow up appointments in the emergency room and connect patients with specialists that would otherwise have to travel to the facility. This robot, and technology like it, enhances the assessment process, it does not replace it. It remains the nurses responsibility to be the eyes and ears in the physical room and participate the in advanced assessment process.
It is also important to remember that these technologies are made to enhance the assessment process and do not necessarily replace the need for more “basic” or “primitive” testing; example being an EKG monitors the electrical activity of the heart, but does not replace the importance of auscultating for heart and valve sounds.
It is also important for follow up and proper education if people are bringing these technologies into their homes for self care. Home health agencies or monitoring companies must be notified to follow up to ensure the patient is truly being cared for and does not have a false sense of safety. Continual monitoring and health applications could give a better overall picture to the patients daily health status but must be interoperated by a medical doctor and not the redly available “doctor google”.
There is a never ending story of research conducted by multiple agencies, hospitals, and educational centers. It is important for the health care provider to be alerted to the ever powerful “evidence based practice” research. Only when research is conducted, tested, and proven in a clinical setting does it become the standard for health care. As technology advances new tools will be available for clinicians and for people to use at home. Some pros of mobile technology include the potential for fewer hospital stays, monitoring patients, better recovery outcomes, and an overall better quality of life. Some cons of mobile technology include false sense of security, interrupted or malfunction of equipment, and poor knowledge of equipment available.
In the hospital I work at, we encourage patients to utilize the technologies available; from blood sugar checks, blood pressure machines, heart rate and oxygen saturation finger probes, and an ACCURATE thermometer. These are now basic technologies that are common in many homes that, when utilized appropriately, can alert a patient or practitioner of acute health changes that need additional treatments.
