Effects Of Technology In Healthcare

Technology is considered to have a great impact on medical processes and practices of the healthcare specialists. Some of the technological advancement that is identified include the use of scanners, radiotherapy, and the introduction of new drugs, social media support, and new devices. Despite this technology has a positive impact on the healthcare, there is some negative impact that has been brought about by technology and they hinder innovation. This essay will explore both the positive and negative impact that has resulted from a change in technology. Positive impacts include: Medical technology This is considered to be a wide field that has played part in sustaining health. Medical Equipment Technology Quality improvement such as improved monitoring systems, minimally-invasive surgeries, and better scanning equipment enhances quick to recover and patient get to enjoy a healthy life.

Due to the integration of either the telehealth or medical equipment, robotic surgeries have been introduced in health care. In this case, there is no need for a physician to be present when the surgery is performed. The surgeon gets to operate the patient at a distance and the patient gets the procedure done in the nearest hospital hence saving time and money. Technology and Medical Research Both physicians and medical scientists carry out either research and test the introduced procedures which aids in curing diseases, diagnose, prevent as well as introduce new drugs that can treat diseases. In general, technology has helped in the prevention of disease, enabled easy access to information, new medical procedures and medical telecommunications. In this case, the medical industry and patients have benefited.

Digitalization of health records The use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has replaced the usage of paper records. This has been a great improvement since it has minimized the time taken as well as labor. Those people who have benefited from this service are those who work as medical assistants, medical billing, coding professionals and health information technicians (MRHITs). Simplify the workflow Introduction of EHRs in healthcare has simplified the work done by medical billers and coders. The time taken to enter data in a computer is less compared to using paper-based methods. It has also minimized the errors that might occur in patients data or financial details. Fung and Paynter say that retrieving a patient record is easier since it can be done using portable devices (180).

This has enabled the work to be both productive and efficient. Increased access to big data The cloud is regarded as an important device for medical research and for sharing medical information. Fung and Paynter stated that the research which was conducted in 105 healthcare industry IT professionals, it showed that 59% of people were planning to start using data analysis while 75% were scheduling to start sharing health information (182). The sharing of big data has contributed to the expansion of life-saving drugs. Remote monitoring tools The home monitoring tool enables patients to get access to health facilities without the need of attending hospitals. Fung and Paynter added that in 2012 research, 3 million patients were using home health monitoring systems (185). Patient networks and social media Some of the healthcare organizations have come up with social methods in order to enhance collaboration and communication.

The collaboration is supposed to be between patients and doctors or among the patient themselves. This function as a resource in health-related organizations that are willing to leverage social tools. Treatment of cancer Cancer treatment can be either through chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Radiation therapy usually uses an advanced technology to generate beams of radiation which are used in killing cancerous cells. It also allows access to information like online medical records that can enable self-monitoring as well as patient convenience. Computers give input on medical decisions Computers can provide input on X-rays as well as similar diagnostics which will help physicians to make an appropriate and conversant decisions. This also happens when there is the introduction of new drugs and when making a decision on how to treat a patient.

In all the cases, the machine collects the information and analyze it and later the physician chooses the appropriate way to treat the patient. Advanced utility for 3D printing At a very cheap price, professionals can print out synthetic skin, prosthetics, and implants. The used items such as Microsoft Kinect for Xbox are cheap and available hence enable people to enjoy the exercise. Exercising regularly has some benefits such as lowering cholesterol, improve sleep and lower the blood pressure. Areas of research Introduction of new devices such as accelerometer helps in tracking how fast a person is instead of observing the number of steps taken. Mohan explains that the device also detects the amount of energy that has used up and it shows a direct relationship with weight loss (128).

In most cases, people use heart rate monitors together with an accelerometer. Improvement in technology always causes the rise in the cost since it gives solutions which were not existing earlier. Hence it causes long-term costs. Invasion of privacy Currently, the patients' records have been kept using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). This information can be accessed by the patient and healthcare professionals. Some of the information shared include testing results or the billing information which can be misused or misplace. Mobility The mobile devices used in healthcare can get lost or stolen. However, devices such as tablets can be hacked or get viruses mainly when they are used under unsecured internet connections. This can disclose patient information. Electronic fetal monitoring Monitoring fetal can lead to cascade effects.