A tablet is a common device that has been implemented in the healthcare industry. Health care practitioners use the device to improve the delivery of healthcare services. There are advantages and disadvantages of employing these devices in the industry. There is a chance to enhance productivity of the medical professionals, they reduce the rate of failure-to-respond, and increase the access to critical information that aids in life and death decisions. Some medical mistakes are as a result of lack of access to information when need arises. The negative outcomes of using these devices include ease of transmitting bacteria to sterile environments, cellular interference of the medical equipment, and they are a source of distraction. Medical professionals can be distracted from patient care due to reasons like visiting social sites and reading emails (Snyder, 2013).
Health organisations can implement policies that require every professional to use the mobile devices in their work. Failure to abide by such policies would mostly lead to the termination of employment for such professionals. The use of technology in industries is important and in the healthcare industry it has increased efficiency and effectiveness. As such, medical professionals are expected to learn and adopt the new technologies as they are innovated. These mobile devices can be useful in remote patient monitoring, especially for patients with chronic conditions. As a result, the devices can help in data collection and assist people living with medical conditions or disabilities (Ventola, 2014). Any medical professional would want to ease the care of their patients and that would be reason enough to adopt the use of such devices. Is the efficiency provided by the mobile devices worth the security risk posed by the same devices? Security breaches like hacking have been common to other industries and such breaches can be dangerous with the attackers’ access to medical records. However, the implementation of these devices has improved health care delivery all round. I have witnessed this with the care given to patients with diabetes reminding them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and take their medication.
References
Snyder, A. (2013, February 26). Benefits and Risks of Mobile Device Use During Patient Care. American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Retrieved from http://www.aana.com/newsandjournal/News/Pages/022613-Benefits-and-Risks-of-Mobile-Device-Use-during-Patient-Care.aspx
Ventola, C, L. (2014). Mobile Devices and Apps for Health Care Professionals: Uses and Benefits. Pharmacy & Therapeutics, 39(5), 356-364. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029126/pdf/ptj3905356.pdf
