Technology in healthcare

Changes in technologies are restructuring health care into more efficient and qualitative care delivery methods. One of the most important changes to face clinical practice in the past decades has been integrating technologies such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and telehealth into practice. This has dramatically changed not only how health professionals interact with their patients but also, importantly, how health information is collected, stored, and disseminated. This paper compares two of the most important technologies in recent times: EHR, at the heart of almost every health institution, and telehealth, which started to gain momentum, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comparative analysis will look at the benefits and drawbacks of both technologies, outline the effects on patient care, explore the role of nurses in maintaining patient confidentiality, consider how these technological advances have served to expand access to healthcare, and reflect upon how this technology can be incorporated into future nursing practice.

Electronic health records (EHR)

EHRs are digital forms of paper charts containing a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, and test results. They are real-time, patient-centered records that make information instantly and securely available to authorized users (Ehrenstein et al., 2020). The major purpose of EHRs is to make sharing of information easier and improve the quality of care. Among other key advantages of EHRs is that they promote communication among healthcare providers. Since all patient information exists in one single digital system, there is less possibility of miscommunication and/or missing some crucial data. This will enhance better-coordinated care, especially for patients with advanced, multi-physician care plans. EHRs are also enhancing patient safety by reducing errors from illegible handwriting or wrong interpretation of facts. Inpatient Care EHR-integrated decision support systems, such as drug interaction alerts, provide evidence-based tools to guide clinicians in making clinical decisions that improve care outcomes. EHRs enhance the quality of public health reporting and monitoring because they recursively ensure that patient data is recorded accurately (Hammack-Aviran et al., 2020). This helps in broader health data analytics, which is crucial for understanding trends in infectious disease outbreaks or in the effectiveness of public health interventions. In addition, this system enhances the interest of patients through easier access to their medical records for better decision-making regarding their health.

However, besides the different advantages of EHRs, there exist a couple of major disadvantages. Implementing an EHR system is costly; it involves huge costs for both technology and training. Furthermore, a financial burden is imposed on the healthcare sector, especially for smaller assemblies. Secondly, working with an EHR system can sometimes be complicated; this leads to inefficiency. Data entry may require so much time that this detracts from the time spent by nurses and doctors in communicating with their patients. Downtime or technical failures also have the potential to make care delivery fragile, delaying treatments or having professionals revert to less efficient ways of performing their jobs, such as using paper records (Ehrenstein et al., 2020). Added to this is the concern for privacy, where systems are now more vulnerable to hacking and other forms of unauthorized access. Organizations in healthcare have to make huge investments in cybersecurity measures to protect patient data, yet data breaches happen, which may compromise the trust instilled by the patients in them.

Telehealth and Telemedicine

Generally, telehealth is defined as the delivery of clinical healthcare services by means of telecommunication technologies, which include but are not limited to video, mobile devices, and remote patient monitoring. The term telemedicine is often used to describe a subset of the services offered through telehealth: clinical services. In any case, telehealth has transformed the way patients receive care, especially those in remote or underserved areas. The most significant advantage of telehealth is that it facilitates access. Accessing healthcare services can be an uphill task for people far from hospitals or clinics, such as those living in remote areas. Telehealth, therefore, cuts down the burden of having to travel long distances just to see a doctor, as one does this from the comfort of one’s house (Mechanic & Kimball, 2022). This is very important for people who, because of their condition, find it difficult to make frequent trips to healthcare facilities. Telehealth also facilitates ease and speed in health care delivery. It cuts down on waiting lists for consultations, quickens access to specialists, and allows for the constant monitoring of chronic diseases through wearables technology. Telemedicine has also been associated with a decrease in readmissions to the hospital, since timely interventions are possible without having to make emergency room visits. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, telehealth saves costs for both the patients and providers because of saved transportation costs and missed days at work for patients, while health care systems reduce pressure on hospital resources as some forms of care are shifted to virtual platforms.

Despite the numerous advantages of telehealth, this platform faces challenges. First of all, the quality of care might be compromised because of the lack of physical examination. As much as telehealth can handle routine consultations, a few conditions necessarily require in-person visits for proper diagnosis and treatment. Other issues include the digital divide-not all patients have access to good internet service or technological savvy to engage in virtual consultations. This is particularly important for elderly or low-income populations, who may be more at risk of being excluded from telehealth (Ye et al., 2023). Additionally, concerns about patient privacy and security are some of the concerns that arise with telehealth. Like EHRs, data breaches are also a risk for telehealth platforms. Ensuring compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other regulatory standards means sensitive patient information is kept secure.

How my Chosen Technological Advances have Improved Patient Care

EHR and telehealth have positively impacted patient care by improving efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility. EHRs facilitate well-coordinated care in that they reduce errors by promoting best practices for patient safety through conversations based on current information about the patient (Woldemariam & Jimma, 2023). Telehealth improves outcomes for patients, especially individuals in remote and underprivileged sections of the population, by increasing access to health services. With telehealth, both remote monitoring and virtual consultations make it possible for doctors to intervene earlier in patient conditions, avoiding complications and preventing hospitalization (Mechanic & Kimball, 2022). Moreover, the combination of EHR and telehealth will foster the elaboration of patient-centered models of care; that is, patients will be more involved in managing their health. The technologies help in increasing engagement and shared decision-making by allowing access to and sharing of the medical records of the patients and communication remotely with healthcare providers.

The Roles and Practices of Health Care Workers, Particularly Nurses, Related to Patient Confidentiality and Protecting Patient Information

As direct caregivers, nurses deal much with the confidentiality of patients, especially nowadays when there is greater reliance on electronic health records and the utilization of telehealth. In today’s situation, maintaining patient information has become complex in that everything is electronic-based, both in storage and in sending or transmitting data. Nurses must protect the patient’s data through careful implementation of institutional policies or ethical codes (Zhang & Saltman, 2021). This raises ethical concerns about technology use for patient confidentiality. The nurses are challenged to ensure that actual access to patient records is to authorized persons alone and that sensitive information is not shared without consent. In the case of telehealth, the nurse needs to confirm whether the platforms used for virtual consultations are secure and if the patients are always informed of the possible risks of using technology to transmit health information.

How Technological Advances can Improve Access to Health Care

Both EHR and telehealth have created new, unprecedented avenues of access to health care. EHR systems allow communication among providers across different facilities for continuity of care should the patient move to different specialists or treatment centers. Telehealth breaks down geographical barriers and affords patients in areas with a shortage of doctors access to high-quality healthcare without necessarily traveling long distances (Mechanic & Kimball, 2022). These technologies significantly benefit chronic disease management, where monitoring and follow-ups need to be continuous for optimum results.

Application of Knowledge in Future Nursing Practice

The knowledge that I have gained in the process of understanding EHR and telehealth technologies will have a significant impact on my future nursing practice. With the continuous rise in healthcare evolution, the incorporation of these technologies in daily nursing care shall be critical to guaranteeing quality and patient-centered care. I will integrate EHR systems to improve the accuracy and efficiency of documentation; such is an essential form of patient safety and continuity of care. Additionally, I will advocate for the use of telehealth with patients residing in rural or underserved areas in order to ensure they can get the access to care needed (Mechanic & Kimball, 2022). This will further involve the commitment to continuing education in these technologies as new tools and platforms continue to be developed. Understanding and knowing the latest and most current happenings in healthcare technologies will enable me to give the best possible service to my patients while ensuring that their issues about privacy and confidentiality are taken care of.

In summary, the introduction of EHR and telehealth technologies brought revolutionary changes in patient care, which included facilitating communication, ensuring the safety of patients, and making healthcare more accessible. Though the technologies present some challenges, such as high implementation costs and privacy apprehensions, their benefits are greater when weighed against the disadvantages of these technologies. As technology continues to evolve, any healthcare provider- but particularly the nurse- must be able to adapt and accept such change while maintaining a focus on ethical practice and patient-centered care. By doing so, we ensure that insofar as these realms are concerned, technological advancement fosters continuing improvement in the quality of care and health outcomes for all patients.

References

Ehrenstein, V., Kharrazi, H., Lehmann, H., & Taylor, C. O. (2020). Obtaining Data From Electronic Health Records. In www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551878/

Hammack-Aviran, C. M., Brelsford, K. M., McKenna, K. C., Graham, R. D., Lampron, Z. M., & Beskow, L. M. (2020). Research Use of Electronic Health Records: Patients’ Views on Alternative Approaches to Permission. AJOB Empirical Bioethics, 11(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/23294515.2020.1755383

Mechanic, O. J., & Kimball, A. B. (2022, September 12). Telehealth Systems. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459384/

Woldemariam, M. T., & Jimma, W. (2023). Adoption of electronic health record systems to enhance the quality of healthcare in low-income countries: a systematic review. BMJ Health Care Inform, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2022-100704

Ye, J., He, L., & Beestrum, M. (2023). Implications for implementation and adoption of telehealth in developing countries: a systematic review of China’s practices and experiences. Npj Digital Medicine, 6(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00908-6

Zhang, X., & Saltman, R. (2021). Impact of Electronic Health Records interoperability on Telehealth service outcomes . JMIR Medical Informatics, 10(1), e31837. https://doi.org/10.2196/31837

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1. Technology and nursing are advancing quickly. As nurses, we must grow and adjust to the changes in the health care setting.
   1. Research a selected technology utilized in your health care setting. Compare the benefits and disadvantages of this technology.

• I CHOOSE EHR (Electronic Health Record)

1. 1. Research a second technology that you have not utilized in the health care setting. Compare the positives and negatives.

• I CHOOSE Telehealth & Telemedicine

1. 1. Discuss how your chosen technological advances have improved patient care.
   2. Discuss the roles and practices of health care workers, particularly nurses, related to patient confidentiality and protecting patient information. Discuss ethical concerns.
   3. Discuss how technological advances can improve access to health care.
   4. Discuss how the knowledge you gained through this assignment will be incorporated into your future nursing practice.
2. Refer to the APA and Library Resources link on the Course Menu as you prepare your Microsoft Word document with the following criteria:
   

   Technology in healthcare

   1. Written in APA 7th edition format including levels of heading
   2. Double-spaced with one-inch margins
   3. 12-point Times New Roman font
   4. No longer than seven pages, including the title page and reference page. 
      1. The body of the paper, including the introduction and summary, should be three to five pages in length.
      2. The paper should include a title page, introduction, body, summary, and reference list.
      3. This will include a literature search through the UA library’s databases on the given topic. 
      4. Do not use more than 2-3 direct quotations.
      5. Paraphrase the references APA style only.