One healthcare technology trend I have noticed recently, and thoroughly liked as a patient, is patient portal access from hospitals and doctors’ offices. Patients’ ability to view their medical records in real time when labs are updated, chart notes are available, and other aspects of their care are viewable allows them to be more proactive and participate in their care and overall health. Dykes et al (2017) discusses the use of patient portals in the ICU as a way to engage patients and patient proxies, or healthcare partners that are responsible for making a patient’s healthcare decisions, in their care. Having easy access to records also allows patients to formulate questions based off of lab values and notes which enhances communication abilities with their providers.
Some challenges discussed by Lyles et al (2020) is the ability of certain patient populations to access and understand digital data, the feeling that in person communication is deteriorating, and the potential to overwhelm patients with information that they do not understand. Another challenge that is present with any information available through internet access is the potential for data breaches and private health information to be stolen. Legislation requires providers to protect their patients’ health information from being used inappropriately or stolen underneath the Security Rule (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The security rule benefits patients because they know providers are required to protect their information but a risk is hackers continuing to attempt to breach secure information to steal things such as social security number and other important information tied to healthcare data.
One aspect of healthcare technology that I believe will affect nursing practice is the ability of patients to read notes written by physicians and nurses while hospitalized. I think this technology being available will encourage nurses to address the individuals needs of patients based off of their cultural, spiritual, etc. needs and reflect that in their charting. By making nurses more conscious to treating the individual based of the patients’ values rather than their own it can foster a more patient centered care model and promote positive outcomes.
References
Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Collins, S., Donze, J., Fagan, M., Gazarian, P., Hanna, J., Lehmann, L., Leone, K., Lipsitz, S., McNally, K., Morrison, C., Samal, L., Mlaver, E., Schnock, K., … Bates, D. W. (2017). Prospective Evaluation of a Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Outcomes in Intensive Care. Critical Care Medicine, 45(8). https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0000000000002449
Lyles, C. R., Nelson, E. C., Frampton, S., Dykes, P. C., Cemballi, A. G., & Sarkar, U. (2020). Using Electronic Health Record Portals to Improve Patient Engagement: Research Priorities and Best Practices. Annals of Internal Medicine, 172(11_Supplement). https://doi.org/10.7326/m19-0876
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2017). Nursing Informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Great post! I feel that all of your discussion points are current trends within healthcare and can lead to many positive patient outcomes. Having patient portals to access all appointment information, labs, and to be able to communicate with the physician is involving the patient in their care and can lead to increased compliance and accountability for their healthcare. Interviews with patients who have used patient portals identified greater access to communication, reassurance, sense of control, and convenience as key benefits of patient portals (Janssen, et al., 2021). Within the patient portal accessing provider notes via OpenNotes can lead to creation of providers creating holistic plans of care and patient accessing pertinent information in their care, but I feel is potential threat to providers if the patient feels that they were mistreated or diagnosed inappropriately. Current concerns are that mental health clinicians are apprehensive that OpenNotes could cause significant harms to the therapeutic relationship, increase time spent writing and discussing notes with patients, enhance vulnerability to lawsuits or patient retaliation, and increase patient worry or sense of stigma (Pisciotta et al., 2019). Providers have the ability to block access if they feel that the information can be harmful in any manner.
Resources
Janssen, A., Keep, M., Selvadurai, H., Kench, A., Hunt, S., Simonds, S., Marshall, T.,
Hatton, L., Dalla-Pozza, L., McCullagh, C., & Shaw, T. (2021). Factors That Influence Use of a Patient Portal by Health Professionals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041877
Pisciotta, M., Denneson, L. M., Williams, H. B., Woods, S., Tuepker, A., & Dobscha, S.
K. (2019). Providing mental health care in the context of online mental health notes: advice from patients and mental health clinicians. Journal of Mental Health, 28(1), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1521924
Morgan, great information in your post this week. The topic you chose to cover with healthcare technology trending is very present and evolving. You mentioned the ability of patients to view their medical records in real-time as a way to be more involved in their care. I agree with this statement. The patient portal used in my healthcare system also can populate real-time laboratory results as they come available in the electronic health record (EHR) we use for charting. With extended wait times in the emergency department (ED), the patient may still be in the waiting area when the blood testing results can be viewed via the portal on their mobile device. This way, they have results before being evaluated in a room and can develop questions or concerns before seeing the physician. Every step made towards a patient’s involvement in their care can improve health outcomes and increase satisfaction (Dendere et al., 2019).
Another aspect you mentioned was the ability of patients to read nursing notes while hospitalized. Interestingly, you brought this up. Within the last month, we received an email informing us of the new ability for patients to read the triage notes placed by the nurse. I support this trend and others that force transparency and accountability in our profession. Having both of these in our practice allows building trust and credibility with our patients and their families (Montgomery et al., 2020).
References
Dendere, R., Slade, C., Burton-Jones, A., Sullivan, C., Staib, A., & Janda, M. (2019). Patient Portals Facilitating Engagement With Inpatient Electronic Medical Records: A Systematic Review. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 21(4), e12779. https://doi.org/10.2196/12779
Montgomery, T., Berns, J., & Braddock, C. (2020). Transparency as a Trust-Building Practice in Physician Relationships With Patients. JAMA, 324(23), 2365. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.18368
Week 6 Main Post
Healthcare technology is advancing at remarkable paces and is confidently inspiring the healthcare world. The use of cellphone apps, texting, tablets, emails, facetime, computer monitors, and electronic health records (EHR) to name a few, allow healthcare providers to access their information wherever. An electronic health record is a digital form of a patient’s paper chart (HealthIT, 2018b). Technology is everywhere now. There are technologies such as watches or halter monitors that allow patients to track and monitor their heartrate, blood glucose and weight. All that information can be transmitted to their physician for remote monitoring. The public health department conducts public health assessments to evaluate where the health disparities are, and they use technology to gather that information (Laureate Education, 2018).
Even though technology is advancing and there are more resources available to our patients, one potential challenge is knowledge deficit with our elderly patients and those who are not tech savvy. Another risk is security breaches that allow patients health records to be exposed. This doesn’t only affect the patient but healthcare providers using charting systems in the hospital. The inability for a nursing personal to protect patient’s private health information, poses fines and possibly a loss of job (Mcgonigle & Mastrian, 2018).
A benefit of the electronic health record is the ease of access of medical records through online patient portals. Health education is posted online and available for review. The patients can see diagnosis list, view their medication list, see recent lab results and communicate with their provider. This empowers patients to manage their healthcare and promotes their involvement in care (Dykes, et al. 2017). Electronic health records improve patient care, increase patient involvement, are cost saving and help expand care coordination between intradisciplinary teams (HealthIT, 2018a). One potential issue with the portal, is the patient could have a knowledge deficit and not fully understand or misinterpret the information that is provided to them. This could lead to the patient attempting to google the terminology and lead to misinformation. In order to eliminate this issue, the patient portals should have links to educational tools that are reliable information (Mcgonigle & Mastrian, 2018).
Advancements in healthcare technology is vital to improve the quality of patient care and satisfaction. Educating employees on how to protect patients’ health information is going to be a pertinent aspect in order to safeguard them.
References:
Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Bates, D. W. (2017). Prospective Evaluation of a Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Outcomes in Intensive Care. Critical Care Medicine, 45(8). doi:10.1097/ccm.0000000000002449
HealthIT.gov. (2018a). Benefits of EHR’s. Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/benefits-ehrs
HealthIT.gov. (2018b). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Public Health Informatics [Video file]. Baltimore, MD
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning
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RE: Discussion – Week
Repurposed technology is a constant driving force in the world today. Continuous updates to improve and repurposing software is how informaticists improve the way workflows and outcomes are created. In the healthcare field updates on computer systems and medical equipment is implemented to offer faster, more accurate and safer outcomes to patients. In our facility, we are currently going through an expanse system change which offers all sister companies located in rural facilities to have complete access to our medical health records. Essentially, this idea is brilliant. This will eliminate the need to faxing of orders, faster turn around times on labs and test results. However, with the implementation of any system, there are bugs that need to be kinked out. “Health care is as unique as the patients themselves…In addition, patients rarely receive all their care from one healthcare organization: indeed, choice is a cornerstone of the American Healthcare system.” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).
One of these biggest forms of challenges or risks I have determined in the past few days of implementation is the accuracy of charting. The new set interventions are not all the same causing duplicate charting or missed charting. Currently, we have a long list of errors that need to be corrected before our unit can run at a safe functioning unit. “Electronic medical records have presented both enhancements and challenges. As with paper charting, the EMR still contains the information to document patient treatment and ensure continuity of care – the familiar medical and nursing plans of care and notes, medication administration records, test results, surgery and procedure notes, and ancillary services notes.” (White, 2018).
The biggest benefit I see is for all our wide range of patients that travel a significant distant to receive outpatient treatments from us is in the form of necessary labs to be obtained prior to procedures. Largely, since the retesting of the Coronavirus PCR, our patients are required weekly to be tested. They have to have to either travel into our city to be tested or now they have the opportunity to be tested at one of our sister locations closer to them and then we have immediate access to their lab results. This saves the patient time and money in the long run. With the implementation of this new system, I feel this will better suit our patients along with staff efficiency and safety. Largely, the facility will see improvements in “Better health care by improving all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, communication, education, timeliness, efficiency, and equity. Better health by encouraging healthier lifestyles in the entire population, including increased physical activity, better nutrition, avoidance of behavioral risks, and wider use of preventative care. Improved efficiencies and lower health care costs by promoting preventative medicine and improved coordination of health care services, as well as by reducing waste and redundant tests. Better clinical decision making by integrating patient information from multiple sources.” ((ONC), 2019).
References
(ONC), T. O. (2019). Health.IT.gov. Retrieved from What are the advantages of electronic health records?: https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-are-advantages-electronic-health-records
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. Massachusettes: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
White, D. (2018). Defending the Electronic Medical Record: The LNC Perspective. Challenges and Approaches. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, 29(2), 32-39. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=130020219&site=eds-live&scope=site
Wearable technology is one of the health information technology trends in our organization. It allows healthcare professionals to remotely monitor a patient’s status during the day and for a person to monitor their health status (Iqbal et al., 2021). The wearable devices are usually non-invasive and are developed by integrating a number of sensors with wearable accessories such as wristbands and smartwatches. The devices are connected with smartphones having health applications, which help monitor the person’s health status (Iqbal et al., 2021). Sensors are attached to the devices and are used to collect information about the patient’s health and environment, then uploaded to a hospital’s server or databases.
Potential challenges associated with wearable technology include servicing and maintenance costs. Wearable devices use technologies that require continuous upgrading. High-cost maintenance, servicing, and upgrading costs create a financial challenge for healthcare organizations and the end-users (Pradhan et al., 2021). Wearable technology can improve the quality of healthcare as it allows health providers to monitor a patient’s vital signs remotely. This can lead to an improved quality of life and reduce healthcare costs. Nevertheless, wearable technology has the potential risk of data privacy and security breach. Real-time monitoring of patients’ health information using devices makes it vulnerable to cyber-attacks (Pradhan et al., 2021). Health IT legislation mandates the maintenance of privacy and security of patients’ information. There is an associated risk of mishandling patients’ crucial information, which may negatively affect the treatment process and patient outcomes.
The Cloud storage system is a technology trend that seems promising in impacting technology in nursing practice. It supports the storage of large files and sharing them via various cloud-based platforms (Gao et al., 2018). The cloud system can help health providers efficiently access crucial clinical and patient data. Fast information access can improve the quality of consultations among providers, thus improving the quality of care and health outcomes.
References
Gao, F., Thiebes, S., & Sunyaev, A. (2018). Rethinking the Meaning of Cloud Computing for Health Care: A Taxonomic Perspective and Future Research Directions. Journal of medical Internet research, 20(7), e10041. https://doi.org/10.2196/10041
Pradhan, B., Bhattacharyya, S., & Pal, K. (2021). IoT-Based Applications in Healthcare Devices. Journal of healthcare engineering, 2021, 6632599. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6632599
Iqbal, S. M., Mahgoub, I., Du, E., Leavitt, M. A., & Asghar, W. (2021). Advances in healthcare wearable devices. npj Flexible Electronics, 5(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-021-00107-x
Healthcare Information Technology Trends
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.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
- Consider your 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.
By Day 3 of Week 6
Post a brief description of 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.
By Day 6 of Week 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering additional/alternative ideas regarding opportunities and risks related to the observations shared.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Indeed, the healthcare technology trend related to electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare organizations has improved patient care outcomes by enabling real-time access to patient records and analyzing data trends. Based on your response, it is true that through this technology, staff can access patient health records from any unit and make changes remotely. Such activities help promote efficiency and care coordination (Fung et al., 2022). However, challenges such as multiple systems between departments can lead to data integration and communication issues, requiring double charting and limited access to patient information for some employees. Addressing these challenges is crucial for seamless information exchange and preventing potential cyber-attacks on patient records.
Improved access to patient information benefits EHRs, as patients can access their records and track their health information from their phones. However, the risk of cyber-attacks and potential exposure of patient information is a concern that needs to be addressed through robust security measures. Promising healthcare technology trends for nursing practice include personal health records and patient portals, which enhance patient engagement and provide up-to-date information. Telemedicine has become more prevalent, enabling remote access to healthcare providers and reducing transmission risks (Louissaint et al., 2021). These trends can significantly improve patient care outcomes, increase efficiencies, and provide convenient access to healthcare services. By embracing these advancements and addressing associated risks, healthcare organizations can enhance patient care delivery, improve efficiency, and promote better health outcomes.
References
Fung, B. M., Perumpail, M., Patel, Y. A., & Tabibian, J. H. (2022). Telemedicine in hepatology: current applications and future directions. Liver Transplantation, 28(2), 294-303.
Louissaint, J., Gibbs, J. T., Lok, A. S., & Tapper, E. B. (2021). Strategies to improve video visit use in persons with liver disease. Gastroenterology, 161(4), 1080-1084. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2021.06.070
Thank you for your post this week. In reference to your cited article (Rieke et al, 2020), it discusses how federated learning. Federated learning (FL) is a learning model seeking to address privacy and data governance issues (Rieke et al, 2020). FL enables gaining insights collaboratively, e.g., in the form of a consensus model, without moving patient data beyond the firewalls of the institutions in which they live (Rieke et al, 2020). successful implementation of FL could thus hold a significant potential for enabling precision medicine at large-scale, leading to models that yield unbiased decisions, optimally reflect an individual’s physiology, and are sensitive to rare diseases while respecting governance and privacy concerns (Rieke et al, 2020).
The future of using electronic health records (EHR) could produce many benefits by implementing stand-alone EHR. The United States depends on informatic technology to share electronic health information securely, efficiently, and effectively with patient consent (McGonigle et al, 2019). The future not only holds tremendous promise for EHR features and functions. That not only includes decision support but also ease of use, intuitiveness, and improved biomedical device integration (McGonigle et al, 2019).
