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Patient care technology is responsible for improved quality, safety, and patient outcomes in the complex healthcare system. However, device-related issues are inevitable and can be due to poor technology design, poor technology interface with the patient or environment, and inadequate implementation and monitoring plan (Bardhan, & Thouin, 2017). Unsolved problems with information technology affect the delivery of care and the likelihood of occurrence of errors that affect patient safety and quality of clinical care. Technology innovations should foster patient satisfaction by addressing patient concerns through improvement plans. As the nursing supervisor, I am tasked the responsibility of developing improvement plans for weekly leadership meetings based on patient phone calls.
Mabel’s hospital stay concerned, and the impact of technology failure healthcare delivery.
Mabel was admitted due to pneumonia, and although she enjoyed hospital stay, technology failure affected her healthcare delivery process. Mabel’s hospital concerns included prolonged hospital stay, failure of the doctor to sign her discharge papers, delayed prescriptions, and un-emailed hospital bill. Also, access to the online portal to monitor her medical records has been impaired due to failure to provide a user ID, and password has promised. Although instructions were provided, the link does not work. Mabel fears that her hospital may be prolonged due to the uncertainty of the circumstances. The goal of nursing is to reduced hospital stay to prevent HAIs, and, in this case, Mabel’s health needs were put at risk.
The failure of the computer system delayed the billing process, which affected Mabel discharge process since she could not pay the hospital bill. Her health recovery process was affected due to the lack of prescription drugs and stress due to slowed care delivery. The quality of care and patient safety was poor in this case, which resulted in poor health outcomes.
Innovation technologies that improve client experience and evaluation.
The current technology innovations seek to promote customer satisfaction and improve healthcare delivery (Tsumoto, & Hirano, 2014). The innovative technologies I would recommend to enhance patient experiences are digitalization of health records and information and communication technology (ICT). Digitalization of health records through EHRs will improve patient access to their medical records and reduction of errors. Mabel could access her discharge documents online, which does not require the doctor to sign any papers. It will also simplify workflow through the use of billing codes and reduce costs. Besides, it will improve health care delivery by promoting efficiency, and reducing hospital stays has every healthcare delivery process will be digitized. I will evaluate this tool by conducting weekly surveys on patients in a different department and also involve nurses to report patient complaints promptly to avoid errors and unnecessary delays.
Information and communication technology in healthcare helps link patients and health providers through the use of smartphones, telemedicine, emails, and telemonitoring systems (Tsumoto, & Hirano, 2014). Telemedicine and telehealth will enable video consultations with patients, especially in rural health settings. Due to the age of Mabel, hospital visits can be reduced by allowed easy access to health services in the comfort of their homes. Telepharmacy also helps access prescriptions instantly rather than waiting for long. Telemonitoring enables health providers to monitor critical conditions, and this has improved health outcomes and overall efficiency in health care delivery. To maintain patient satisfaction and effectiveness, adequate implementation and monitoring plan is necessary. I would recommend the employment of an IT expert, especially nurse informaticists, who will be in charge of monitoring the technology system and providing timely or weekly reports.
Identify evidence from the literature to support how each technology had a positive impact on client safety.
The use of technology in healthcare has reduced medical errors and adverse health effects. Messaging notifications and video calls have been used during emergencies and to get hold of doctors. Bardhan & Thouin (2017) suggests that the use of digitalized health records is critical in preventing errors as they can be easily detected. Patient baseline data is recorded in a computer system, and through telemonitoring, any slight changes can be easily detected and corrected. Telemedicine has improved health outcomes in geriatric populations as clinicians can consult with clinical expertise without necessarily referring to the patient, in situations where patient safety is endangered, access to ambulance services is efficient and effective. Therefore, health providers should collaborate with patients in implementing effective technology innovations that consider patient and nurse concerns.
References
Bardhan, I. R., & Thouin, M. F. (2017). Health information technology and its impact on the quality and cost of healthcare delivery. Decision Support Systems, 55(2), 438-449. Bardhan, I. R., & Thouin, M. F. (2013). Health information technology and its impact on the quality and cost of healthcare delivery. Decision Support Systems, 55(2), 438-449.
Buntin, M. B., Burke, M. F., Hoaglin, M. C., & Blumenthal, D. (2016). The benefits of health information technology: a review of the recent literature shows predominantly positive results. Health Affairs, 30(3), 464-471. https/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0178
Tsumoto, S., & Hirano, S. (2014, October). Healthcare IT: Integration of consumer healthcare data and electronic medical records for chronic disease management. In 2014 IEEE International Conference on Granular Computing (GrC) (pp. 310-315). IEEE. Retrieved from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6982855