Technology Across the Care Continuum Essay Sample

Technology Across the Care Continuum Essay Sample

Technology across the Care Continuum

Executive Summary

Healthcare technologies are increasingly playing fundamental roles in acute care facility, from lab tests to self-care and from patient registration to data management. Technological advancements contribute to faster service delivery out of the confines of hospital walls in addition to incorporating health records with the readily accessible and user-friendly devices.

Such devices include tablets and smartphones, which have replaced the conventional recording and monitoring systems. In addition, people are able to undergo a full consultation at the comfort and in the privacy of their homes.

To enjoy technological efficiency across the care continuum, we have acquired advanced technology that has helped to improve service delivery and patient safety in providing acute care. The technology has enabled effective communication among the stakeholders including the patients, the healthcare providers, and the family members.

For instance, the Electronic Health Records allows for easy sharing of information across the care continuum. Furthermore, the social media sites enable the nurses to share nutritional and educational resources with the public to encourage a healthy lifestyle and discourage unhealthy behaviours such as cigarette smoking and excess use of alcohol.

However, we understand that technology is changing each day. Therefore, the hospital leaders must strive to adopt the latest technology to further improve the patient experience. By embracing video teleconferencing in the health care system, it will help in reducing the number of hospital visits and increase efficiency in handling emergency conditions.  I also believe that the use of telemetry devices in acute care to capture data of vital signs on outpatients promote patient safety.

Failure to use advanced health technology in registering, diagnosing, monitoring, treating, and record keeping is both detrimental to the facility and the patients. By using outdated technology to improve patient experience, the facility is likely to damage its reputation, as a result of inefficiency and increased medication errors. Therefore, the management should remain updated regarding new and advanced technology that helps address contemporary health problems.

Overview of the Care Continuum

Acute care, also known as inpatient care, refers to medical care delivery on an inpatient basis. Services provided include consultation, intervention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.  This system involves the use of advanced medical procedures and technology to improve patient experience and to reduce medication errors (El-Kareh, Hasan & Schiff, 2013).

Most medical examinations and treatments for acute injury and diseases can be done on an ambulatory basis. This includes minor surgical procedures, dermatology services, and various diagnostic procedures like endoscopy, blood tests, and biopsy.

The practice also involves the application of skills and expertise in managing various medical procedures, systems, medicines, and vaccines, which are used to improve the quality of healthcare services and solving contemporary health problems. Acute care services may be classified into administrative and clinical services. They aim at using advanced technology to examine, monitor, and offer c…….…..

Types of Patient-care Technologies

Acute care facilities involve a wide range of care modalities, which contributes to the use of different medical tools within one site. Therefore, the technology planners in a healthcare continuum must apply their skills and expertise to educate relevant stakeholders about these modalities to overcome potential challenges.

The following are ten communication and information technologies that have been developed over the years. They include electronic health record, Remote monitoring tools, mHealth, Sensors and wearable technology, Portal technology, Self-service kiosks, Tablets, smartphones, Telemedicine/telehealth, and Pharmacogenomics/genome sequencing (Cascarino, 2014). Communication technology enables the patients and clinician to share information re………………………

Technology Across the Care Continuum Essay Sample