Discussion - Week 6

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.

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.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.

*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Class,

Welcome to Module 4, Week 6. This module we will learn about various technologies trends in health care and the challenges and benefits involved. This will be a good discussion!

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5 months ago

Tanaka Ruzvidzo

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A general healthcare technology trend I have observed within my hospital is the use of tele-medicine. This is whereby remote audiovisual assessment is done through HIPAA compliant technology. This form of technology was initially only utilized by the Behavioral Health Unit for Psychiatric assessments and consultations and by the Emergency Department for neurology and stroke consultations. Within the last year tele-medicine has been utilized by the Medical Surgical unit and ICU for specialty services like Cardiology, Nephrology, GI, Pulmonology and Infectious Diseases. The challenge with using this technology is that the nurses caring for the patients need to be knowledgeable in the use of the equipment and be familiar with how to troubleshoot potential issues that arise. Additionally, patients are not used to this form of interaction and may be reluctant to use it.

One potential benefit of tele-medicine associated with patient care is that virtual care can be provided and services that were not previously available are now available and accessible. According to Amirian (2017) “Telemedicine provides a higher quality of care to patients and has demonstrated feasibility, high patient satisfaction, and cost savings when properly incorporated and utilized (Amirian et al., 2017, p. 44).

King, (2018) found that tort liability and increased malpractice insurance rates for physicians practicing in telemedicine” (King, 2018, p.306) is a potential risk of tele-medicine. This is a challenge to physicians because it increases their overhead costs and becomes a deterrent. Telemedicine is still novel and new to insurance carriers, so hopefully over time they can see the potential benefits and decrease malpractice insurance rates. Data privacy, confidentiality and protection may also pose a major risk with this type of technology if the appropriate steps are not taken to mitigate this risk. Securing patient information may be costly, but it is required by law and therefore necessary.

Healthcare technology trends I believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice are “wireless sensors, which can be used to remotely monitor the status of patients’ health and communications technologies to send the information to caregivers” (Al-Turjman et al., 2020, p. 645). These technologies offer significant benefits for wellbeing of people by increasing the quality of life and reducing medical expenses. They provide medical data real-time and decisions regarding the plan of care can be made expediently speeding up the timeframe where interventions may be made. This will help prevent ER and hospital visits, due to the timeliness of medical diagnosis, resulting in favorable patient outcomes.

References

Al-Turjman, F., Nawaz, M. H., & Ulusar, U. D. (2020). Intelligence in the Internet of Medical Things era: A systematic review of current and future trends. Computer Communications, 150, 644-660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comcom.2019.12.030

Amirian, I., Maaz, M., & Phan, S. (2017). Telemedicine: Benefits for Patients, Providers, and Health Care Institutions. Neurology Reviews, 41-44.

King, M. (2018). Telemedicine: Game Changer or Costly Gimmick? Denver Law Review, 95(2), 289-328.

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Tanaka. Your post leads me to a question...

Class:

What is the difference between telehealth and telemedicine?

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5 months ago

Tanaka Ruzvidzo

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Telemedicine is a way of performing medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. A healthcare provider in one location uses a telecommunications infrastructure to deliver care to a patient at a distant location, whilst telehealth refers broadly to electronic, and telecommunications technologies and services used to provide care and services at a distance.

“Telehealth is different from telemedicine in that it refers to a broader scope of remote health care services than telemedicine. Telemedicine refers specifically to remote clinical services, while telehealth can refer to remote non-clinical services” ("What’s the difference between telemedicine and Telehealth?" n.d.).

References

What’s the difference between telemedicine and Telehealth? (n.d.). AAFP American Academy of Family

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5 months ago

Tae Kim

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Tanaka, thank you for your informative post. I agree that telemedicine can result in cost savings for the patients. In a survey of 650 patients, researchers asked patients about alternative care that would have been requested had they not used telemedicine. Their conclusion was that there was a net cost saving per telemedicine visit of between $19 and $121 per visit. Most health concerns could be resolved through a single consultation. Audio-video telemedicine resulted in short-term cost savings by diverting patients from more expensive care settings. Additionally, 16%of the patients surveyed would not have even sought care had there not been the telemedicine option (Nord et al., 2019, p. 892).

Another form of telemedicine is telepsychiatry. Although telepsychiatry has been around for decades, its use has been very limited in the US until the last decade. In 2010, 15.2% of state facilities self-reported offering telepsychiatry. By 2017, this percentage nearly doubled to 29.2%. There is, however, wide variability among states ranging from under 15% of facilities in some states offering telepsychiatry to over 50% in other states. One reason for this disparity may be Medicaid funding as that is less than other funding sources. This indicates administrative barriers in some states (Spivak et al., 2020, p. 123 - 125). \Note that this spurt in telepsychiatry was before the current Covid-19 pandemic. With all the restrictions due to Covid-19, I would not be surprised if the use of telepsychiatry has increased greatly over the last year.

References

Nord, G., Rising, K. L., Band, R. A., Carr, B. G., & Hollander, J. E. (2019). On-demand synchronous audio video telemedicine visits are cost effective. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 37(5), 890-894. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675718306533

Spivak, S., Spivak, A., Cullen, B., Meuchel, J., Johnston, D., Chernow, R., Green, C., & Mojtabai, R. (2020, February). Telepsychiatry use in U.S. mental health facilities, 2010–2017. Psychiatric Services 2020, 71(2), 121-127. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.ps.201900261

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5 months ago

Adam Hundley

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Response 1

Tanaka,

I actually have a first-hand experience with telemedicine. I was at Coachella in 2015 and my asthma was getting bad because of all the dust. I lived in Texas at the time but had a telemedicine service available. I called nada was face-to-face on the phone with a doctor who was able to prescribe me steroids, so I was back on my feet within a few hours of filling it. So for a situation like that, it works well. It could probably work for a plethora of ailments, however, liability could be an issue. Some risks are, but not limited to, credentialing and misdiagnosis due to the doctor having to rely on the patient to give a full medical history (norcal-group, 2020). Doctor s could be reluctant to put their license on the line if they feel they are not getting the ‘big picture’ of the patient’s condition. The doctor who sees the patient then needs to make the information from that visit readily available and either follow up with that doctor or follow up with their PCP (Kmucha, 2020). Something tells me neither of these transactions take place. The patient may verbally tell their PCP next time they see them, but the records and the continuity of care remain a problem with the system.

References

Kmucha, S., MD. (2020). Telemedicine and physician liability issues. Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.1177/0145561320928207

. (2020, July 1). norcal-group.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.norcal-group.com/library/telemedicine-offers-advantages-for-practices-but-liability-risks-remainTelemedicine offers advantages for practices, but liability risks remain

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5 months ago

April Ward

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Response #2

Hello Tanaka,

Thank you for your informative discussion post. The use of telemedicine and telehealth is growing and very exciting. As you stated, the technology is used to remotely assess a patient and provide treatment for them. According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018), healthcare can be provided where the patient is and therefore decrease emergency room visits when using telehealth.

As stated in a study of telehealth and COVID-19 by Pit, et al. (2021), medical students want more training with telehealth technology, due to the outbreak of the illness and the rapid response by using telehealth. In my own practice area of mental health, there has been a positive response to our using telehealth to effectively treat patients during this time of coronavirus. I agree with your discussion post that the use of telehealth and telemedicine is helping so many of our patients.

References

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Pit, S. W., Velovski, S., Cockrell, K., & Bailey, J. (2021). A qualitative exploration of medical students’ placement experiences with telehealth during COVID-19 and recommendations to prepare our future medical workforce. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 431. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02719-3

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5 months ago

Mercy Ambe Mbu

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Hi Tanaka,

Great and insightful post. It might be ambiguous to say that the future of telehealth as healthcare technology is guaranteed. The COVID 19 pandemic served as a means to make the use of this technology obvious. Many specialties turned to telehealth to maintain social distance and prevent the transmission of COVID. According to Shachar, Engel, and Elwyn (2020), telehealth is one of the most remarkable trending technologies that unexpectedly advanced during the pandemic, and many clinics went from 10% to 90% use. Many healthcare providers turned to telehealth for well visits, preadmission consultation, and follow-up appointments for recently discharged patients. The convenience of staying at home and still getting a consult from a provider is an opportunity for those who lack a means of transportation, live in communities without health facilities, or with shortages of providers.

Nonetheless, despite outstanding advantages, you are correct to say that this technology comes with its challenges. Not only was malpractice insurance increased, but reinterment for telehealth is far lower than that of clinical care (Shachar, Engel, and Elwyn, 2020). Many providers might not afford this loss and might tend to decline to provide telehealth services, posing a threat to its sustainability. According to Cowan et al. (2019), Patients reported that telepsychiatry – a form of telehealth, was less personal and more difficult to establish rapport.

References

Cowan, K. E., McKean, A. J., Gentry, M. T., & Hilty, Donald M. (2019). Barriers to Use of Telepsychiatry: Clinicians as Gatekeepers. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 94(12), 2510-2523. http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.04.018

Shachar, C., Engel, J., & Elwyn, G. (2020). Implications for Telehealth in a Postpandemic Future: Regulatory and Privacy Issues. JAMA, 323(23), 2375–2376. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1001/jama.2020.7943

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5 months ago

Jessica Ferrin

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Laureate Education (2018) discusses that one of the significant benefits of healthcare technology advancements with electronic medical records (EMR) is accessibility. This accessibility is not only limited to information; it also includes access to providers via telemedicine or telehealth. Telehealth uses include image and clinical data transmission, disease prevention and promotion via telephone or application, telephonic or video assistance during emergent cases, and health service exchange via real-time video (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). I work at a small urban hospital who up until two months ago, was not part of a large hospital system. Due to the small size of our hospital, we did not have access to many specialty practitioners such as psychiatry, neurology, and urology. Patients would have to be transferred to a larger hospital less than 2 miles from our facility to access these specialty practices. One year ago, telemedicine was introduced at our facility, giving us access to psychiatry and neurology. This post will discuss both the benefits and risks of telemedicine.

Telemedicine at my facility has been challenging at times. The usage of the program is entirely dependent on network availability, which is challenging at our facility. Often connectivity is lost in the middle of consultations which causes delays in care. Physicians and patients become frustrated with the loss of connectivity, and information technology (IT) department availability is sparse for assistance. Despite the challenges associated with telemedicine at my facility, patients have benefited tremendously from the service. During emergent situations such as an acute stroke, we can obtain an immediate consultation with the telemedicine neurologist via video conference on a computer on wheels. Telemedicine allows us to provide the patient with a direct response to the event and decreases delay in treatment.

Data safety risks are also associated with telemedicine. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) protects healthcare information by law (Balestra, 2017). When an internet-enabled device or service is used, sensitive patient information is at risk for a data breach (Balestra, 2017). The technology used for telemedicine should be HIPPA compliant with appropriate encryption to safeguard data (Balestra, 2017). Nurse practitioners are typically only licensed in their practicing state. However, telemedicine allows practitioners to access patients nationwide; thus, single-state licenses are “uneconomical” (Balestra, 2017).

I do feel that the pandemic helped increase the usage of telemedicine with quarantine restrictions. Patients who the technology advancements might have previously turned off may now be more open to the option of telehealth. Accessibility has helped promote telemedicine use today, whether it be at-home good visits or in-patient hospital consultations. As we move forward in healthcare, technology advancements will continue to improve care delivery.

References

Balestra, M. (2017, December 11). Telehealth and Legal Implications for Nurse Practitioners. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 14(1), 33-39. doi:https://www.npjournal.org/article/S1555-4155(17)30808-5/fulltext

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4 ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Jessica. Telemedicine is certainly growing, and it has served to provide greater access, especially to VA hospitals and rural areas.

Dr. Moyers

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5 months ago

Alexis Liggett

RE: Discussion - Week 6 Peer Response 1

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Jessica

Great post! Telemedicine has made such an impact in healthcare and technology today. Telemedicine facilitates video or phone appointments between patients and their health care providers. With the ever-changing pandemic, telemedicine is becoming increasingly popular. Telemedicine is helping health care providers control the spread of infectious illnesses. Evaluating patients through telemedicine saves sick individuals from leaving their home environment and exposing their germs to the immunocompromised, chronically ill, or pregnant patients (Hasselfeld, n.d.).

Telemedicine has many benefits, such as contributing to a better assessment. Some specialties benefit from telemedicine due to being able to see patients in their environment. Take neurologists, for example; with a telemedicine appointment, they can assess you and observe you in your environment. In doing so, they can determine your capability to operate and complete your activities of daily living (ADLs) (Hasselfeld, n.d.). About your example, working in a small hospital, you do not always have access to the proper resources. Without having all specialties located within the hospital, patient care might suffer. Telemedicine is increasing the provider response time and quality of patient care. When it comes to strokes, you only have a 30-minute window to administer tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), so time equals memory. In these instances, telemedicine neurology consults will save the patient’s life.

As with other technological advancements, telemedicine is not without risks. One risk is litigation. “Claims of malpractice liability involving telemedicine have been few and most existing cases have been settled out of court with the final settlements sealed” (Klein, 2019). Although it seems to be a minuscule issue, we must remember that telemedicine is still a new concept. The system could supplement extant risks. Miscommunication can become an issue when the patient and provider are no longer meeting face to face. Other issues could be that patients believe the exam should have been conducted in person, privacy and security breaches have occurred, or that care was disrupted due to power failure (Klein, 2019).

References

Hasselfeld, B. W. (n.d.). Benefits of Telemedicine. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/benefits-of-telemedicine

Klein, J. L. (2019). Managing the risks of telemedicine. Physicians Practice. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://www.physicianspractice.com/view/managing-risks-telemedicine

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5 months ago

Tae Kim

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5 months ago

salome ugwu

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Great post. Telehealth is a great health care tool. It's use in this new age of technology will continue to expand and create a wealth of opportunity for providers and patients. Covid 19 has proven telehealths innovations as valuable, effective and efficient. After the Covid 19 pandemic has subsided, the realization of technological trends like Telehealth and Telemedicine will be the topic of discuss for health care industries.

According to McGonigle and Milstead," A significant increase is expected in the use of information technology tools in nursing venues in the coming decades. This use is affected by a number of factors in all of Western society. The following factors are drivers of the growing trend toward telehealth and technology use and will influence nursing practice significantly in the next decades: demographics; nursing and healthcare worker shortages; chronic diseases and conditions; the new, educated consumers; and excessive costs of healthcare services that are increasing in need and kind" (p. 363).

Reference

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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5 months ago

Ivo Ngosong

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Hi Jessica, I believe that electronic health records improve patient happiness and make it simpler for doctors to deliver treatment, however data security is a concern. It is critical for a healthcare institution to have an electronic health record (EHR) since it enhances the quality of treatment by minimizing medical mistakes (Yanamadala et al.,2016). Furthermore, EHRs improve healthcare efficiency by allowing doctors to obtain patient data such as test results more easily. EHRs also notify doctors when specific screening tests are due, making treatment more convenient for the patient. However, patient privacy and health information security are stumbling blocks to EHR implementation in clinics (Kruse et al., 2017). As a result, one of the features that should be incorporated into EHRs to safeguard data is an audit trail, which records who viewed the information and what modifications were made. Encrypting data secures it by guaranteeing that it can only be viewed by those who have access to a system that can decode it using a key (Kruse et al., 2017). Passwords and PINs may be used as access control techniques to prevent unauthorized people from accessing health information.

References

Kruse, C. S., Smith, B., Vanderlinden, H., & Nealand, A. (2017). Security Techniques for the Electronic Health Records. Journal of medical systems, 41(8), 127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0778-4

Yanamadala, S., Morrison, D., Curtin, C., McDonald, K., & Hernandez-Boussard, T. (2016). Electronic Health Records and Quality of Care: An Observational Study Modeling Impact on Mortality, Readmissions, and Complications. Medicine, 95(19), e3332. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000003332

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5 months ago

Federica Clay

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Jessica Ferrin,

I agree that the use of telemedicine is ever-growing in our day and that electronic medical records are becoming more and more accessible. Another form of telehealth would be the use of personal health records (PHR) to allow the patient access to their chart as well as schedule a telehealth video appointment with a provider for a nonurgent need. This would allow the patient to input their symptoms into their chart along with their appointment reason to give the provider a bigger picture of the patient (Laureate Education, 2018).

Another benefit to telehealth is that providers are better able to track their patient’s symptoms before and after their visit. For example, McGonigle and Mastrian (2017) state that “patients’ responses to new medications can be tracked within hours rather than the several days that elapse between face-to-face visits.” This allows providers to follow up on their patients and see if it helped them, which allows for better patient outcomes for current and future patients who may have the same or similar illness.

Resources

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Chapter 18, “Telehealth and Remote Access Telehealth” (pp. 361)

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5 months ago

salome ugwu

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Technology certainly has made not only healthcare and work but also life in general easier over the years. As a society, we’ve become dependent on machines, and I’m sure most of us don’t even realize how much they simplify daily tasks. As nurses, we probably recognize this most in our documentation; however, telehealth is rapidly becoming the new norm in light of recent events. Recently, a J.D. Power study concluded that 9.6 percent of patients utilized telehealth services “in lieu of a doctor’s office, urgent care, or emergency room visit in the last 12 months” (Manocchia, 2020, para. 5). As Congress allocates funds to establish telehealth services and passes legislation to decrease Medicare payment restrictions, perhaps this will enable more patients to seek telehealth services and help alleviate the strain on hospitals and their valuable resources (Cohen, 2020). As we work towards a future of technology, we must also work to ensure the foundation in which nursing was established. Nursing has always been a field founded in caring and as we incorporate more and more technology to achieve more efficient workloads and better outcomes, we must also ensure we maintain the caring and compassionate concepts the field was founded upon (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).

References

Cohen, J. K. (2020). Telemedicine strategies help hospitals address COVID-19. Modern Healthcare, 50(10), 10.

Manocchia, August. (2020). Telehealth: Enhancing Care through Technology. Rhode Island Medical Journal, 103(1), 18–20.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge (Fourth ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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5 months ago

Miguel Rodrigo Estrera

RE: Discussion - Week 6 INITIAL POST

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Healthcare Technology related to Data Information within my Organization

I work as a Case Manager in the inpatient setting, and one of my responsibilities is to ensure that my hospitalized patients receive safe discharge planning. A well-planned discharge dramatically improves the patient’s health and well-being, minimizes the possibility of risk and injury, reduces the number of unnecessary hospital readmissions, and generally results in a pleasant patient experience for the whole hospitalization (Pellett, 2016). Our hospital system uses a software program called “My Aidin,” a healthcare referral management system that improves patient outcomes while also eliminating time-consuming and expensive delays. The time-consuming process (faxing and calling) required for a referral to the outside community had previously caused transitions of care to be consistently delayed.

Challenges and risks associated with technological trends

In recent years, the Healthcare industry has come to rely mainly on these technologies, which pose hazards that can result in denial-of-service attacks as well as data breaches. Data Breach is a particular problem with this trend. Information security breaches are the most serious hazard to health information systems. As medical devices become more prevalent, they create numerous new access points into data systems, which in turn contributes to the spread of data breaches (Luna, Rhine, Myrha, Sullivan, & Kruse, 2016).

Benefit and risk for data safety

There are several advantages to using the My AIDIN software in discharge planning, including: improving patient outcomes through breaking the cycle of readmission by referring patients directly to the best local providers; saving significant staff time while improving patient outcomes through consolidating all requests, documents, and daily workflows into a single seamless communication hub; and saving significant staff time while improving patient outcomes. And for all kinds of electronic databases, the risk will always be a data breach.

Promising Healthcare Trends

An encouraging trend in Health is Artificial Intelligence; artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that studies the ability of machines (computers) to mimic intelligent human behavior. By utilizing machine learning techniques, artificial intelligence software can diagnose and predict diseases, analyze population health, personalize treatment plans, provide clinical advice to patients through virtual assistants, improve workflow and staff productivity, and optimize the revenue cycle (Clancy, 2020).

References

Clancy, T. (2020, March). Artificial Intelligence and Nursing: The Future Is Now. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 50(3), 125-127. doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000000855

Luna, R., Rhine, E., Myrha, M., Sullivan, R., & Kruse, C. (2016). Cyber threats to health information systems:A systematic review. Technology and Health Care, 24(1), 1-9. doi:10.3233/THC-151102

Pellett, C. (2016). Discharge planning: best practice in transitions of care. British journal of community nursing, 21(11), 542-548. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2016.21.11.542

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion - Week 6 INITIAL POST

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5 months ago

Miguel Rodrigo Estrera

RE: Discussion - Week 6 INITIAL POST

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Hello Dr. Moyers, Thank you for responding to my Discussion Post. Although the nursing profession has benefited from AI and advanced technology by improving patient safety, improving decision-making, automating and speeding up processes, and saving overall costs. I do not believe that robots will be able to replace nurses in the future altogether. Nurses will be able to provide better care to patients because of their ability to engage in participatory encounters involving, among other things, unpredictable human emotions and the use of critical thinking skills in making clinical decisions. Machines will not understand the unpredictable aspects and contexts of nursing situations (Locsin, Rozzano & Pepito, Joseph, 2018). Nursing is a humanistic profession that is immersed in emotional intelligence and is the embodiment of human compassion in its many forms. The inability to completely define nursing or eliminate the humanistic parts implies that artificial intelligence will not completely replace it (Watson, Daniel, Womack, Joshua, & Papadakos, Suzanne, 2020).

References

Locsin, Rozzano, & Pepito, Joseph. (2018). Can nurses remain relevant in a technologically advanced future? International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 6(1), 106-110. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.09.013

Watson, Daniel, Womack, Joshua, & Papadakos, Suzanne. (2020, July/September). Rise of the Robots: Is Artificial Intelligence a Friend or Foe to Nursing Practice? Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 43(3), 303-311. doi:10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000315

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5 months ago

Alexis Liggett

RE: Discussion - Week 6 INITIAL POST Peer Response 2

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5 months ago

Marisa Buffa

RE: Discussion - Week 6 INITIAL POST

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5 months ago

jennifer girgis

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Whether in the hospital or in-home care, a patient portal called MyChart, and a remote patient monitoring system are becoming a trend. For MyChat, patients are encouraged to participate as long as providers are within the system. As a result, patients can engage in their disease, medication management, and communication with their providers. According to Dykes et al. (2017), outpatient portals have improved patient-provider communication and patient satisfaction. Patients can download the application, website links or use quick response (QR) code scanner on their phones, tablets, and computers. However, a remote patient monitoring system is offered to patients (s) who qualify to criteria of selected diagnosis (e.g., CHF, COPD, HTN, COVID-19) regardless of healthcare insurance.

The trends' potential challenges or risks include (1) the middle to senior age group cannot participate without family or caregiver to help access and use due to either disease condition and agility. (2) One should have working technological devices such as computers, tablets, or cell phones to access the application or website link provided. (3) Devices Internet connection capability is a must.

The potential benefit of using such trends is the patient location. They can be wherever they are as long as the internet is accessible. But with technology, there are potential risks for safety errors. According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018, p. 303), as cited in Harrison (2016), a technology designed to improve patient safety is only as good as the person using the device. Therefore, one must still use critical thinking, nursing practice, and careful patient monitoring. In addition, risks can happen when choosing the legitimate application associated with the organization. If not careful, patient information can get exposed to untrusted sites that can solicit access to sensitive and private personal data.

I believe healthcare technology trends would be promising for impacting nursing practice with patient use of remote monitoring and wearables (e.g., apple watch's ECG feature, digital blood pressure cuffs). These devices can extend healthcare reach and can help manage chronic conditions. (Dunskiy, 2021) The devices will improve patient outcomes, efficiencies, or data management, giving patients and caregivers the ability to work on their health independently. At the same time, they can receive information without going to the hospitals and clinics to meet the providers, especially for patients who can't go to providers without transportation services. Based on experience as a home care nurse, patients, after discharge from hospital to home, have physical, emotional, mental stress lessened as they are in the comfort of their home. The data from these devices are shown on the electronic health record (EHRs), communication between providers, and treatment plan making nurses aware of the care plan. Nursing interventions rely on knowledge and skills on disease management given by results and treatment plans. An example that would describe its impact includes (1) using the apple watch ECG feature to monitor symptoms of atrial fibrillation (Afib). The patient, once recognized, can call the provider and ask for the next step. Sometimes, a patient who has a history of afib is aware of measures to control symptoms. (2) Digital blood press cuffs take blood pressure and heart rates. A patient who needs those vital signs monitored can record the results and then provide them to providers for trends and symptoms patterns to assist disease diagnosis.

References

Dunskiy, I. (2021, April 5). 8 New Healthcare Technology Trends to Track in 2021. Retrieved from https://demigos.com/blog-post/major-healthcare-technology-trends/

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…. 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), e808-e813. DOI: 10.1097/CCM.000000000000244

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Tina Alino

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General Healthcare Technology Trends/ Information & Data

The migration from patient paper charts to electronic charting in electronic health records was by far the biggest major technical innovation in healthcare throughout the twenty-first century. The primary technology employed at the hospital where I work is a VISTA computer software suite called CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System). CPRS is a VISTA application that enables a user to input all of a patient's orders in various bundles from a single program. By preparing and delivering all relevant medical data in a manner that actively promotes medical decision-making, it symbolizes VA's efforts to excellence healthcare performance and reliability (“Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center,” n.d.). Medical histories and conditions, issues and treatments, diagnosis and treatment methods, and remedies can all be found in the CPRS. Vital Signs, Intake and Output, Progress Notes, Healthcare Providers' (MD, PA, ARNP) order entry, consults/referrals are all entries that can be made in CPRS. Electronic signature in place of a written signature (set up in CPRS using the "Users Toolbox Menu") (“Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center,” n.d.).

Potential Challenges and risks associated with technological trends

Electronic medical records, such as CPRS, have substantial benefits and drawbacks, like some others. The duration of time needed to accurately document, problems appropriately combining technology into workloads, and possible excessive reliance on advanced technologies by healthcare professionals are just a few of the challenges of using electronic medical records (Reinecke, 2015). In the United States, nursing staff routinely document in electronic health records for at least 35% of their work time (Reinecke, 2015). Nurses' complete concentration is not handy to their patients over such a significant period of time, putting patients at risk of bad occurrences that could have been avoided with quick intervention.

Potential benefit/ risk associated with data safety

To improve the quality of service and patient outcomes, Increased accessibility to comprehensive and understandable patient data, strong interaction coordination between healthcare providers, and decreased medical errors are just a few of the advantages of using electronic medical records. In addition, every one of these factors contributes to enhanced quality patient care (Yanamadala et al., 2016). Furthermore, because only authorized practitioners have access to electronic systems, the adoption of electronic health records increases compliance with legal requirements in terms of greater patient privacy.

One major concern with using electronic medical records is the danger of individual privacy invasion if data is retrieved or technological equipment containing personal medical facts is lost (Menachemi & Collum, 2011).

Most promising Healthcare Technology Trends

The fact is that, just as the world is constantly evolving, electronic medical records are constantly developing as well, and they hold a lot of promise for enhancing patient safety in the future. Patients' tailored health coverage is being prioritized in the redesign of health information systems, rather than just their medical information (Glaser, 2020). This move could enable healthcare personnel to give more preemptive, health-management-focused care (Glaser, 2020).

Incorporating insights into electronic medical records is an approach that might be adjusted to promote high-quality goods and services. These insights would help healthcare practitioners identify how well each patient is progressing toward their desired outcomes, allowing them to make appropriate treatment plan adjustments (Glaser, 2020). Electronic medical records are already being adjusted to aid in better decision-making. When a patient's health changes, strategic planning might suggest changes to the patient's treatment regimen, allowing for timely and appropriate care adjustments (Glaser, 2020). Electronic medical records upgrades will also make it easier for healthcare providers to provide better treatment.

References

Glaser, J. (2020, June 12). It’s time for a new kind of electronic health record. Harvard Business Record. https://hbr.org/2020/06/its-time-for-a-new-kind-of-electronic-health-record

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

Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center. (n.d.). Documentation of medical records. https://www.wichita.va.gov/documents/3_Documentation_of_Medical_Records.pdf

Reinecke, S. (2015, June 15). Is your EHR hurting your nurses? HealthcareITNews. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/your-ehr-hurting-your-nurses

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Good response Tina. Thank you. Of all the benefits of technology in nursing, the one I appreciate most in computerized provider orders. Many years were spend trying to decipher poor handwriting!

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5 months ago

Sophie Enjema Ndumbe

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Hello Tina,

Nice writeup, technology has made it easy especially for people working in healthcare, to provide quality care to patients. They can access patient’s records, provide them with the best quality of care using evidence-based practice. With the use of the electronic health records physicians can check a patient’s past and present information to proceed with a better treatment plan for the patient. According to Laureate Education (2018) electronic medical record is always available and easily accessible no matter the location of and individual. Electronic heath record has made it easy for patient’s information to be stored and used in variety of healthcare settings for treatment purposes.

Electronic records have some challenging risks, examples include people entering the wrong information on a patient and not realizing it and treating the person according to the information in the system. Workarounds and workloads make it difficult for staff to enter in the right information of a patient (Boonstra et al., 2021). This might cause serious injuries to the patient and even death. Staff need to be trained well on how to use the electronic health record system.

References

Boonstra, A., Jonker, T. L., van Offenbeek, M. A. G., & Vos, J. F. J. (2021). Persisting workarounds in Electronic Health Record System use: types, risks and benefits. BMC Medical Informatics &Decision Making, 21(1), 1–14. https://doi-org. /10.1186/s12911-021-01548-0

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Jennifer. Patient portals are growing in popularity. Educating patients on the uses of patient portals is fertile ground for nurses.

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5 months ago

Federica Clay

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5 months ago

Ivo Ngosong

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Jennifer, you are an inspiration. I agree with you that an invention designed to improve patient security is only as good as the person using it. Everyone agrees that electronic health records (EHR) help providers in making better quiet care decisions. Despite the fact that these data have been available for quite some time, many medical care foundations throughout the country have spent a significant amount of time incorporating them. Clinical outcomes include improvements in treatment quality, a reduction in clinical mix-ups, and various improvements in tolerance level measures that show the appropriateness of care. Authoritarian outcomes, on the other hand, have included monetary and functional success, as well as quiet and clinician satisfaction with electronic health records. Finally, societal outcomes include improved research skills and increased population well-being (Menachemi and Collum, 2016). EHRs' potential disadvantages included financial difficulties, changes in work processes, a short loss of usefulness associated with EHR receiving, protection and security issues, and a slew of unexpected consequences. Reception and execution expenses, ongoing upkeep costs, revenue misfortune due to transitory loss of efficiency, and income misfortune are the main reasons that discourage medical clinics and physicians from accepting and implementing an EHR. The purchase and installation of equipment and software, the conversion of paper graphs to electronic outlines, and end-client preparation are all significant expenses associated with EHR reception and execution. These intakes have been seen in both inpatient and outpatient settings (Schmitt and Wofford, 2018).

References

Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2016). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 4, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S12985

Schmitt, K. F., & Wofford, D. A. (2018). Financial analysis projects clear returns from electronic medical records. Healthcare Financial Management: Journal of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, 56(1), 52–57

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5 months ago

Federica Clay

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General Healthcare Technology Trends

There are a few technology trends in healthcare that have become increasingly popular. For example, the use of electronic medical records (EMR) which have taken much of the place of physical paper charts. For a definition, HealthIT.gov (2018c) describes it best: “EHRs are built to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.” Patient iPads are also given to allow patients to view their medical record while they are hospitalized as well as when they are discharged home.

Risks or Challenges

Potential risks or challenges that may arise from this electronic medical record (EMR) may be that the patient may not feel comfortable using technology and may have difficulty using this if wanting to have access to their healthcare information. Another issue may be that EMRs tend to contain a plethora of information about the patient, so it may be difficult to sift through the unwanted information to get to the relevant source.

Benefit and Risk of Data Safety, Legislation, and Patient Care Technologies

One potential benefit to data safety would be that information is much more secure with EMR due to the fact that only healthcare personnel with a username and password can access the patient’s information. A potential benefit for legislation would be that the managers would have to learn it and be familiar with using the EMR before teaching his or her staff. A potential benefit for patient care would be that it could prevent medication errors when administering or prescribing a medication to a patient.

One potential risk associated with data safety would be that healthcare persons who are not part of the patient’s care team can still have access to the patient’s information as long as they have a username or password for the general EMR system. A potential risk of legislation regarding EMRs would be that staff are reluctant to try new technology or change old habits to learn a new way of charting. A potential risk for patient care with EMRs would be that staff may spend too much time learning how to chart and use the system and trying to find relevant information that they do not spend that needed time with their patients.

Promising Healthcare Technologies

I believe that the risks and challenges of EMRs can be overcome with time and patience in learning how to use them. I believe EMRs are the most promising in impacting nursing practice because it consolidates information into relevant groups and makes information searching so much more convenient. This reduces frustrations among nursing staff when trying to learn as much about their patients as they can. I also believe that personal health records (PHRs) will be promising because they allow patients to input information at home in their daily lives. They can manage their own data and choose whether to share the information with their doctor or not (Laureate Education, 2018). This gives patients so much power in their healthcare decisions because it doesn’t just give them about 30 minutes with the doctor to tell them everything that is going on in their lives, it gives them time to input information during their days in case they may forget to mention something to the doctor. The doctor will already have that information available and will be able to make a more precise diagnosis for the patient.

Improved Patient Outcomes, Efficiencies, Data management

I believe EMRs and PHRs will contribute to improved patient outcomes because it will give a full picture of the patient, and not just what the doctor sees in 30 minutes when physically seeing the patient. This will allow the doctor to provide a more accurate diagnosis for the patient, leading to more appropriate treatment and better patient outcomes. As an example of EHR use, a study was done by Rao-Gupta et al. (2018) studied the effect of using an EHR triggered pain reassessment scale on pediatric patients to improve pain management. The results concluded that this did help with pain management and helping the parents of the patients feel engaged in their child’s care. I also believe that EMRs and PHRs will allow for more healthcare efficiencies because they can shorten the time it takes to search the patient’s chart. Healthcare staff such as doctors and nurses can search for specific notes or diagnoses from each other to better understand the patient. Making this process quicker will help with saving time and allowing more time with the patient. EHRs and PHRs will also contribute to data management because they will be able to sort out information appropriately, causing a more effective approach when seeing, diagnosing, and providing treatment for the patient.

Resources

HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (HER)? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Rao-Gupta, S., Kruger, D. Leak, L. D., Tieman, L. A., & Manworren, R. C. B. (2018). Leveraging interactive patient care technology to improve pain management engagement. Pain Management Nursing, 19(3), 212-221

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Frederica.. Your post leads me to a question.

Class:

Installing an EHR into an organization can be costly. Is there financial assistance available to these organizations? What type of assistance?

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5 months ago

ZULFIQAR ABBAS

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Hello Federica,

EHR/EMR brought the new trend for patients and healthcare workers. EHR has nicely replaced the old fashion paper charting that has improved the overall patient outcome. EHR has lot of benefits and

some concerns regarding maintaining the privacy and cost. EHR is very helpful in legislation and kept and maintained the health record of the patients for years and can be utilized for legal purposes or

for any audit when needed. This is true that some patients are not comfortable using the new technology or they do not have access to the computer or any other compatible devices that is required.

EHR contains tons of information that is not needed for the patients. I agree with you that data is more secure in EMR but there is still risks associated with data leak that compromises the PHI and other important health related information. EHR have complex safety concerns, complex social and technical issues, institutions need strong policies and procedure to secure the EHR data and monitor more closely to protect the data. As you have mentioned that the former staff members who still have the login can access to the EMR. Another problem with EMR is the staff reluctancey

and avoidance to learn. Prompt knowledge of EMR increases the the positive outcome and help in prevention of any negative outcomes (Noblin, et al; 2013).

References

Meeks, D. W., Smith, M. W., Taylor, L., Sittig, D. F., Scott, J. M., & Singh, H. (2014). An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety concerns. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 21(6), 1053-1059.

Noblin, A., Cortelyou-Ward, K., Cantiello, J., Breyer, T., Oliveira, L., Dangiolo, M., ... & Berman, S. (2013). EHR implementation in a new clinic: a case study of clinician perceptions. Journal of medical systems, 37(4), 1-6.

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5 months ago

Paola Gaudioso

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Federica,

Great post. Electronic medical records are a great way for providers to have a full picture of a patient. According to Heart at el. (2017) PHR, patient health records, are an online system that allows patients full access to their records. This is helpful so that patients can always access their records for example if they are seeing anew provider and need a copy of medications or labs. A concern many have with PHR is safety. PHR framework is important when creating a system to keep medical records safe (Dae-wook et al., 2010). Many times the information is encrypted which helps with safety.

Dea-Wook Bang, Jang-Seop Jeong, Joon-Hee Lee. (2010). An implementation of privacy security for PHR framework supporting u-healthcare services. INC2010: 6^th International Conference on Networked Computing, Networked Computing (INC), 2010 6^th International Conference, 1-4.

Heart, T., Ben-Assuli, O., & Shabtai, I. (2017). A review of PHR, EMR and HER integration: A more personalized healthcare and public health policy. Health Policy and Technology, 6(1), 20-25. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary. Org/10.1013/j.hlpt.2016.08.002

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5 months ago

Tae Kim

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Healthcare Technology Trends Related to Data / Information

The 21st Century Cures Act was enacted by Congress in 2016 and signed by President Obama. The Cures Act maintains the trend of patient-centered care by allowing patients and their families to participate in treatment decisions. The Act gives people more control over their health data and is an important step in the Department of Health and Human Services' transition to a value-based healthcare system. This law includes provisions aimed at providing patients with transparency about the cost and outcomes of their care, as well as competitive medical care options, modern smartphone apps for easy access to their records, and an app economy that provides patients, physicians, hospitals, payers, and employers with innovation and choice (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, n.d.).

My hospital utilizes Epic to handle patient health data in accordance with the Cures Act, and MyChart is one of the most popular Epic products. MyChart is a free online service that provides individuals with tailored and secure access to sections of their medical information with exception of sensitive genetic findings, outcomes with self-harm or legal consequences, and a subset of documents linked to behavioral health. A patient can use MyChart to control their care and get health-related information through the Internet. One of the highlights of MyChart is the ability to gather all of your medical records in one place. Notes, lab findings, pathology, test results, and medicines are all accessible to patients. A patient can communicate with their healthcare practitioner to get messages, schedule appointments (including Covid-19 vaccines), and communicate with other members of their care team. Even though most healthcare professionals already have access to the patient's medical information, the patient can still share it with a healthcare practitioner who does not. MyChart may also be used to monitor the health of one's children and other family members (MyChart, n.d.).

At Least One Potential Benefit and At Least One Potential Risk Associated with Data Safety, Legislation, and Patient Care

MyChart is an example of patients getting more involved in their own care using technology. Patient activation is a metric that assesses a person's knowledge, skill, and desire to engage in healthcare choices. The objective of a patient engagement plan is for the patient to successfully manage their own health or achieve good behavioral changes. Patient engagement has been demonstrated to save expenses while also improving treatment outcomes. Patients are more likely to enhance their overall wellness when they properly manage their own health. Patients are put at the center of their own care when healthcare practitioners collaborate with more engaged patients (Heath, 2019, “Engaging Patients in Shared Decision Making” section).

Although MyChart claims to enable safe online access, security and/or privacy breaches are always a possibility. MyChart, for example, claims to have “over 100 million patients managing their treatment through MyChart” (MyChart, n.d.). How many of these patients are concerned about their online security and privacy? If MyChart or other comparable EHR systems used by other vendors have weaknesses, or if patients are negligent with their security or privacy, there is a higher danger of unauthorized use, access, and exposure of sensitive patient information, creating issues about confidentiality and privacy (Sulmasy, 2017, p. 938).

Another danger of a data leak is that a patient would lose faith in the tools that allow them to access their healthcare information. They may refuse to disclose information to their healthcare practitioner if they believe their privacy has been breached. Because of the risk of insurance denial, job loss, or being stigmatized, the patient may withhold critical information or postpone seeking care. There are increased concerns about security breaches because of the ease with which sensitive healthcare information may be exchanged on systems like MyChart. These can arise accidentally as a consequence of cyberattacks or due to lapses in professional behavior (Sulmasy, 2017, p. 938).

Healthcare Technology Trends That Are Promising for Impacting Nursing Practice

Remote monitoring is another development associated with patients being more involved in their own treatment. This trend has the potential to significantly enhance medical outcomes, efficiency, and data management. Technology is enabling healthcare practitioners to monitor patients for chronic illnesses in their own homes. Remote monitoring can be used to track patient weight in a patient with congestive heart failure, blood glucose in a diabetic patient, blood pressure in a patient with hypertension, and oxygen saturation in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This information may be accessed through the patient portal and EHR, which makes it valuable for treatment planning. Convergent technologies make this automation possible. Many smartphones, for example, can upload and securely store data from medical devices like scales, glucometers, blood pressure cuffs, heart rate monitors, and pulse oximeters. Many EHRs, like as Epic, can securely import this data from a smartphone or tablet, allowing clinicians to keep track of a patient's status throughout their treatment (Waldren et al., 2017, pp. 29 – 30).

References

Heath, S. (Ed.) (2019, March 1). Patient engagement strategies for improving patient activation. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://patientengagementhit.com/features/patient-engagement-strategies-for-improving-patient-activation

MyChart (n.d.). MyChart; Your secure online healthcare connection. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.mychart.com

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) (n.d.). About ONC's Cures Act Final Rule: Empowering patients with their health record in a modern health IT economy. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.healthit.gov/curesrule/overview/about-oncs-cures-act-final-rule

Sulmasy, L. S., López, A. M., & Horwitch, C. A. (2017). Ethical implications of the electronic health record: In the service of the patient. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(8), 935-939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4030-1

Waldren, S. E., Agresta, T., & Wilkes, T. (2017). Technology tools and trends for better patient care: Beyond the EHR. Family Practice Management, 24(5), 28-32. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https:// www.aafp.org/fpm/2017/0900/fpm20170900p28.pdf

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5 months ago

Tina Alino

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General Healthcare Technology Trends/ Information & Data

Potential Challenges and risks associated with technological trends

Potential benefit/ risk associated with data safety

Most promising Healthcare Technology Trends

References

Glaser, J. (2020, June 12). It’s time for a new kind of electronic health record. Harvard Business Record. https://hbr.org/2020/06/its-time-for-a-new-kind-of-electronic-health-record

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

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Tina Alino

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Some of the references are missing in this post so I have to reports them. Sorry for any inconveniences that this may cause. Thanks

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5 months ago

ZULFIQAR ABBAS

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Hello colleagues,

Information technology is involved and a part f our daily life. We are so dependent and rely on IT and having the benefits and easiness of information technology in our life. Healthcare always tries to be more flexible and brings a friendly trend in the delivery of care. Information technology brought many changes and innovative approaches in the industry. For example, Electronic Health records, telemedicine, and online Healthcare related webinar, and training and self-learning. Among all the IT resources involved in healthcare the EHR and telemedicine. Telemedicine is not a very old trend introduced in healthcare. It has started a few years ago but it became more and more popular since the COVID 19 pandemic started all over the world. In the beginning, telemedicine is only being used for certain specialties especially Psychiatry is the most. In Psychiatry, most assessments of the patient are based on the provider’s behavioral interview and conversation and evaluation rather than performing a full or focused examination of all body systems in most instances. Since the pandemic started everything was closed and switched to online because everywhere there was a lockdown or some places even had curfew as well.

CMS is the first who allowed and started reimbursement for tele visits for any reason and any provider regardless of the situation. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), "telemedicine is a service that seeks to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real-time interactive communication between the patient and the physician at a distant site" (Kichloo, et al; 2020). As far as I knew every provider and facility was getting the full reimbursement of the service provided during the visit. Tele visit is a convenient way of getting healthcare services at your own pace, availability, and cost-saving. Tele visit saves the time transportation for both the patient and provider. In general, telehealth practice in primary care practice shows promising results and the governing bodies are promoting more in practice (Mathew, et al; 2021). EHR is required to use the tele doc services. EHR is like a backbone of to receive theses in healthcare nowadays.

In my previous job we were using the e Clinical Works (eCW) patient portal for the tele visit. It showed a very positive result in most tele visits encounters except a few exceptions. E Clinical Work, was also used for managing and distributing the data. EHRs are built to share the information with other providers and organizations, for example, clinical laboratories, radiology, pharmacies, schools, and other specialties (healthit.gov, 2018). All the providers were comfortable using the (eCW), it is very user-friendly and comprehensive provides 24/7 accessibility with any device, anywhere, and anytime. Teledoc can be used with a variety of medical conditions, for example, UIT, URI, COPD, post-stroke patients, and mental illnesses etc. The patient should be willing to use the tele doc and have awareness regarding the system for healthcare delivery. The main risks associated with tele doc is the safety of data, legal implications, and elderly patients’ does not have the access to electronic devices or lack of basic knowledge to operate the devices.

Overall healthcare technology trends are promising, for example, telehealth in the healthcare industry such as outpatient, inpatient, and in case management. Telemedicine played a very important role during COVID 19 pandemic and decrease the exposure of patients and healthcare providers and decrease the need for PPE by providing care in a remote setup (Fix & Serper, 2020). Telehealth made it possible to deliver easy, improved, and cost-effective care to all patients without going out of their homes. Data can be protected with multi authentication protocol, firewall, and other IT security measures.

References

Fix, O. K., & Serper, M. (2020). Telemedicine and telehepatology during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Clinical liver disease, 15(5), 187-190.

Kichloo, A., Albosta, M., Dettloff, K., Wani, F., El-Amir, Z., Singh, J., ... & Chugh, S. (2020). Telemedicine, the current COVID-19 pandemic and the future: a narrative review and perspectives moving forward in the USA. Family medicine and community health, 8(3).

Mathew, T., Lee, P. C., Ianno, D. J., & Benson, J. (2021). Telehealth and Australian general practice in 2020: A survey exploring patients' perspectives in the Adelaide Hills. Australian journal of general practice, 50(10), 754-759.

What is an electronic health record (EHR)? HealthIT.gov. (2019, September 10). Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr.

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Zulfiqar. Your post leads me to a question...

Class:

How has technology enabled to health care consumer to be more active in his or her health care?

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5 months ago

Mercy Ambe Mbu

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Hi Zulfiqar,

Great and insightful post. I agree with you that electronic Health records improve interprofessional collaboration by bringing all data together and making it accessible to all professionals for informed decision-making regarding patient care. We no longer have to wait for laboratory results to be faxed to us. Instead, you get a notification that new lab results are available and can access them immediately. EHR is used to document and manage individual patient care, performance measurement, and patient engagement (Adler-Milstein et al., 2017). Programs like MyChart makes it possible for patients to access their health information directly.

In the past, patients have to go to the medical record department, fill out a form, and then give them time to search the records. Patients, their caregivers, and the power of Attorney can access patient information remotely. Patients are better placed to make quick and informed decisions about their care. Access to EHR facilitates the transition of care. Nursing homes, short-term rehabilitation facilities can access patient information before they arrive at the facility, enabling the facilities to visualize the patient's need and prepare appropriately before patient arrival. For example, sometimes, during R.N. to R.N. reports, some items may be missed, such as a patient being on 3 liters of oxygen; preparations will be made toward putting this patient in a room with oxygen.

References

Adler-Milstein, J., Holmgren, A. J., Kralovec, P., Worzala, C., Searcy, T., & Patel, V. (2017). Electronic Health Record Adoption in U.S. Hospitals: The Emergence of a Digital "Advanced Use" Divide. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 24(6), 1142–1148. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pmc/articles/PMC7651985/

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5 months ago

Ivo Ngosong

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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EMRs) and electronic wellbeing records (EHRs). An electronic clinical record (EMR) incorporates a similar data as a paper outline, however the information is kept in a superior organized way, making it doubtful that data will get lost and more direct to get to. An EHR is unmistakable from an EMR in that it contains patient information according to numerous medical services points of view, which are all joined into a solitary record (Laureate Education, 2018). The emergency clinic where I work has consolidated the two frameworks to give better understanding consideration and better persistent results. EMRs and EHRs aren't the main electronic apparatuses being used at my office; there are additionally persistent gateways. To monitor their medical care information and approach wellbeing related help, electronic patient entryways are made easy to use for patients to use. In the entryway framework, information about the patient's wellbeing is recorded, making it accessible to them and any medical services suppliers they might interact with later on. For instance, lab following is an extremely normal utilization of patient entries. Patients might utilize their gateways to see past orders for and consequences of testing for themselves (ONC, 2017).

The patient entrance structure has a lot of benefits, but it also has a lot of drawbacks. The lack of delayed time for results publishing is a major test. Test results may appear on a patient's door before long-awaited results are available, implying that the patient may receive the results before the consideration provider. Due to the nature of the scheduling, health-care providers may miss out on the opportunity to share findings with patients in a specific context. Patients may experience severe anxiety, make incorrect translations, and self-treat their illnesses incorrectly if test results are not adequately clarified (Davis and Smith, 2016).

When evaluating patient entrance frameworks, it is critical to consider information security. One of the most remarkable benefits in such a situation is the lack of accountability for clinical data. Without patient gateways, a patient has the choice of having personal health information revealed to them; nevertheless, a patient entry puts the data in their assets, resulting in more significant accountability for information. Patients may feel more connected to their wellbeing as a result of the feeling of more prominent ownership, encouraging generally better continuous attention (Kujala et al., 2018). Surprisingly, a risk connected with information security associated with a patient entrance framework is the possibility of a breach of privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is the authoritative interaction for dealing with this problem (HIPAA). The HIPAA legislation was created to ensure the security and well-being of patient information, which ultimately preserves the essence of patient concern (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2017).

I believe that EHRs are usually successful in nursing practice, based on all of the medical care innovation trends reviewed above. We can better grasp the medical services requirements as medical caregivers and attendant pioneers when we have a whole picture of the patient's well-being in front of us. The primary method to do this is to look at all aspects of a patient's clinical history, which is something that an EHR finally provides. Because this information framework follows a patient across the continuum of health, EHR innovation frameworks will undoubtedly improve patient consideration outcomes. In this manner, it's unlikely that a patient's key wellbeing factors would go unnoticed (Laureate Education, 2018). Hypertension, for example, is a critical medical concern that must be addressed. It is usually something that an attendant will pay close attention to; however, if a patient has a lot of comorbidities, hypertension will almost likely be overlooked or will stand out enough to be recognized. With the proper implementation of EHR systems, hypertension will almost certainly resurface, making it harder to ignore. EHR frameworks make the future of medical services seem more bright than it has in the past.

References

Davis, K. A., & Smith, L. B. (2016). Ethical Considerations about EHR-Mediated Results Disclosure and Pathology Information Presented via Patient Portals. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(8), 826-832. doi:10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.8.pfor1-1608

Kujala, S., Hörhammer, I., Kaipio, J., & Heponiemi, T. (2018). Health professionals’ expectations of a national patient portal for self-management. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 117, 82-87. doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.06.005

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). (2017). What is a patient portal? Retrieved July 6, 2021, from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-patient-portal

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Good response Ivo. Your post pertaining to medical records leads me to a question....

Class:

What is Meaningful Use? What does it have to do with the EHR?

Dr. Moyers

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5 months ago

Ivo Ngosong

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Thanks so much Dr. Moyers. Meaningful Use (MU) is defined as the use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) system to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities, improve care coordination, improve population and public health, engage patients and their families in their own health care, and ensure patient privacy and security.

Thanks

Ivo

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5 months ago

Alexis Liggett

RE: Discussion - Week 6

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Patient Portal

With the vastly changing healthcare industry, technology has changed just as quickly to help promote the overall development of the field. One of the focuses in healthcare today is customer expectations for data. Patients demand knowledge and information, want immediate access to results, and have unlimited, unrestricted access to their healthcare team (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). “Patients want to be engaged in their healthcare decision-making process, and those who are engaged as decision-makers in their care tend to be healthier and experience better outcomes” (Healthcare Information and Management System Society, n.d.). One form of technology created to help patients make this possible are online patient portals.

Potential Challenges and Risks

There are many potential challenges to implementing new technology, including the idea of patient portals. One challenge is that the patient portal is not universal throughout all the patient’s healthcare providers, and they often do not talk to each other. The patient would have to create a new portal with each provider they see. “A patient should only need one portal – a comprehensive one maintained by his or her primary care physician (PCP), who shares data with all those specialists and hospitals, gets timely updates, and is great at keeping records” (Manag, 2015).

As with any online account, there are always risks. There are various risks associated with patient portals, such as security breaches, incorrect patient use, and impractical provider expectations. To reduce such risks, patients should register their portal with a username and password specific to their account and not share their login information with anyone. When registering their account, guidelines on appropriate forms of communication and expectations for response times should be noted (Coverys, 2017).

Potential Benefits

Patient portals acquire an abundance of benefits. Patient portals allow patients continuous access to their medical records, thus keeping them more cognizant (Manag, 2015). While in the patient portal, patients can do many things: make appointments, refill prescriptions, request referrals, make payments, complete forms, ask questions, and update insurance or contact information. Patients can also view their test results, education articles, medical history from allergies to immunizations, and visit summaries. Patient portals are even offering telehealth visits during the current COVID-19 pandemic (MedlinePlus, n.d.).

Most Promising Technology for Impacting Healthcare

I believe that the implementation of the patient portal is very promising for impacting healthcare. Today a greater focus is placed on patient participation in healthcare, whether it be bedside shift reports on the nursing unit, bedside shift reports before and after patient surgery, or the use of patient portals. As a nurse, I strongly advocate for and encourage my patients to participate in managing their health and creating their healthcare plans. Continuing the use of patient portals will further improve patient outcomes. When patients are involved in their healthcare decisions and understand why decisions are being made, they are more compliant with their healthcare plan and medication regimen. As previously mentioned, “patients want to be engaged in their healthcare decision-making process, and those who are engaged as decision-makers in their care tend to be healthier and experience better outcomes” (Healthcare Information and Management System Society, n.d.).

References

Coverys. (2017). Patient Portals: Manage Risk & Protect Privacy. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.coverys.com/knowledgecenter/Articles/Patient-Portals-Manage-Risk-Protect-Privacy

Healthcare Information and Management System Society. (n.d.). What is Patient Engagement? Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.himss.org/what-patient-engagement

Manag, F. P. (2015). Patient Portals: The Good, the Bad, and the Inevitable. American Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2015/0100/p4.html

MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Patient portals – an online tool for your health. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000880.htm

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Healthcare Information Technology Trends

By Day 3 of Week 6

By Day 6 of Week 6

References

References

References

Dunskiy, I. (2021, April 5). 8 New Healthcare Technology Trends to Track in 2021. Retrieved from https://demigos.com/blog-post/major-healthcare-technology-trends/

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