Reply 1
Technology is plying a vital role in health care system for providing safe and quality care. Its not helping to collect and save data but also sharing the data between health care providers involved in patient care for effective outcomes of care. Technology is an integral part of health screening diagnosis, and treatment.
In my health organizations technology has become important part of patient care. We start using technology the time we step in the building as we scan our chip ID to enter in our locked dementia unit which enhance patient’s safety because only authorized staff can enter in the unit. Technology is used for electronic shift report which help us to keep track how was the patient’s condition in previous shift and if there is any big changes in patient’s health, any fall happens during previous shift hours. We use software to keep the track of medication administration every day for each patient. Technology is used to keep the records of each patient e.g. health records, history, physicals, any incident, admission or discharge records, any information related to patient are recorded, using the online software which makes it so much easier for all staff who is authorized to use information. Pharmacy can check the medication orders for the patients and recommend accordingly which is only possible because of technology, the moment we get orders it is verified with the pharmacy, and medication orders are processed faster than ever, and the medication was sent by pharmacy on time without any delay. We can imagine if there is no such technology how long it will take to get one order and then how long it will take to reach pharmacy and get medication. Technology helps to process the things faster, which makes it possible to provide the best possible care to the patients.
Reply 2
Digital innovations have radically transformed the healthcare system. Information technology plays a growing role in the delivery of healthcare and helps in addressing the health problems and challenges encountered by clinicians and other health professionals in practice (Campanella, Lovato, Marone, Fallacara, & Mancuso, 2015). Electronic health records (EHRs) have been widely applied in the United States to document and gather patient information. An electronic health record refers to a systematic electronic collection of patients’ health information such as their medical history, medication orders, laboratory results, medical procedures, vital signs, radiology reports, and physician and nurse notes. EHRs also help healthcare professionals to make sound clinical decisions as EHRs also include decision support systems (DSS) which provide up-to-date medical knowledge, reminders, and other actions (Campanella, Lovato, Marone, Fallacara, & Mancuso, 2015).
Evidence supports that EHRs can improve the quality of healthcare, increase time efficiency, improve adherence to guidelines, and reduce medication errors and adverse drug events (Campanella, Lovato, Marone, Fallacara, & Mancuso, 2015). Consequently, can also reduce costs associated with medical errors, adverse drug events, and time inefficiency. Considerable reduction in costs occurs when the quality of patient care is improved and patient harm reduced. Adherence to guidelines by healthcare professionals has a direct impact on the use of resources and the cost of healthcare as DSS supports clinicians in clinical decision making (Miriovsky, Shulman, & Abernethy, 2012). This reduces medical errors, adverse drug events, and resource wastage. HER guidelines are promoted to decrease variability in clinical practice and the use of ineffective therapies in clinical practice. The use of appropriate information technology in healthcare delivery improves the efficiency of hospitals as benefits exceed operational costs.
References
Campanella, P., Lovato, E., Marone, C., Fallacara, L., Mancuso, A., Ricciardi, W., & Specchia, M. L. (2015). The impact of electronic health records on healthcare quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The European Journal of Public Health, 26(1), 60-64.
Miriovsky, B. J., Shulman, L. N., & Abernethy, A. P. (2012). Importance of health information technology, electronic health records, and continuously aggregating data to comparative effectiveness research and learning health care. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 30(34), 4243-4248