Healthcare Information Technology Trends Discussion Paper

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.

Reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.

Reflect on digital information tools and technologies.
Consider 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.

Describe 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.

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Healthcare Information Technology Trends

Describe general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice.

Technology advancements in the data and information industries have resulted in digital health transformation, with this trend expected to continue. A significant healthcare technology trend that is fast gaining traction is wearable technologies that include activity trackers and smartwatches such as Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit. A technology that was previously used to tell time, they have turned into clinically viable medical tools that autonomously collect, analyze and transmit data. Medical facilities have recognized the benefit of this technology as useful in keeping tracking of patients’ heart rates, physical activity and other health data. Another significant technology trend is telemedicine, which improves the capacity to offer personalized, patient-centered and accurate medical services that are decentralized from the facility. The technology is fast gaining traction among patients who would like to be treated at home without having to visit a medical facility. Healthcare Information Technology Trends Discussion Paper  Telemedicine had previously been approached with much caution owing to information security concerns. However, advancement in cybersecurity have implemented information privacy and protection measures that assure users of the security of their information has made the technology more attractive (Cruz-Cunha et al., 2016). As a result, wearable devices and telemedicine technologies are significant general healthcare technology trends.

Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described.

A significant concern of using wearable devices and telemedicine is cybersecurity. These are virtual technologies that deliver healthcare to more people in many places at lower costs. They facilitate medical services, care delivery, and patient-physician interaction without the patient and physician being in close proximity. This is achieved by collecting and sharing data through autonomously operated virtual technology. Since data is shared virtually, cybersecurity becomes a concern. As an emerging technology that explores a new frontier and yet to mature, the cybersecurity concern is understandable. The reality is that they raise data privacy concerns for the users and pose a potential risk of acting as a launch pad for attacks on connected technologies such as electronic health records (EHR). They contain vulnerabilities that can be used to circumvent and attack secure EHR systems. Given this awareness, there is a need to improve cybersecurity of wearable devices and telemedicine to make them more attractive for users (Cruz-Cunha et al., 2016).

Describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described.

Wearable devices and telemedicine have decentralized health care so that patients are assured of receiving medical care from the comforts of their home without having to visit a medical facility or see a medical personnel. This implies that patients who are unable to make routine travels to medical facilities because of distance or other limitations can use the technology to continue receiving medical care from the comfort of their homes (Rivas & Wac, 2018). However, these technologies present data safety concerns as they are vulnerable to breaches through the virtual environment. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) privacy and security rules addresses some of the data safety concerns. HIPAA does this by placing a requirement on the providers to protect the privacy of patients by creating security conditions that avail the information for proper use while avoiding improper use and disclosure. This requirement is applicable to wearable devices and telemedicine that transmit information virtually (Rivas & Wac, 2018).

Explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why.

Perhaps the most promising healthcare technology trend that will impact nursing practice is innovations in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. These technologies will allow for remoted nursing practice by allowing patients to proceed with self-care under the directions of a nurse. Through AR and VR glasses, patients will be able to sit in the comfort of their homes and receive the same quality of care as they would in the presence of a nurse. Nurses will use the technology to walk patients through nursing care needs and educate them on the challenges they might face while addressing their concerns. Through these technologies, nurses will remotely observe patients in 3D format and could even zoom in for better nursing decisions. Because nurses can prepare care models and play out the entire care scenario, precision will be ensured. For instance, a patient with a troubling wound can use the technology to allow the nursing personnel to regularly monitor its treatment progress and make suggestions for better care. The prospect of using AR and VR in nursing are truly exciting (Le et al., 2018).

Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management.

The promise of AR and VR technology will contribute to patient care outcomes and efficiencies. Firstly, the technologies will free up medical facilities for the more serious cases so that less serious cases can be remotely monitored from home by a nurse. Secondly, the technologies ensure that patients always have access to nursing personnel who can provide useful and meaningful advice with a clear idea of what the case involves. Thirdly, it ensures that nurses use their time meaningfully while being responsive to the needs of patients and capitalizing on the nurses’ capabilities (Le et al., 2018).

References

Cruz-Cunha, M., Miranda, I., Martinho, R. & Rijo, R. (Ed.) (2016). Encyclopedia of E-Health and Telemedicine. IGI Global.

Le, D., Le, C., Tromp, J. & Nguyen, G. (2018). Emerging Technologies for Health and Medicine: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Robotics, Industry 4.0. Scrivener Publishing LLC.

Rivas, H. & Wac, K. (2018). Digital Health: Scaling Healthcare to the World. Springer International Publishing.  Healthcare Information Technology Trends Discussion Paper