Discussion: 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.
Module 4 Discussion
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.
Required Readings
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Chapter 14, “The Electronic Health Record and Clinical Informatics” (pp. 293–316)
- Chapter 15, “Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety, Quality Outcomes, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration” (pp. 323–349)
- Chapter 16, “Patient Engagement and Connected Health” (pp. 357–378)
- Chapter 17, “Using Informatics to Promote Community/Population Health” (pp. 383–397)
- Chapter 18, “Telenursing and Remote Access Telehealth” (pp. 403–432)
Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Collins, S. …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), e806–e813. doi:10.1097/CCM.0000000000002449
Required Media
- Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2018). Public Health Informatics [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Healthcare Information Technology Trends Sample Paper
The nursing and healthcare industries cannot function without technology. Technology has been used in my healthcare company for a variety of nursing and healthcare activities. Social media engagement with patients is one of the key technologies used in the workplace. Skiba (2017) asserts that the present social media usage trend has resulted in a rise in citizens’ involvement in care via social media and mobile apps.
This trend also includes the use of social media and apps for health monitoring. My healthcare organization recommends the use of diabetes monitoring apps for people diagnosed with diabetes. The increased engagement of patients with technology is a positive trend.
Elsewhere, although healthcare technology presents an opportunity to improve care, it also presents inherent risks and challenges. One of the risks of social media use is data breaches and unauthorized access to patients’ information. Healthcare technologies risk patient confidence and access to their personally identifiable information hence present a challenge in the implementation.
The safety of information received through social media communications is also a potential risk. For instance, when patients use unverified mobile apps for their health, they may not access verified and evidence-based recommendations and strategies. On the other hand, social media has the potential benefit of increasing patient participation in care such as pain assessment and management (Rao-Gupta et al., 2018). Therefore, despite the risks of data when using healthcare technology, there is the potential benefit of increasing patient engagement and participation in their care.
Lastly, I believe the Internet of Things (IoT) is the most promising in improving patient outcomes. This is because in the Internet age, the connection of devices and healthcare technologies is increasingly important. Interoperability, machine-to-machine communications, and automation are aimed to smoothen the patient care workflow and improve efficiency.
This improvement in healthcare technology is likely to reduce adverse events and improve patient satisfaction with care (Dykes et al., 2017). Generally, the implementation and improvement of IoT in healthcare will enhance care outcomes and reduce adverse events.
References
- Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Collins, S. …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),e806–e813. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002449
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2017.11.002
- Skiba, D. (2017). Evaluation tools to appraise social media and mobile applications. Informatics, 4(3), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics4030032
