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Thesis of technology in healthcare
Technology in the medical world
Involved use of technology in healthcare
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Advances in Medical Technology
Over the course of many centuries, medical technology has developed to a great extent. Studies show that recent equipment has evolved more in the last ten to twenty years than in the past thousand years. Before human time, people learned to treat themselves by just using natural substances. Now-a-days, our hi-tech systems in the medical field have been created for the most effective tools for a high level of patient care. While they advance the tools, it will then allow for quicker diagnosis, less pain, and fewer costs, which in the end will help save more lives. Some people are accepting that modern technology can buy them more time to live while others might find it quite alarming because they fear they have a loss of control. In places like hospitals, nursing homes, and households, patients and doctors are using this technology all the time. Unfortunately, not always is the equipment going to be successful to patient care; there could be a few cases where something could go wrong.
In Edward Tenner’s excerpt “Another Look Back, and a Look Ahead” he explains what he refers to as “revenge effects”. These are the unintentional negative consequences that sometimes occur when introducing new technology into practice. They are not thought about before an event occurs but only after these “revenge effects” can it overshadow the benefits that the advancements may have had. Complex devises that work together with our human system always generate revenge effects. In the excerpt, he explains that the hype of new discovery sometimes overshadows the possibility that this new product or practice may not be the safest and most efficient thing. We jump into new ideas, because the idea of something be...
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...osing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Apr 2014.
Bettelheim, Adriel. “Drug-Resistant Bacteria” CQ Researcher, 9, 473-496. (1999). N. pag. Web. 16 Apr. 2014
Callahan, Daniel. “Curbing Medical Costs: The ‘Unpopular’ Problem.” America 10 Mar. 2008: 9+ Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Apr. 2014
Deyo, Richard A. Hope or Hype: The Obsession with Medical Advances and The High Cost of False Promises. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association, 2005 Print.
Jost, Kenneth. “Medical Malpractice” CQ Researcher, 13, 129-152. (2003): n. pag. Web. 16 Apr. 2014
People’s Century, Living Longer. Dir. Peter Ceresole. PBS Video, 1999. PBS Video Database of America’s History & Culture Merged Index. Web. 16 Apr 2014
Tenner, Edward. “Another Look Back, and a Look Ahead” The New Humanities Reader. Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. New York: 2009. 432-457
While revenge may feel sweet at times, in most cases it is destructive to yourself and those around you. The article “Revenge:Will You Feel Better?” makes one contemplate this, and draws the question “is revenge really worth it?” Well, in the article, Karyn Hall suggests that “Revenge can be a strong urge, but you may not feel better if you act on it.” In fact, in a study performed by Kevin Carlsmith showed that “...the students that got revenge reported feeling worse than those who didn't…” With this, one may see that revenge is pointless, and in most cases leaves you feeling worse than the people you performed it
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
From watching this video, I learn how most medical errors aren’t always simply due to the caregiver’s performance or practice, but instead can be accompanied by the flawed systems. In the twins’ case the error was made due to human error, but the fact Hep-lock and Heparin were in a similar colored bottle and labeled similarly made it more difficult to distinguish between the two. I also learned about different techniques and technologies health care workers are trying to use to prevent medical error by improving old processes and systems or creating new ones. Check a box, save a life is one of the newer interventions, it is essentially a check list for resident surgeons (if used each resident is estimated to save a life). The barcode technology is also something newer that can help save lives by doing a safety check of the five rights for medication.
Technological advances enable nurses to provide accurate, timely care for a patient. This is due to the fact that these advances enable doctors and nurses to quickly diagnose, explain and predict the health-illness status of a patient, thus allowing health care professionals to spend less time finding answers, and more time providing quality care. For nurses, this includes spending time with the patient establishing rapport, communication and a trusting relationship for optimum clinical care.
Woo, A., Ranji, U., & Salganicoff, A. (2008). Reducing medical errors with technology. Retrieved March, 2012, from http://kaiseredu.org
The healthcare world has simply grown too large, too quickly and, as a result, has forgotten the reason behind which it stands: the patient. Continuity of care is in dire need of repair and without effective communication and coordination of care, the problem will not be corrected.
Over the last 10 years evidence-based practice (EBP) has grown substantially and is changing the nursing care delivered to patients along with the nursing work environment. Nurses are more involved in the decision making process, and are making clinical decisions with better patient outcomes (Good, Fink, Krugman, Oman, & Traditi, 2011). With technology growing at such a fast pace, new and more effective medicines, medical devices, and procedures are developed daily. Digestible sensors that monitor your bodily systems and 3D printing of embryonic stem cells, blood vessels, and sheets of cardiac tissue that actually beat like a real heart, are significantly impacting the future of healthcare (Honigman,
One of the most recently new advances in radiology is the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI has been around for the past century. It was at first called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and then it changed to MRI once there was an available image. Walter Gerlach and Otto Stern were the first scientists to start experimenting with the magnetic imaging. Their very first experiment was looking at the magnetic moments of silver by using some type of x-ray beam. The scientists then discovered this was by realizing that the magnetic force in the equipment and in the object itself. In 1975, the first image was finally created using and MRI machine. The scientists used a Fourier Transformation machine to reconstruct images into 2D. The first images ever use diagnostically was in 1980. This is when hospitals began to use them. At first the images took hours to develop and were only used on the patients that needed it most. Even though MRI has been around for a long time, it has advanced and has been one of the best imaging modalities recently (Geva, 2006).
What would Wilhelm Roentgen, the father of X-ray, say about the technological discoveries in radiology today? Since the start of X-rays in 1895 significant advancements have revolutionized the field of radiology. One illustrates how different scanners have improved, in addition how picture archiving communication system can assist doctors, and finally the outlook on the future of radiology.
The human body is the most complex organism in the world. A vast majority of society never gives it real thought, but our body is a well oiled machine composed of several systems with separate functions yet they all work together. No man can recreate an exact working replica of a human; even with all of our technology we still do not fully understand it. Each day anatomists and physiologists are getting closer, by making medical breakthroughs. Therefore, since the study of the human body constantly is evolving, so is the study of medicine. These changes pertain to every position held in the medical field, including nurses. As doctors’ duty is to become well informed of the constant changes, it is just as important for nursing staff to evolve as well. Most people do not realize the very valuable role a nurse plays in the process of treating a patient. Actually, some would say that nurses are more valuable than the doctors’. It is the nurse that gives the direct patient care by working with patients to monitor, evaluate, and implement their best judgment regarding the patients care. This is a very large responsibility for any person, let alone someone who has not attended medical school. Granted, nurses generally operate within certain perimeters set by the doctors’ orders, but there are times where nurses have to implement their own skills. A good nurse must be a good communicator, must be well educated and willing to evolve with the industry, and most importantly must be able to implement last minute critical thinking skills.
We as nurses rely on technology, but we also have been taught to beware technology from making judgments for our nursing car. We know that technology can be wrong or mess up just like a human; therefore, we must always be knowledgeable and question our practice, to ensure safe nursing. Technology has pros and cons just like the human person does. “Storing clinical data, translating clinical data into information, linking clinical data and domain knowledge, and aggregating clinical data” is a helpful and time saving use of technology (Yoder-Wise, 2015). However, technology sometimes take precious time away; for example, a study found that “nurses spend up to 40% of their workday meeting ever-increasing demands from the systems in which they work” (Yoder-Wise, 2015). Technology also brings up an “ethical dilemma” as to when and how to use “extraordinary means to prolong life for patients with limited or no decision making capabilities” (Yoder-Wise, 2015). When is technology prolonging pain and hindering a peaceful natural death. Other issues like, “safeguarding patient’s welfare, privacy, and confidentiality” have been called into question with use of patient information in the computer systems (Yoder-Wise, 2015). There has to be safety parameter to protect patients according to HIPPA law, for example firewalls (Yoder-Wise, 2015). However, computerized patient information has also been a live saver and time saver because “provider order entry” is more clearly written,
...o walks to direct his steps.” King James Version 2000. Victor proved this true, he had no ability to rectify the costly mistakes namely the deaths of his closest friends and family. Scientists today seek knowledge of things outside the predefined laws of nature. Have they truly considered the consequences of their successes now and future? Is there any way to truly know for sure the benefits versus the risks? Time will tell.
Besides the computer revolution, medical advances have caused tension between faith and reason. The medical advances of the Twentieth Century have many beneficial effects for humanity. Diseases that used to be dangerous or life threatening, like mumps, measles, and whooping cough, are no longer worries in todays medical world. Tetanus, typhoid, and the bubonic plaque can now be treated with antibiotics or other medicines. Vaccines, especially the polio vaccine, freed many people from the effects of a disease. Advances in heart surgery and organ transplants have saved many lives. Anesthetics and painkillers have been made to reduce or eliminate pain during surgery or a painful disease. Advances in cancer and AIDS have also been made, although many of the details of these diseases are yet to be learned.
One of the biggest strengths the United States health care system has is the advanced state of technology (Ridic, 2012). The United States has a relatively high life expectancy that reflects upon the advanced state of its health care technology. More treatment options exist for various diseases, helping to improve, extend and save the quality of life for patients. The United States is a leading country for survival rate among cancer and clinic research. Furthermore, the United States continues to be a leading powerhouse
The advancement of technology has been evolving for over decades. The use of technology in the medical field is very beneficial to the healthcare workers. In the medical field technology is being used in a number of different ways to help improve patient safety. Evolving technology has a direct effect on the medical field. Technology is used in the medical field by barcode scanning, robots, and smart infusion pumps to ensure that nurses, surgeons, and even physicians are making fewer mistakes, and to help them be more accurate when performing a procedure on a patient.