We live in an age of science and technology. The appliances of science and technology have revolutionized our way of life. There is nothing that has influenced our lives more than a computer. We have become dependant on them for almost every aspect of our lives. There is no field that is devoid of the influence of computer applications. The demand of computers has been dramatically increasing in many fields. I believe that among the fields that have made tremendous advances in the twentieth century due to the advancement of computers, medicine stands out from the rest. The medical field is continuously using the newest technology to better the treatment and diagnosis of patients in order to help people. There are many different aspects in which technology is being used to improve the field of medicine. This technology aids in administrative matters, non-direct healthcare, and specialized medical equipment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, radiology, virtual surgery and virtual medicine.
In administrative matters, computers impact patient billing, online referrals, and computerized patient records. According to (Bader, S.A & Braude, 1998), there are software programs that exist to aid physicians in insurance billing. Without these applications, a physician or highly trained assistant would have to spend hours writing thousands of claims by hand. One program called Medical Billing Assistant accomplishes this tedious task. The program receives input such as dates, price, patient numbers, and medical procedure codes. The software records the data and produces an output, which can be mailed to insurance companies, kept for log, or given to patients.
Computers not only aid in the administration and organization of patient records, but in actual health care. The Internet has made a huge impact on the health care system. Health care on the Internet has become diverse and significantly present in the past two to three years. Throughout the years, Internet services for health care evolved. According to (Douglass K., 1997), during the first generation, uses of the Internet have been applications of information that describe products, and services that are available from health care providers. During the second generation, the Internet was used for transactions that involved electronic data exchanges, which includes purchasing prescription drugs. As technology advances, the third generation will involve the use of complex health management programs and the managing of clinical information.
(Douglass K., 1997), “It will be challenging to regulate health care on the Internet.
information using the internet. Today patients are encouraged to be active in their care. Patient
Did you ever think about how much time is spent on computers and the internet? It is estimated that the average adult will spend over five hours per day online or with digital media according to Emarketer.com. This is a significant amount; taking into consideration the internet has not always been this easily accessible. The world that we live in is slowly or quickly however you look at it: becoming technology based and it is shifting the way we live. With each day more and more people use social media, shop online, run businesses, take online classes, play games, the list is endless. The internet serves billions of people daily and it doesn’t stop there. Without technology and the internet, there would be no electronic health record. Therefore, is it important for hospitals and other institutions to adopt the electronic health record (EHR) system? Whichever happens, there are many debates about EHR’s and their purpose, and this paper is going to explain both the benefits and disadvantages of the EHR. Global users of the internet can then decide whether the EHR is beneficial or detrimental to our ever changing healthcare system and technology based living.
Unfortunately, the quality of health care in America is flawed. Information technology (IT) offers the potential to address the industry’s most pressing dilemmas: care fragmentation, medical errors, and rising costs. The leading example of this is the electronic health record (EHR). An EHR, as explained by HealthIT.gov (n.d.), is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. It includes, but is not limited to, medical history, diagnoses, medications, and treatment plans. The EHR, then, serves as a resource that aids clinicians in decision-making by providing comprehensive patient information.
Technology is a driving force in our society. People can now manage their bank accounts, pay bills, and get their news with the click of the mouse. It only makes sense that the health care industry would join in on these web-based initiatives. More and more providers are using online patient portals as a means for communicating with patients and allowing them to have access to important health information. While patient portals are still in their emerging stages, positive results are being reported from patients and healthcare professionals alike. Online patient portals allow more effective communications between patients and their healthcare professionals by developing stronger, more utilized relationships and by creating a way to get information out to patients more efficiently. Through this enhanced communication there will be patients that are more actively engaged in their treatment, have stronger relationships with their healthcare professionals, and in many cases have improved medical conditions.
Advances in technology have influences our society at home, work and in our health care. It all started with online banking, atm cards, and availability of children’s grades online, and buying tickets for social outings. There was nothing electronic about going the doctor’s office. Health care cost has been rising and medical errors resulting in loss of life cried for change. As technologies advanced, the process to reduce medical errors and protect important health care information was evolving. In January 2004, President Bush announced in the State of the Union address the plan to launch an electronic health record (EHR) within the next ten years (American Healthtech, 2012).
Over the last several years, electronic medical records are becoming more prominent in health care facilities, replacing traditional written records. As many electronics are becoming more prevalent with the invention of numerous smartphones and tablet devices, it seems that making medical records available electronically would be appropriate for the evolving times. Even though they have been in use to some extent for many years, the “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has brought paperless documentation into the spotlight” (Eisenberg, 2010, p. 8). The systems of electronic medical records mainly consist of clinical note taking, prescription and medication documentation,
Nursing informatics is an emerging field that integrates both the medical field of patient care with computer science and technology. In today’s society, we relieve a lot on technology as it has improved and become more accessible over the years. Access to the internet is now at the tip of our fingers as we can use our mobile phones or even our cars to explore and surf the World Wide Web. With the quick access comes positives and negatives, as anyone can publish anything on the internet; which is why as health providers it is important to direct our patient’s into the right direction. For example: cdc.gov, the Centers for Disease Control and preventions, offers up-to-date resources of any medical condition and also
• Maintain and update records for all aspects of patient billing and management information records. • Verify accuracy on all patient encounter forms submitted for processing or billing. • Enter charges, receipts, changes and other input into the computer. • Keep current on informational changes in billing procedures. • Verify and/or enter Medical policy identification into computer.
Our clinical knowledge is expanding. The researcher has first proposed the concept of electronic health record (EHR) to gather and analyze every clinical outcome. By late 1990s computer-based patient record (CPR) replaced with the term EHR (Wager et al., 2009). The process of implementing EHR occurs over a number of years. An electronic record of health-related information on individual conforms interoperability standards can create, manage and consult with the authorized health professionals (Wager et al., 2009). This information technology system electronically gather and store patient data, and supply that information as needed to the healthcare professionals, as well as a caregiver can also access, edit or input new information; this system function as a decision support tools to the health professionals. Every healthcare organization is increasingly aware of the importance of adopting EHR to improve the patient satisfaction, safety, and lowering the medical costs.
The advantages of using technology in healthcare are far too many to enumerate. As we become more and more dependent on intelligent machines in the medical field, computation technology, specifically, will have a vital role to play in the coming years. They simplify the design process of medical equipment (like prosthetics, stents, pacemakers, etc.), help simulate the effects of a particular device or drug on the human body, consolidate & manage patient records in a central database, etc. Computers are also living up to the challenge of fulfilling out ever-increasing demands of precision and efficiency.
In conclusion, there is a huge advancement being made as far as computer aided surgeries go. From holding information, analyzing problems, delivering solutions, to performing operations, computers are the next step in medical tools.
Medical tools in the modern day are almost all made with small, programmed computers inside. “Medical imaging is a vast field that deals with the techniques to create images of the human body. Many of the modern methods of scanning and imaging are largely based on computer technology” ("Importance of Computers in Medicine."). We have been able to apply many of the advanced medical imaging techniques, over the years, thanks to developments in computer science. Magnetic quality imaging uses computer software. To obtain high-resolution images, doctors ...
This article highlights the creative technology and its uses in medicine today. There are examples and comparisons on the useful and destructive ways technology has impacted society. The author speaks directly about the benefits of improved technology in healthcare as well as a wide range of other fields. This source will help support my claims of how medical technology has improved by providing descriptive facts.
The internet is a very functional form of electronic communication. Let’s think external delivery. Using the internet as a source of delivery for communicating patient information this is considered external delivery that transmits instantaneously between all healthcare businesses. The internet gives us the tools to do a lot, expand technology in the healthcare field that will allow the physicians and their patients to...
It is pertinent to note that ICT gives room for technological convergence in that various communication channels or platforms are integrated in it. This has opened the way for health enlightenment in various forms such as podcasts, short videos, blogs and so on. The limitless coverage of the internet allows these enlightenment efforts to be accessed all over the world enhancing global health. The information system of any health center will not function effectively without Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In other words, ICT is the backbone of the current information system. Information can be transmitted within a couple of no time. The array of purveyor of information under ICT is extremely vast and this technology helps doctors, hospitals, the general public and all other medical care providers. It is pertinent to note that Pharmaceutical industry is the industry that enjoys the biggest benefits of ICT. All the medical data available helps in assessing the medical requirements, makes them aware of similar research being carried out in different parts of the world and in letting the world know about their developments Consequently, the advent of ICT has made