MASTER'S LEVEL NURSING COURSE - POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
Running head: PATIENT MONITORING TECHNOLOGY 0
Patient Monitoring Technology
Barbara C Hobby, BSN, RN
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR512 Nursing Informatics
May, 2017
Abstract
Electronic Health Records advancements have been on the rise since the inception of information technology. One of the most recent technological developments in the healthcare industry is the patient monitoring technology. The article selected was titled “Data overload, access and affordability limit patient monitoring technology.” This paper seeks to investigate the rationale behind choosing the topic on patient monitoring technology, the impact of the technology on medical facilities, the advantages and disadvantages of using the technology, how informatics skills and knowledge were used in the process relevance to developing the impact of patient monitoring technology as well as futuristic recommendations for any physicians and manufacturers of the technology.
Patient Monitoring Technology
Advancements in the technology of Electronic Health Records have been on the rise since the inception of information technology. One of the most recent technological developments in the healthcare industry is patient monitoring technology. The article selected was titled “Data overload, access and affordability limit patient monitoring technology.” The rationale behind choosing this topic is to understand the importance of patient monitoring technology in healthcare today. As they are relatively new to the market, few books have been written about the various patient monitoring technologies available. This paper investigates their impact on the healthcare industry, the advantages, and disadvantages of their use, as well as any futuristic recommendations on the technology to healthcare practitioners (Mohammadzadeh & Sadfari, 2014). Even though most physicians are aware of the benefits associated with the use of patient monitoring technology, many shy away due to the numerous glitches in access, high costs associated with its use, and the threat of data overload.
Patient monitoring technology has a huge positive impact on the healthcare industry. The technology is used heavily for the remote tracking of major cardiovascular diseases, which cause close to 30% of the deaths in the world yearly. The diseases are triggered by various issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, as well as excessive consumption of alcohol (Darvish et al., 2014). Current patient monitoring technology is able to track the necessary healthcare metrics to determine if they are in danger, including cardiac output, blood pressure, amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood, body temperature, and heart activity. This technology has proven crucial for healthcare providers, as it helps them monitor the patients when they are out of their usual environment.
Even though the technology is more likely to have a positive impact on the healthcare provided to a patient, each facility and individual is required to look into the advantages and disadvantages of using the technology before implementing it. The monetary investment required is one of the main barriers to adopting this technology. Each part requires the person to identify a source of capital that may be used in the purchase of the equipment. In addition, one has to understand how to use the technology, or at least find a means through which they can learn its use and this will require an investment in time and capital (Darvish et al., 2014). As a result of the increased amount of data that needs to be analyzed, a healthcare facility that is highly dependent on the technology may need to hire more professionals in the healthcare industry to facilitate the analysis and interpretation of data, and even help in the decision making process in accordance with the patient’s records of health. Further, privacy concerns become an issue, as there is a chance that the information recorded may fall into the wrong hands and be used negatively.
Through advancements beyond the original technology, the cost of patient monitoring has decreased considerably to a level that is affordable for the majority of people. There is the development of wearable devices such as Fitbits that have revolutionized the healthcare industry as they allow real-time tracking of a patient’s condition. Most companies that manufacture the technology have resorted to the use of software and lower costing monitors to vary the costs of the equipment according to the needs of the patient, severity of the disease, and even the choice of the healthcare provider (Mohammadzadeh & Sadfari, 2014). The use and reliability of the patient monitoring devices have also spiked as the healthcare equipment manufacturers have embraced advancements to allow efficient and effective operations within the facilities.
There are several advantages of patient monitoring technology with the first being increased healthcare access. The introduction of patient monitoring technology has made it easier for a healthcare provider to reach a wider market as the care provided is not confined to the healthcare facility. The effect of a health care provider is likely to be felt even if they are not in the same geographical location with the patient and in addition to this, a reduction in the costs of healthcare delivery (Darvish et al., 2014). Since a patient is not required to physically present themselves at the healthcare facility, the costs for receiving healthcare are reduced as traveling, laboratory, prescription, and even diagnosis expenses are eliminated. Also, patient monitoring technology allows early detection of illness. Especially for patients suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, a change in the medical trends will alert the healthcare practitioner earlier in the case of a deterioration enabling a reduction in emergency cases and reducing the possibility of further complications.
On the other hand, it increases the efficiency of healthcare. Most of the information provided through the use of patient monitoring technology is accurate and if the data is delivered in time and used effectively, it will improve the efficiency of the services provided by the facility. This will, in turn, reduce the strain on the healthcare facilities that are available. The reduction in the clog and scramble for laboratory equipment, availability of beds, couches or chairs in the waiting areas reduces considerably improving the quality of service provided too. Additionally, it enables improvement of communication between patients and health care providers. Patient monitoring technology allows easy exchange of information between patient and medical experts as the information is in real time, therefore, easier to relay and explain. This allows the healthcare providers to provide solutions and make life-saving decisions in a timely fashion.
Informatics skills and knowledge were quite necessary and were used in the process of developing the study of patient monitoring technology’s impact on healthcare practices (Raja, 2016). The informatics skills during this study were the use of databases, the World Wide Web, expert data systems, nursing information systems as well as the use of telecommunication devices. They were used to understand the impact of the patient monitoring technology used in healthcare facilities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though the technology on patient monitoring has been criticized by some medical practitioners, its benefits have been thought to outweigh any consequences that may come along with its use. This is a result of the huge returns that come along with the use of patient monitoring technology and they allow better healthcare provision for the patients due to shorter response time (Mohammadzadeh &Sadfari, 2014). In the future, better care should be taken in the development of the technology to improve the privacy policies associated with its development, occurrences of data overload, restriction of access as well as glitches in affordability that have since limited the use of patient monitoring technology.
References
Darvish, Asieh., Bahramnezhad, Fatemeh., Keyhanian, Sara. and Navidhamidi, Mojdeh. (2014) The Role of Nursing Informatics on Promoting Quality of Health Care and the Need for Appropriate Education. Global Journal of Health Science. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825491/
Mohammadzadeh, Niloofar, & Safdari, Reza. (2014). Patient Monitoring in Mobile Health: Opportunities and Challenges. Journal of the Academy of Medical Sciences in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4272470/
Raja, Mahanth Sai. (2016). Advantages of Remote Patient Monitoring in Healthcare Systems. Healthable. Retrieved from https://www.healthable.org/advantages-of-remote-patient-monitoring-in-healthcare-systems/
Sweeney, E. (2017, June 01). Data overload, access and affordability limit patient monitoring technology. Retrieved June 01, 2017, from http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/moblie/data-overload-access-and-affordability-limit-home-health-monitoring
