Tech & Healthcare: Improving Medical Care Quality - Essay Sample

Introduction

Research evidence has shown that there is a direct correlation between the levels of technology that are used in a given healthcare facility and the hospital's capacity to treat the patients that it has. The improve in the technology that is used in the different hospitals has led to an improvement in the efficiency of the hospitals in the treatment that they provide. Studies have shown that in the last couple of years, the clinician's ability to explain, listen and empathize with the patients has improved with the improve in the levels of technology that is in use in the hospitals. In this paper, I will analyze an information technology issue that deals with the healthcare industry and states the impacts that the issue has on the betterment or the detriment of the healthcare sector.

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The HealthIT topic that I will discuss in this paper is communication in different hospitals. The importance of having efficient communication in hospitals cannot be overstated. Effective communication ensures that the hospital runs smoothly and that everyone does what is expected of them (Moore, et al., 2018). For example, if there has been an accident, effective communication between the emergency personnel, the paramedics and the hospital is vital to ensure that when the injured arrive at the hospital, they are attended to as fast as possible to help save their lives. Effective communication is also essential within the hospital as it ensures that the different departments like the lab and the theatre are in synch and that whenever a department needs the help of another, they get it as fast as possible. The reason that I selected this topic is that many communication channels in any hospital are embracing the use of technology. For example, some years back, the communications were mainly through written pieces of paper that were passed through different departments and different individuals. Today, more and more hospitals are striving to a chive a paperless work environment where all the communications and information is done through wires and networks.

There are many impacts that the embrace of a paperless communication will have on the hospital and healthcare industry at large. The first advantage that the hospital will have when they embrace a paperless form of communication is that it will streamline the workflow in the hospital (Foronda, McWilliams & McArthur, 2016). The main challenge that hospitals face is the delay in the communication process that they use. For example, the lab might have completed analyzing a blood sample, but instead of sending it immediately, the lab personnel forgets, and the results sit there waiting for someone to come and pick them up. When the communications in the hospitals do not need paper, information from the lab will get to the place that they are needed as soon as the lab comes up with the results. Another advantage to embracing a paperless communication system in a hospital is that the department leaders can assign the different roles and jobs to the employees without having to physically get in touch with them (Salomi & Maciel, 2017). This is especially important if the hospital is large, and it is difficult to reach all the employees in a given department. Electronic communication will ensure that all the employees are given the required information at the same time, and thus, they will work as a unit. This is also important if a hospital has several branches, and there is a need to contact all the different departments at once. Another advantage that paperless communication offers is the reduction in the costs of running the business as the hospital will not need as much paper as before. From the above advantages that paperless communication offers to different hospitals, it is obvious that more and more hospitals will be striving to achieve a paperless hospital.

Despite the numerous challenges that the paperless system has, several drawbacks embracing the paperless communication system in hospitals will present. The main one is that the hospital will be more susceptible to cyber-attacks (Vermeir, et al., 2015). Since a paperless system will have a communication network and servers to store all the data that is used in the hospital, this will make it a target for hackers. To protect from this, the hospital will have to spend more on firewalls and antiviruses. Another challenge that this presents is that the employees will have to be trained on how to use the new systems of communication. Some of the machines and technology that is used to replace paper in the different hospitals is so complicated that the doctors and nurses will have to be trained on how to use them. This will cost the hospital more for the training process. However, despite the challenges that the implementation of a paperless communication in a hospital will have, it is worth investing in and embracing it as the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Informatics skills are paramount to the success of the paperless communication processes in hospitals. The different informatic skills will enable an individual to create a better system of communication. One of the most important informatics skills is the ability to solve problems (Rani, Somu & Naha, 2015). When creating a system of communication for an entire hospital, there are a lot of people and departments to consider. Often a mishap in a simple place can cause the entire system to experience problems. It is important to be able to diagnose the problem and solve it as quickly and as efficient as possible. Another important informatic skill is communication skills. This is defined as the ability of an individual to convey and share ideas effectively. When an individual with the communication skills design a communication system for a hospital, he will take into consideration the different prerequisites to an effective and efficient communication process and incorporate them into the communication system. This will make the system more effective and more robust. One of the skills that a health informatics position requires is that a person has interpersonal skills and that he knows how to communicate with other people. When this individual designs the paperless communication system in a hospital, they will be able to create a system that takes into account the different needs of different individuals and what they wish to get out of a communication system. As a result, the communication system that is created is good for all.

Communication is an important part of the success of any hospital or healthcare provider. More and more hospitals are trying to improve the efficiency of their communication systems by introducing paperless communication systems. These systems, although they provide a few challenges to the hospitals, have a lot of advantages. Informatics skills can be used to make these systems better and thus improve the quality of healthcare that the hospitals provide.

References

Foronda, C., McWilliams, B., & McArthur, E. (2016). Interprofessional communication in healthcare: an integrative review. Nurse education in practice, 19, 36-40.

Moore, P. M., Rivera, S., BravoSoto, G. A., Olivares, C., & Lawrie, T. A. (2018). Communication skills training for healthcare professionals working with people who have cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (7).

Rani, U., Somu, G., & Naha, A. (2015). Role of E-communication in Healthcare: Sustainable Healthcare Solution. Arabian J Bus Manag Review, 5(162), 2.

Salomi, M. J. A., & Maciel, R. F. (2017). Document Management and Process Automation in a Paperless Healthcare Institution. Technology and Investment, 8(03), 167.

Vermeir, P., Vandijck, D., Degroote, S., Peleman, R., Verhaeghe, R., Mortier, E., ... & Vogelaers, D. (2015). Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations. International journal of clinical practice, 69(11), 1257-1267.