Lucido, Taylor Tools that Support Healthcare Business Services and Patientsby taylor lucido
1. Technology #2 Supports Business Services: Zebra Healthcare Technology
1.1. Zebra Healthcare Technology focuses primarily on connecting the correct patients to the medical services they need. By using a labeled wristband with a bar code personalized to each patient, Zebra Healthcare Technology allows providers to access a patients identity in real time. According to Zebra Healthcare Technology, the wristbands allow for "pinpoint precision when matching patients to records, medication, specimens and more" (Healthcare Technology Solutions). This form of technology ensures that providers are correctly tracking their patients recovery.
1.2. Advantages of the Zebra Healthcare Technology wristband fast communication between colleagues, mobility, and efficient connection between patient and provider. This system also allows for doctors to label blood and other samples at the time for collection ensuring there is no misidentification problems.
1.3. While I find this technology to be extremely practical and useful I do find that a disadvantage to this system could be the battery life of the information scanners. Since there a large number of patients and nurses/doctors it would be crucial for there to be a large amount of scanners that are charged and ready for use. Since patients records are recorded in the system, without a working scanner nurses would not be able to complete their job efficiently.
2. Technology #1 Improve Health Of Patients: Pediatric Diabetes Telemedicine
2.1. As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, "telemedicine provides a tool to enhance the quality of pediatric healthcare in collaboration with primary care to develop self-management skills, and empower these families to participate in prevention strategies" (Smith, 2016). Telemedicine allows those families living in rural communities to video conference with nurses and doctors rather than take an entire day to travel into a major city for a visit. Pediatric Diabetes telemedicine aims to provide preventative care to those children living in rural areas with the highest risk of becoming obese.
2.2. Advantages to Pediatric Diabetes Telemedicine include bringing resources to remote areas, promoting health and wellness, patient convenience, clinical support, and positive patient outcomes.
2.3. Disadvantages to Pediatric Diabetes Telemedicine include the implementation of telemedicine devices in homes located in rural areas along with the education needed to operate these devices. Since the patients in need of this technology are isolated in their community finding the appropriate means to educate users on the technology could be a challenge.
3. Technology #2 Improve Health Of Patients: Patient Portals
3.1. Patient portals are essentially websites where patients can connect to there doctors, have access to their lab results, and other medical information. Today doctors offices are using patient portals for "direct secure messaging, online appointment scheduling, online bill payments, prescription refill requests, and sometimes even data update capabilities" (How Patient Portals Improve Patient Engagement, 2016). Patient portals allow patients to take control of their health along with build a relationship with their doctors.
3.2. Advantages to patient portals include effective communication between doctor and patient, patient security, convenience, patient access to their own records, and building stronger more trustworthy bonds between doctor and patient.
3.3. Since operating any patient portal requires knowledge in technology and computers, one disadvantage to patient portals are they are not user friendly and could be difficult to navigate. The older generation may struggle using patient portals and may prefer an easier form of retrieving personal health information such as printed test results.
4. Technology #1 Supports Business Services: IBM Healthcare Technology
4.1. IBM Healthcare Technology creates software that essentially provides solutions to health system management and performance. According to IBM Healthcare, these programs have the power to "improve operations, support team collaboration, and lay the groundwork for data-driven decision making"(IBM Healthcare Industries). Along with delivering anhigher value of care to patients, IBM software can cut costs as well. IBM Healthcare Technology main goal is to "manage population health, deliver more efficient care, engage patients and consumers, and optimize business performance, through the power of data"(IBM Life Sciences Solutions).
4.2. Advantages to IBM Healthcare Technology Include access to accurate and accessible patient records, increased business performance, data organization, lower healthcare costs, analyze large data sets, and manage and protect patient documents.
4.3. Since IBM Healthcare Technology revolves around the improvement and innovation of technology, one disadvantage could be that the older generation of patients struggle to connect with the upcoming technology. Since the 60yr+ population make up large portion of patients in healthcare it is important to create technology that is user friendly.
