The following paper talks about the trends that are emerging in the IT systems and applications that are being used in the medical field. It also includes the advantages of using different technologies so that optimum results can be achieved to benefit healthcare.
Introduction:
Visionaries in health care have predicted a revolution in information technology within the world of medical care since the late 1950s. This revolution was predicted to transform the health care industry as the finance and retail sectors had been transformed. The individuals who pioneered informatics in the medical field had a vision for literally changing the face of modern medical science through the use of clinical information systems and applications. There are a large number of examples that display how these systems support the management of health care outcomes, drug interaction checking, entry of orders and a patient's vital signs being captured electronically and health care practitioners’ clinical notes. The advances that have been made in clinical IT are beneficial for the early diagnosis of diseases, the improvement of results in healthcare, decrease in errors made in diagnosis and treatment and an increase in the efficiency of administration and last but not least, patient satisfaction. (“M Crane R.”, 2009)
Wireless technology in medical care
In recent years, interest in wireless systems in the medical field has been increasing at a rapid speed. There are a large number of advantages to suing this technology:
Significant reduction in the risk of infection
Some of the essential instruments in intensive care include blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, spirometers and pulse oximeters. In previous years, these devices were attached to patients with the help of wires and cables. However, nowadays, wireless technology and wireless devices have done away with these needs and helps healthcare professionals use the technology to wirelessly monitor, control and evaluate the transmitted data in real-time or offline. (“Jain R.”, 2009)
There are some challenges to using technology in healthcare as well. As we all know, reliability is a major factor in the success of a healthcare system. To make sure that this factor is always guaranteed, the designers who come up with the technology needs to take into consideration the adaptation of nodes when there are changes in the location, the quality of the link and the connection.
Well-designed information technology systems are required by health organizations so that they are able to make the best use of health-related data that is always growing every day. These systems rely on to make decisions in the managerial levels and to make improvements in areas like the surveillance of epidemics. Other areas include the assessment of health results, evaluation of programs, public health planning and analysis of policies. (“Studnickl J.”, 2009)
Conclusion
Information systems have become an important public health tool. They provide data in real-time to guide the decisions that healthcare organizations that relate to public health. Information technology has advanced to such a high level that approximately 200 million medical observations can be analyzed in a single PC workstation that is high-end. There are no limits to the things we can do and the changes we can make in healthcare with the help of information technology systems and applications.
References:
M Crane R. (2009). Fulfilling the potential of clinical information systems. 18 May 2009. Retrieved from http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/winter03/cis.html
Jain R. (2009). Medical applications of wireless networks. 12 October 2009. Retrieved from http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse574-08/ftp/medical/index.html
Studnickl J. (2009). Using Information systems for public health administration. Retrieved from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763738425/38425_ch13_353_380.pdf
