peer response
Healthcare organizations are constantly trying to enhance
patient care and improve care efficiency. As technology continues to
evolve, healthcare is promised more transformation and more personalized
care. One of the trends I’ve seen at my organization is the
transformation of electronic health records. Electronic health records
are a digital version of a patient’s paper chart and are real-time,
patient-centered records that make information available instantly
(HealthIT.gov, 2018). These records have become the backbone of
healthcare data management, centralizing patient information into one
big digital platform. This can also help with coordination among
healthcare providers and improve the accuracy of diagnoses and
treatments.
A potential challenge and risk of electronic health
records are that they are vulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches,
which can expose sensitive patient information. By ensuring seamless
data exchange between different record systems can be challenging, which
can lead to fragmented patient records. One benefit of electronic
health records are improved coordination and continuity of care. While
electronic health records provide a centralized digital record of a
patient’s medical history, this can enable healthcare providers to
access up to date patient information quickly and in a uniform manner.
One potential risk associated with these records are the susceptibility
to cyberattacks and data breaches. These systems are easily targeted by
hackers seeking to take sensitive personal health information. Argaw et
al. (2020) said that the frequency of data breaches in the healthcare
industry has been rising since 2010 and is now among the sectors most
targeted by cyberattacks globally.
I believe that telehealth and remote patient monitoring
are two healthcare technology trends to be the most promising in
healthcare. Through telehealth and remote patient monitoring, providers
can have real time data and be able to tailor treatment specific to the
patient. Telehealth also enables patients to receive medical attention
at the convenience of both doctor and patient, while saving time and
money (Haleem et al., 2021). In an article discussing telemedicine in
healthcare, it was said that particularly in rural areas, regular
hospital visits can be expensive as well as travel costs (Haleem et al.,
2021). These healthcare trends will contribute to improvements in
patient care outcomes and efficiencies. By reducing time spent in
hospitals and long commutes as well as cost saving, these prove to be
very promising for the healthcare community.
References:
Argaw, S. T. et al. (2020). Cybersecurity of hospitals: Discussing the challenges and working towards mitigating the risks. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01161-7
Links to an external site.
Haleem, A. et al. (2021). Telemedicine for healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors International, 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100117
Links to an external site.
HealthIT.gov. (2019). What is an electronic health record (EHR)?. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr
