The Benefits of Technology on the Quality of Patient Care

Benefits of health information technology include smooth communication between health-care providers; increase drug safety, reporting and tracking; and increasing quality of care through perfect access to and adherence to guidelines. Strong interoperability is critical to safe care, but this goal has proven evasive. Significant patient safety concerns have already been recognized. It is very important to maintain quality and patient-safety as the main focus.

The benefits of technology in healthcare include the ability to rapidly communicate patient information in a legible format, its ability to retrieve and store data, through increased clarity increased medication safety, which efficiently decreases medication error risks; and the proficiency of retrieval of patient information. However, even though it says a lot, it does not explain the technology and healthcare benefits on the quality of patient care.

Patient electronic-portals-

The patient portal basically is a secured online application that provides patients with access to their all personal health related information. It also provides two-way electronic communication with their care providers using a mobile device or computer. So, patients can easily access their data anytime, anywhere.

Telemedicine-

Telemedicine is basically defined as the utilize of telecommunications technology in healthcare to smooth the patient-to-provider as well as provider-to-provider communications. Communication can be synchronous with the asynchronous transmission of patient clinical information or real-time 2-way video communication. Also, telemedicine can provide all health related information that is remotely collected from the medical devices or from the personal mobile devices. It can be used to monitor patients, and track or change their behavior.

Automated medication dispensing technology-

Basically, automated dispensing cabinets are electronic drug cabinets. It store medication at the point of care with tracking and controlled dispensing of medication distribution. The automated medication dispensing cabinets have been successfully used as medication inventory management tools that help automate the medication dispensing process by reducing the workload on central pharmacies and also keeping better track of patient billing. Thus, patients can get technology benefits from ADC.

Clinical decision support-

The patient-specific information is provided by it for healthcare professionals. This information is purposefully and logically filtered to improve healthcare provider decisions and presented to healthcare professionals at appropriate times. Technology in healthcare includes a range of tools to enhance clinical workflow and decision-making. Thus CDS systems increase patient safety and quality of the care.

Remotely patient monitoring-

It successfully improves patient outcomes for certain chronic conditions including; stroke, heart failure, hypertension, asthma, and COPD. The patient data management system is a system that automatically retrieves data from bedside medical equipment. Now, the data are eventually summarized and reorganized to help healthcare providers interpret the data. Also, it efficiently reduced the occurrence of errors.

Mobile technology in healthcare

Mobile apps are the main thing for improve the accessibility for patients and as well as the healthcare professionals. The mobile apps helps people to easily manage their health as well as their well-being effortlessly like general medical information, access test results, etc.

Nowadays health IT has become an integral part of the practice of medicine. As with any new technology, technology in healthcare brings many potential benefits as well as potential concerns and thus improves the treatment and patient care. Now with the implementation and use of new healthcare technology, we can successfully upgrade patient safety and quality.