EMERGING TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE
Quality healthcare is one of the most significant factors considered by every individual with regards to his/her quality of life. The society is changing rapidly and this is apparent in the relationship between the care providers and the citizens. Patients are becoming stakeholders in the care of their own lives. They demand transparency in access of information on the quality of care they need. They demand these based on their need and not their provider’s. For instance, patients now often want to book appointments at their convenience. Furthermore, they want the latest drugs and would need to be taken to the best private hospitals without minding the cost of treatment. The above issues bring about the various emerging trends in the healthcare sector.
There are various trends affecting the healthcare sector today. The three identified emerging trends today are; the health insurance, the technological advancements and the cost of the care. The health insurance is a stable mechanism for financing personal health care. This trend ensures that the patients and the doctors/nurses avoid financial problems accrued from the treatment services (Waldman, 2014). The cost of the care is another significant emerging issue in the health care sector. The healthcare has become a commercial activity in today’s society. The doctors are sellers while the patients are buyers. The care should be given the first priority then money comes later. There should be no payment competition in the healthcare industry (Waldman, 2014). This will ensure a stable patient-doctor relationship.
The technological advancements in the heath care sector is a great emerging trend today. It has great implications on the delivery of care from the perspective of the doctors, nurses and patients. The proliferation of the new technology is exploding and is transforming the entire healthcare industry. Its impact is seen through various ways as outlined below: first, through the use of wearable tracking devices. This is used by people to monitor their physical activity, sleep patterns, calorie consumptions and many more. This improves the patients care and they do not have to visit a doctor in order to know their health status. It improves the patients’ engagement and at the same time offloads the nurses and the doctors from much task.
The technological advancement will also help the doctors, nurses and the patients in providing data security. Patient privacy is a sensitive matter that requires high attention particularly to avoid data breeches. The doctors and nurses are able to keep good, clear and secure records about their patients (White, 2011). On the other hand, the patients are assured that their records are safe and the data cannot be breeched.
A detailed financial report is maintained through the programs of this advanced technology. The reports of finances of various patients are stored in the computers for easy retrieval. The financial updates are also maintained to avoid confusion (Studer, 2010). Meaningful reports are then made for the patients. Through this, can be improvement in the clinical/financial integration (White, 2011). For instance, the computer technology has made the nurses to know and locate with ease which unit the patients are placed in. They do not have to go through the lengthy written documents as patients’ details are neatly archived computers (White 2011). They easily access the information they need from the computer.
The health care industry experiences many emerging trends. These help in improving this sector especially the patient-doctor relationship. The emerging trends also increase the patients ‘engagement. This ensures the provision of quality services to the patients. Patient engagement with the healthcare provider is also encouraged. The result is a competitive health sector whose focus is the good of the patient.
References
Studer, Quint. (June 2010). “Healthcare Financial Management.” The Studer Group.
Waldman, Deane. (May-June 2014). “The Health of Healthcare.” The Rio Grande Foundations.
White, Kathy. (April 2011). “Back to Basics: The Challenges of a Nurse Executive.” Cosby Inc.
