NUR 514 Week 6 Assignment Emerging Technology Brief
NUR 514 Week 6 Assignment Emerging Technology Brief
One of the that the author believes will have a significant impact on barriers to healthcare is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Accordingly, IoMT refers to medical infrastructure that consists of software, sensors, healthcare IT systems and medical devices that are utilized in medical monitoring, testing, as well as diagnostics. The use of this infrastructure can help the healthcare provider a well as the patient to monitor and inform them on the actual data on potential issues that could result in health problems. Through it, potential health problems are averted before they occur (Balas et al., 2019). An example is the use of skin sensors for blood glucose where diabetic patients are installed with sensors that monitor their blood glucose levels. The sensors notify the patient and healthcare provider incidences of low or high blood glucose levels and the need for an immediate action. In some cases, the sensors deliver insulin depending on the blood glucose levels. Through this mechanism, health problems such as diabetic coma and hypeglycemia and prevented prior to their occurrence in patients suffering from diabetes.
The other way in which the technology could function in healthcare is the management of health problem that affect the elderly populations. The elderly are at a risk of problems such as cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory and memory loss problems. The technology proves significant to these populations. For instance, sensors can be used to monitor their blood pressure and immediate actions taken in case of any deviations from the normal range (Stegemann, 2016). Similarly, they can be used to monitor their adherence to medication and notifications sent to them in cases where they forget their medical regimen.
The use of IoMT technology in health is however associated with some legal and ethical issues. One of them is the issue of privacy. Scholars argue that the use of such emergent technologies might violate one’s right to privacy. The system information can be accessed by third parties, thereby, weakening their use in the modern world. The other issue is safety concern. The long-term effects of the monitors are yet to be established. There is the concern that too much monitoring might be unhealthy as it raises individual focus on slight health issues that might be of less concern to them (Keramidas, Voros & Hübner, 2017). Therefore, these issues need to be addressed for the emerging technologies to be relevant in the modern practice of healthcare.
IoMT will improve access to care and patient safety in several ways. Firstly, it ensures that the patient and healthcare provider interact constantly on affecting them. The healthcare provider will always be in contact with the patient in case of a notification of an impending health problem (Le et al., 2018). The access to care is also enhanced due to the efficiency in which decisions are made. The easy availability of the patient’s data ensures that healthcare providers can collaborate with ease in determining the healthcare needs of the patients. The monitoring of the patient’s physiological status also promotes safety since health problems are identified before they occur. Besides, incidences of poor adherence to treatment are identified earlier, which leads to minimal occurrences of complications associated with the conditions being managed (Vermesan & Bacquet, 2017). Therefore, it makes it apparent that emerging technologies such as IoMT will eliminate barriers that affect the quality, access, and safety of care given to those in need in the society.
References
Balas, V. E., Solanki, V. K., Kumar, R., & Ahad, A. R. (2019). A handbook of internet of things in biomedical and cyber physical system. Cham: Springer.
Keramidas, G., Voros, N., & Hübner, M. (2017). Components and services for IoT platforms: Paving the way for IoT standards. Cham: Springer.
Le, D.-N., Le, C. V., Tromp, J. G., Nguyen, N. G., & Wiley InterScience (Online service). (2018). Emerging technologies for health and medicine: Virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, industry 4.0. Beverly, MA: Scrivener Publishing.
Stegemann, S. (2016). Developing drug products in an aging society: From concept to prescribing. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Vermesan, O., & Bacquet, J. (2017). Cognitive hyperconnected digital transformation: Internet of things inteligence evolution. Delft: River Publishers.
Re: Topic 6 DQ 2
Both an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and (EHR) are digital records of patient health information. An EMR is best understood as a digital version of a patient’s chart, while an EHR contains the patient’s records from multiple doctors and provides a more holistic, long-term view of a patient’s health. Both EHRs and EMRs offer benefits to patients and healthcare providers such as; reduced medical errors improved health care, patient charts are more complete and clear, information sharing can reduce duplicate testing, saving patients and providers time, money and trouble, improved information access makes prescribing medication safer and more reliable, the promotion of patient participation can encourage healthier lifestyles and more frequent use of preventative care, and with more complete information means more accurate diagnoses (Practice Fusion, 2019). The primary benefit is the collaborative nature of an EHR. They are designed to be shared with other healthcare providers and to aid the level of care provided across the care continuum. EHRs also present the ability to track additional information inclusive of demographic data, lab results, insurance information, prior authorizations and data from personal wellness devices from across the internet, enhancing patient access to care. EHRs also played a significant role in the rollout of Meaningful Use, the Medicare/Medicaid program that mandates the use of EHR to improve patient outcomes and subsequently performance-based compensation. An HER, that is certified technology, meets meaningful use standards for incentive-based programs administered by the CMS (Practice Fusion, 2019). EMRs do not. EHRs are designed to be shared and expanded upon outside of a single practice, where EMRs are not. EMRs are restricted in scope to primarily diagnosis and treatment information. EHRs provide in-depth data across a patient’s medical history from a variety of sources. EHRs move with the patient across providers, states and even country borders. EMRs do not travel with patients easily. The ability to share information across organizations, or interoperability, is vital for organizations to meet requirements of the HITECH Act (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018. P. 185). Electronics records are expected to make healthcare more efficient and less costly and have a possibility to reduce the number of medical errors and therefore increase the safety of the patients.
The Health Insurance Portability and Patient Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), requires that all protected health information be secure. Keeping health information safe is a major challenge for all members of the healthcare team. EHRs improve accountability with audit trails and security that detail who has accessed the medical records and when and what the individuals did while accessing each record. EHRs also keep information safe from anyone who does not have permission to see patient data. However, patients have access to their own EHRs through patient portals and can read, print and send their health information to providers, empowering patients to be their own advocate (Hoover, 2017).
References
Hoover, R. (2017). Benefits of using an electronic health record, Nursing Critical Care, (12), 1, 9-10. Retrieved from : 10.1097/01.CCN.0000508631.93151.8d
McGonigle, D., and Mastrian, K. (2018). Administrative Information Systems, in Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. (4th Ed).
Practice Fusion. (2019). EHR (electronic health record) vs. EMR (electronic medical record). Retrieved May 27, 2021 from:
Re: Topic 6 DQ 2
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are not the same. Though they are only one letter apart, EMRs and EHRs actually have very different functions. Both are digital programs that house patient information, thus greatly decreasing the reliance on physical paper copies. Both can be used for data tracking and as a tool to ensure patients are receiving proper preventative care, such as immunizations and screenings (Garrett & Seidman, 2011).
An EMR is a digitized version of a patient’s medical chart from one specific facility. It includes provider notes, diagnoses, and treatments, all of which occurred at that one clinic in particular (Garrett & Seidman, 2011). EMRs are not easily transferrable to other facilities, however, and often may need to be physically printed out for the information to be shared outside of the clinic/facility (Garrett & Seidman, 2011).
While an EMR focuses on the “medical” aspect, an EHR focuses on “health” as a whole, which is a much broader view (Garrett & Seidman, 2011). EHRs can do everything an EMR can do, and more. They can house information not just from one specific clinic or facility, but from all providers a patient may see, providing a holistic look at the patient’s care as a whole (Garrett & Seidman, 2011). Information can be shared between facilities without the cumbersome process of printing and faxing, providers can collaborate with confidence knowing they’re seeing the same information, and the EHR moves with the patient wherever they go (Garrett & Seidman, 2011).
There are more than 800 certified commercial EHRs for inpatient facilities (DeNisco & Barker, 2016). A commonly used EHR is Epic, which is what my hospital system just switched to, from Cerner/ORCA. We made the switch to Epic for our inpatient facilities because our outpatient clinics were already using it, and Epic and Cerner did not share information with each other. While switching to Epic was not a smooth transition and we are still working through ongoing issues months later, it was a move made in the name of interoperability and patient quality and access to care. Having out outpatient and inpatient systems talk to each other provides invaluable information when a patient finds themselves inpatient. Providers and care teams can be confident that they see the holistic picture of the patient’s medical care, instead of having to fill in holes in records and spend time piecing together the history.
DeNisco, S.M., & Barker, A.M. (2016). Advanced practice nursing. Essential knowledge for the profession (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Garrett, P., & Seidman, J. (2011). EMR vs EHR—what is the difference? The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
