Technology in Healthcare
In this day and age, technology is at the core of healthcare innovation. It stores everything from patient data, to the updated cafeteria menu, all the way to the most important medical devices used by each specific unit. In most cases, people view technology as a way to communicate. Although administration and management practically run off of technology, there are issues that occur more often than one thinks.
On a day to day basis, administration and management use technology to do simple day to day tasks. Cell phones are not only personal tools but they are also used to update schedules, check emails, contact physicians, and speak between other coworkers. But, could technology influence management and administration in a negative way? Is it possible for technology to be a barrier as opposed to a support tool?
In my opinion, I feel as though technology, although can be destructive in some cases, it is more positive than negative when it comes to healthcare. When a patient leaves a hospital, they almost always get an email or phone call linking a survey they can complete in order to reflect on the care and experience they got. Without this, hospital management would not be able to collect accurate customer experience data and would not have the tools needed to analyze the data. Without that analysis, managers and administrators cannot work together in order to develop better strategies and care visions in order to perform at the best of their ability.
Healthcare is a growing field and continues to change. New improvements are constantly being made to the healthcare industry, and a benefit of technology is that it is able to keep up with the change. Things like electronic medical records and electronic prescriptions make it easier for healthcare to run effectively, as well as allowing workers in healthcare to be more thorough in the care they are able to give. I believe that the future of healthcare revolves around technology. Healthcare in general is extremely innovative, and technology allows for it to go further each day. Without technology, healthcare would not be able to make the advancements in things such as Cancer, or Alzheimer.
I think one thing that will be difficult as technology's presence in healthcare grows even more, will be changing the ideas of healthcare to older generations. Some people in not only healthcare but in any field, do not like change. It can be difficult to change the way people are used to delivering or receiving care, and it would be interesting to see how that can affect the way technology is implemented into hospitals or other healthcare facilities.
On a day to day basis, administration and management use technology to do simple day to day tasks. Cell phones are not only personal tools but they are also used to update schedules, check emails, contact physicians, and speak between other coworkers. But, could technology influence management and administration in a negative way? Is it possible for technology to be a barrier as opposed to a support tool?
In my opinion, I feel as though technology, although can be destructive in some cases, it is more positive than negative when it comes to healthcare. When a patient leaves a hospital, they almost always get an email or phone call linking a survey they can complete in order to reflect on the care and experience they got. Without this, hospital management would not be able to collect accurate customer experience data and would not have the tools needed to analyze the data. Without that analysis, managers and administrators cannot work together in order to develop better strategies and care visions in order to perform at the best of their ability.
Healthcare is a growing field and continues to change. New improvements are constantly being made to the healthcare industry, and a benefit of technology is that it is able to keep up with the change. Things like electronic medical records and electronic prescriptions make it easier for healthcare to run effectively, as well as allowing workers in healthcare to be more thorough in the care they are able to give. I believe that the future of healthcare revolves around technology. Healthcare in general is extremely innovative, and technology allows for it to go further each day. Without technology, healthcare would not be able to make the advancements in things such as Cancer, or Alzheimer.
I think one thing that will be difficult as technology's presence in healthcare grows even more, will be changing the ideas of healthcare to older generations. Some people in not only healthcare but in any field, do not like change. It can be difficult to change the way people are used to delivering or receiving care, and it would be interesting to see how that can affect the way technology is implemented into hospitals or other healthcare facilities.
When I read your post, specifically the piece about the older generation, I think of seeing senior citizen patients checking-in for their appointment through a kiosk. We have check-in kiosks at our OP clinics and for most, they are a quick and convenient way to check-in and avoid having to wait in line. For older folks, they are cumbersome and confusing. Often times, they will ask for help and be assisted, but the check-in process ends up taking longer for them. The kiosks are not only intimidating because they are unfamiliar, but also because older patients tend to be more hesitant to share personal information via IT platforms due to security concerns.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare is a technology-heavy industry and will only get more so. Good post.
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