The Advances in Technology
The Advances in Technology Free Essay
The advances in technology have revolutionized and redesigned the way the patients are treated nowadays. New communication tools can ensure the safe transmittal of information from the medical facilities directly to the patient’s applications. Yet, there is a need for an algorithm of actions that would facilitate the use of informatics and technologies in the healthcare industry. Below is presented a short draft providing for the set of actions to reach the declared aim.
First of all, it should be stressed that the safe use of technology and informatics is to be proved and well-researched. To reach this aim the government together with the healthcare industry representatives should establish a network of research institutions that would prove the positive outcomes from the application of informatics and certain technologies. Some prototypes have already existed. Ortiz & Clancy (2003) note that within the framework of its Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) program, AHRQ financed the comprehensive review of IT tools and technologies to evaluate the evidence on interventions to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety.
The second step is to disseminate the results of the research. It could be performed through the publications of the peer-reviewed journals as well as in the mass-media articles and reports. What is more important, there is a need to ensure that the practitioners and policymakers would be aware of these findings as they are those who adopt the policies and who implement them (Cassano, 2014). It could be realized through the establishment of a national database that will encompass the documentation that would report the findings of the research. Additionally, the partnership links among the healthcare facilities could also facilitate the exchange of information.
Finally, the use of technologies could be facilitated by explaining its positive effects to the physicians and end-users, i.e. patients. It could be performed through formal and informal educational projects.
The Pod/Podcasts are considered innovative tools for educating an enlarged amount of people at the same time. It proved to be effective in many cases. Yet, some still report the areas of their work that need to be improved. This paper briefly discusses the advantage and disadvantages of the Pod/Vodcast use.
These tools are beneficial for patients who are not able to move or experience certain hardships while performing basic movements. Additionally, the Pod/podcasts could reach patients who are living in rural areas or those who need to travel during the treatment. Everything that is required is the proper web access and the technologies, either PC or portable iPads. The podcasts are also of great benefit as they are extremely convenient, especially those transmitted via social media (Schmidt et al, 2012). The information that is podcasted can be downloaded and reviewed when it is comfortable for the user. Frequently, they are free of charge. Moreover, they are powerful tools for saving time and money that are usually spent on oral training (Ventola, 2014). These resources, flowingly, could be redirected for the solution of more urgent needs. Finally, the podcasts are easy to use which is important for the elder patients who are not always familiar with the use of modern technologies.
Whereas some of the features of the Pod/Vodcasts are beneficial to some patients, for the rest they might constitute a problem. For example, the patient might experience hardships in accessing the online podcasts due to improper wi-fi signals (Jones, Thomas & Roberts, 2013). Secondly, the podcasts and vodcasts lack interactivity and the human factor. Here, the patients cannot put questions immediately or offer input. Additionally, the use of the podcasts might violate copyright laws and regulations and incur certain financial implications.