NRSG 310 UNIT 2 Discussion Board CTU
NRSG 310 UNIT 2 Discussion Board CTU
Part One
The health care sector has a major aim of improving patient care services and patient experience by offering safe and efficient care. Therefore, healthcare stakeholders use various means to enhance patient care. Technology has been at the center stage of improvements in the health care sector (Ruiz Morilla et al., 2017). The invention of modern technological applications and the health technology evolution imply that the healthcare professionals such as nurses must keep learning to keep at pace with the fast-paced technology evolution. The use of technology in the treatment and management of patients has been connected to numerous advantages such as better treatment and reduced costs. One of the technological changes in my workplace worth discussing is the use of medical alert systems which alert the nursing staff when a resident falls.
Resident falls were a common phenomenon in the facility before a technological change was suggested hence the acquisition of the medical alert system. Most of the residents in the nursing home have conditions that predispose them to fall hence leading to bone fractures and other injuries. As such, it was decided that the medical alert system be used. The medical alert system is a system that gives an easier and faster way for the residents to get emergency help from the providers (Lannering et al., 2018). For example, when a resident falls, the nurses are promptly notified hence arriving at the scene faster and offering the necessary medical help. Such an immediate response improves the care outcomes. This technological change has impacted my everyday nursing practice in that I have to be alert every time to respond to the alert system immediately after it’s triggered. It has also helped me in prioritizing as I am capable of attending to the priority patients and promptly. One technology that I would want to see implemented in our facility is artificial intelligence to enhance the alert systems so that more sensors can be used to help detect falls and emergencies and call nursing staff and ambulances. The system can also help the staff know when a resident is approaching the nursing home boundary, therefore acting to prevent them from wandering off.
References
Lannering, C., Ernsth Bravell, M., & Johansson, L. (2017). Prevention of falls, malnutrition, and pressure ulcers among older persons–nursing staff’s experiences of a structured preventive care process. Health & social care in the community, 25(3), 1011-1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12400
Ruiz Morilla, M. D., Sans, M., Casasa, A., & Giménez, N. (2017). Implementing technology in healthcare: insights from physicians. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 17(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-017-0489-2
Part Two
The increasing demand for better healthcare and safe patient care in recent years has triggered efforts seeking to offer the needed care.
As such, healthcare reforms through various strategies such as legislation have been used in The USA in efforts to improve care. However, some of such reforms have divided public opinion hence the controversy. One of the healthcare reforms to have been accomplished in the US in recent years is the Affordable Care Act. Also famously known as Obama Care, Affordable Care Act came into force in the US in the year 2010 (McIntyre & Song, 2019). Since then, this law has sparked controversy, and attempts have been made to scrap it or even repeal some sections.
One of the sections that have changed the healthcare landscape immensely is the area of pre-existing conditions. Before the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies were at liberty to refuse to cover patients with certain pre-existing conditions or even charge more due to some pre-existing conditions. However, with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance providers are prohibited from blocking individuals from getting coverage due to some pre-existing conditions (McIntyre & Song, 2019). In addition, health insurance companies are not allowed to charge patients more due to having a pre-existing conditions.
The Affordable Care Act, particularly the pre-existing conditions section, may affect nursing practice overall as well as the practice in my workplace. Patients with conditions such as cancer, diabetes, asthma, and even those with pregnancy may have better outcomes as health insurance cannot limit the benefits (Gaffney & McCormick, 2017). Therefore, this group of patients can seek medical help as fast as needed with the assurance that the costs will be covered. This eventually leads to better outcomes. Patients in the nursing homes usually have comorbid conditions; therefore, this regulation is also important as it offers the residents a chance for better coverage, hence better care.
References
Gaffney, A., & McCormick, D. (2017). The Affordable Care Act: implications for healthcare equity. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1442-1452. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30786-9
McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS medicine, 16(2), e1002752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752
Part 1
When I was still in nursing school and doing clinical time in the hospital, I remember being so overwhelmed and confused by the IV pumps. Having to input all this information manually scared me. What if I input something incorrectly? Thankfully once I started working the hospital had just started doing pump integration. These advancements in technology were created to reduce the number of pump-related adverse drug events. It was found that the frequency in which errors were occurring was around 265,00-500,000 annually (Kavanagh et al., 2017). Using this technology greatly decreases your chance of error. You scan your patient; the medication being infused and the pump itself. Then the MAR sends the information to your pump. You verify everything looks correct and hit start. How easy! Technology is not going away, so it is important to use it effectively (Finkelman, 2016, p.449).
A new technology I would like to see implemented in my workplace is vital signs integration. I believe some hospitals may participate in this, but my hospital does not. I would love our hospital to start using this technology because it would make my job easier and quicker in some ways. Some cardiac medications require you to input the patient’s blood pressure and heart rate before administering. If your tech is busy going through getting a group of vitals you have to either wait for them to finish and manually put the information in or you call them and interrupt their flow to get the information you need. Also using this technology would decrease errors in the information. We are human and when we are manually entering information errors can occur.
Part 2
The current legislation requires health insurance companies to cover any pre-existing conditions of the patient. They are also required not to charge a person more due to their pre-existing condition. This also includes pregnancy (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022). I chose this topic because it is one that has always bothered me. Before this change in legislation patients basically had to fend for themselves and hope that they could afford the treatments they needed to take care of themselves. I never thought it was fair. I am glad that they have to cover people with pre-existing conditions. As a nurse, this means that you see more people seeking and getting treatment for the conditions. More cancer patients getting treatment. People with high blood pressure or diabetes are being cared for. Before this change people would not come to the hospital or seek treatment because they simply could not afford it. No one should ever have to choose.
References
Finkelman, A. (2016). Leadership and management for nurses (3rd ed.). Pearson Education. https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9780134046464
Kavanagh, Timothy P., Tse, Elizabeth, & Vitoux, Rachel R, (2017). The crucial link in successful smart pump adoption: The critical care nurse. The Canadian Journal of Critical Care Nursing, 28(4), 29-34. https://coloradotech.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/crucial-link-successful-smart-pump-adoption/docview/2416508062/se-2?accountid=144789
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). (2017, January 31). Pre-existing conditions. https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/pre-existing-conditions/index.html