How Technology Can Improve The Delivery And Efficiency Of Healthcare

Encourage the use of computer-generated or electronic medication administration records. Plan for the implementation of computerized prescriber order entry systems. Consider the use of machine-readable code (i.e., bar coding) in the medication administration process. Use computerized drug profiling in the pharmacy. Be a demanding customer of pharmacy system software; encourage vendors to incorporate and assist in implementing an adequate standardized set of checks into computerized hospital pharmacy systems (e.g., screening for duplicate drug therapies, patient allergies, potential drug interactions, drug/lab interactions, dose ranges, etc.)”. (Association,

Health information technology or HIT is a huge part of the dashing changes in how medications are prescribed, dispensed, and administered by using technologies electronic devices to share and manage patient information, instead of doing it the old fashion way which was over the phone, having all patients’ records and files on paper, and using the old fax method. Everything is computerized, from managing the

This is displayed by the use of information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, decrease error and support decision making. The majority of the healthcare world is ran by technology. Almost all charting is done on computers, which allows more than one healthcare professional to view the patients chart at one time. This technology also allows the patient to access their records online keeping them informed of test results. For example, this is exemplified by physicians entering their own orders into the computer. This prevents the use of unapproved abbreviations and mishandling of

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are changing the way health care is delivered to patients, not just how patient medical information is stored. In the recent past, patient-doctor visits consisted of handwritten multiple medical forms to be completed, and most times duplicated. There were several areas of concern with past patient record keeping, omission of important care information, medical interventions and prescribed medication were missed in certain cases, erroneously prescribed or duplicated and records were lost or misplaced. EHR facilities and improves the quality of care by refining access to patient record by multiple health care providers and the patient; better decision support; reporting occurs in real time and is legible which

Advancements in technology have made it possible for people to access medical information, communicate with their doctor, manage and track diseases, seek help, and maintain anonymity. Technology has facilitated the tracking of medical information, for example, Kaiser Permanente uses a computerized system to store and track patient information. Any doctor in a

The use of the electronic medical record and patient portals are just a few ways that technology has been applied in health care and with more technological advances we are creating many ways to access health care that were not possible before. One technological advancement that

Many health care facilities are already starting to use an electronic health record in some of their departments. An electronic health record is a system that allows health care employees to input patient information into a computer system and saves that information into a database for the facility. The information that is being stored directly into the computer system is patients’ personal information (name, date of birth, address, emergency contact information, insurance information, and primary care physician and/or admitting physician), medical history, allergies, current medications, nurses and doctors’ notes, and other information that may pertain to the reason for the visit. Radiology and lab results are also saved into the electronic health record. Even though some health care facilities use a computer system to save some information, there may also be paper work that is also being used. This paper work is scanned into the facilities database so that it can also be saved and viewed if necessary.

These systems will also help cut down on medication errors by comparing the patient’s to medications or interventions so that it is given to the correct patient. Also documents the care given so there would be no human error in the case of questioning whether care had been given as long as the caregiver documents in the record. These features of the electronic health record are in place to promote patient safety by reducing errors.

Going back hundreds of years, we can trace the history of health care. Although it has evolved over the years, it all has a common goal; to heal those who are ill. Technology is one of the major evolutions and now plays a big role in the health care system. It helps patients to be more involved with their healthcare. They can make appointments, follow up on test results, and contact their doctors. Back then, they didn’t even have all the medicine we have now, let alone the technology. We can only imagine what is in store for the future.

Electronic medical records (EMR) can improve healthcare performance and cost efficiency in healthcare facilities. Improving healthcare performance includes patient safety, quality of care, and health status of the patients. Patient safety with medication errors continue to escalate, costing health care systems billions of dollars each year (Seibert, et al., 2014). An estimated 450,000 adverse drug events-medication errors that result in patient harm-occur annually, approximately 25% of which are preventable (Seibert, et. al, 2014). Overall, having an EMR helps improve healthcare delivery: no illegible handwriting, information can be shared on an instantaneous basis within a healthcare institution or between institutions, and review of previous

Fortunately, we do utilize computerized charting as well as the physician order entry system, but there is room for improvement in our home health organization. Epic home health is the system that we utilize, unfortunately, internet service is required to sync/update patient information. In order to review previous nurse, physician notes, and lab/test results internet service is needed. Many of our patients live in rural areas where cell phone service and internet service is not available. Therefore, we must often wait until we return to the home health office to find the patient information we need and to submit our charting. I am grateful our organization utilizes computerized charting, but often it is difficult to communicate with other healthcare providers or pull up pertinent patient information while in the field. Certified nursing assistants, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and case managers are all required to use the same charting system, using the same system does improve communication within the organization. Nurse Managers review our charting on a regular basis and provide staff members with feedback and updates if changes are made in the computerized system. Also, technical service representatives are available 24-7 for employees to assist with questions and to address technical issues regarding

Unfortunately, physician's perceptions are not objective outcome measures (Schenarts and Schenarts, 2012). It’s very dangerous the fact that providers rely on the electronic system to catch our errors. Furthermore, some of the most notable benefits of EHR include providers’ ability to access patients’ medical history almost anywhere, at any time. Nonetheless, the heavy reliance on health information technology is a major concern. It has the potential to cause harm to patients instead of the intended purpose of patient safety. Some examples of this include latent errors that do not manifest until they have already caused harm to the patient, or system failures which can cause a delay in time for healthcare professionals to review records thus, causing a delay in patient care. In addition, patient orders can be lost or miscommunicated. Healthcare providers rely on with confidence that the computer system will seamlessly promote the quality care of patients. According to Fiercehealthcare.com (2017), because of deficiencies in the eclinicalworks software, patients could not rely on the accuracy of their medical records. In addition, one patient was

Over the past decade, virtually every major industry invested heavily in computerization. Relative to a decade ago, today more Americans buy airline tickets and check in to flights online, purchase goods on the Web, and even earn degrees online in such disciplines as nursing,1 law,2 and business,3 among others. Yet, despite these advances in our society, the majority of patients are given handwritten medication prescriptions, and very few patients are able to email their physician4 or even schedule an appointment to see a provider without speaking to a live receptionist. Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the potential to transform the health care system from a mostly paper-based industry to one that utilizes clinical

There is no substitute for common sense and diligence, but technological advances may be of use in helping to prevent medication errors. Technological measures include automated medication dispensing machines, computerized IV administration, and the bar coding of both patients and drugs. A research study conducted among a select group of nursing students at a suburban New York university was designed to answer the question: Does the use of PDAs (personal digital assistants) with drug and medication calculation software improve the accuracy and efficiency of medication administration (Greenfield, 2007)? Results of this study upheld the hypothesis that the use of PDAs and medical software did, overall, improve the accuracy and efficiency of medication administration. The author of the study recommends that all nursing students be required to have PDAs with drug and calculation software on them. There is evidence to

For society in general, and especially for physicians and the medical care industry, technology has driven vast changes in the healthcare environment. Computers were available 20 years ago, the MacIntosh had developed a bit, PCs were using better technology, but the Internet and massive memory and processing availablity for the general public had not