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Advancements in Healthcare Technology: Improving Patient Care and Safety

Explore the role of technology in modern healthcare in the US, focusing on advantages and disadvantages of Electronic Health Records, Personal Health Records, Telemedicine, and more. Learn how technology enhances different medical fields like radiology, dentistry, pharmacy, and rehabilitation medicine.

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Advancements in Healthcare Technology: Improving Patient Care and Safety

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  1. Component 1: Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S. Unit 1: Introduction to modern healthcare in the US The role of technology in healthcare delivery

  2. The Electronic Health Record (EHR) has significant advantages over paper records: • Remote access to patient data • Record is legible • Confidentiality is better handled than paper records • Improves patient safety • Integration with other resources and data • Integration with decision support and knowledge-base resources Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Clinical medicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  3. Some disadvantages of EHRs: • Cost of installation, maintenance and upgrading • Requires training and changes in clinical workflows • Lack of interoperability • Depersonalizes the doctor-patient relationship • Advantages outweigh disadvantages? Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Clinical medicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  4. Personal Health Records • Patients keep their own records - idea has been around since the 1980s • One study gave patients their records to read when in the waiting room • Patients reacted positively • Older patients tended to avoid reading their notes • A few inaccuracies and unpleasant reactions but overall, not many problems • Advantages • Tailored information • Cost (for patient and physician!) Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Clinical medicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  5. Some concerns about PHRs • Significant privacy concerns • Who owns the data? • Patient grants access – to whom? • Will physicians accept access to patient information on a “need to know” basis? • What does the patient do if their PHR is sold to a different entity, becomes insolvent, or ceases to exist? • Will PHRs be sponsored by advertising? Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Clinical medicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  6. Technology in the medical office • billing software • insurance claims processing • accounting • Computer assisted surgery • CAD/CAM technology in medicine Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Clinical medicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  7. Telemedicine – remote delivery of healthcare using telecommunications and teleconferencing equipment • Very useful where interpretation of images / visual data is required • Teleradiology • Teledermatology • Can link doctors and patients remotely • Remote patient monitoring Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Telemedicine Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  8. Safety improvement in drug dispensing – barcodes • Bar code systems can verify the patient, the medication, and the dosage • In 2006 the FDA mandated that hospitals use bar codes for administering medications • Clinical decision support • Reminders and alerts • Checks for drug-drug interactions • Reviews orders, scans for inconsistencies Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Pharmacy Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  9. Electronic dental record • Similar advantages to the practice of dentistry as EMRs have to the practice of medicine • Computer modeling and CAD/CAM • Technology aids dental diagnosis, for example • Imaging • Use of electrical conductance properties to diagnose cavities Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Dentistry Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  10. Advances in imaging techniques have led to incremental degrees of sophistication • For example, X rays were first developed in 1895 • As technology advanced, this led to computerized tomography (CAT or CT scans)–a computer processes multiple axial 2-dimensional X-ray images and generates a 3-dimensional image • Other technology driven radiologic imaging methods include • Ultrasound • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs) • Positron Emission Tomography (PET scans) • Radionuclide imaging techniques Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Radiology Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  11. Rehabilitation medicine: a branch of medicine which aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. • Examples of assistive technology • Audio books and text-to-speech • voice recognition software • Prosthetics • Wheelchairs and ambulatory devices Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Rehabilitation Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  12. Expert systems help in developing diagnostic reasoning skills • Online resources provide a readily available knowledge base that can be accessed on-demand • Simulation technology helps in training Role of technology in healthcare delivery: Healthcare education Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 1.0/Fall 2010

  13. END OF UNIT 1

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