Evaluating Health Behaviors And Health Outcomes Associated With Its Use On Patients

Managing diabetes needs continuum of care to improve the health of the population, reduce per capita costs of care and improve the experience of care. Continuum of care is defined as a care system that guides and tracks the clients through a myriad of health services at all levels, stages and intensity of care (HIMSS.com, 2015). The provisions of Title II-Subtitle E provide new options for long-term services and support. The provision of community first choice allows the lower income diabetes patients to have access to long-term healthcare at an affordable cost (Obamacarefacts.com, 2013). Empowered by HIT, nurses can find community resources, develop patient

One of the issues with the electronic systems in health care for MU is the ability to retrieve laboratory results during a patient’s visit. In 2013, Hinrichs and Zarcone reveal that over 70% of medical decisions are determined by laboratory results. In 2007, AU Health implemented Cerner Millennium PowerChart that displays clinical data to improve the point of care for patients. With the PowerChart solution, the patient’s information can be easily verified, vital signs can be entered, and family history can be updated. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed by President Obama in 2013 places emphasis on expanding insurance coverage of medical care for everyone. As part of the ACA, the improvements in the way these results are exchanged and transmitted will add value to quality, safety, efficiency of health information (Hinrichs & Zarcone, 2013). The transmission and availability of EHR affect how other health professionals send and receive information at the local, state, and national levels.

With the main goal of creating requirements for an application that would provide a more efficient and effective way for a patient to control their disease, my research required me to work with the Chief Technology Officer, technologists, medical professionals, and patients to better understand the key challenges that are affecting how people manage their chronic diseases. The use of technology to provide more efficient health care has many opportunities. The company is now looking at how to extend this work to help Syrian refugees currently in camps within Turkey.

The use of mobile technology in the healthcare industry has exploded in the last ten years. Mobile health or mHealth, provides an entire new aspect of the relationship between patients and their doctors and other medical providers. Mobile devices place important and critical information into a medical professional’s hands in real-time. Doctors can monitor a patient’s condition more frequently, allowing them to make better and more informed decisions and diagnoses.

Mhealth has reached the poorest of communities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). More than 9 million patients email their physician in 2009 (Digital Health Care, 2010), because patients’ busy lifestyles do not allow time for an office visit for non-emergent health conditions. . In recent years, the expansion of mobile health (mhealth) technologies, including health text messaging, mobile phone applications, remote monitoring, and portable sensors, have changed the way health care is being delivered in the U.S. and globally (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Patients like the convenience of communicating with his or her physician through advanced technology.

The Better Health Association is always looking for stronger ways to connect with individuals within our community. As technology has increased, individuals spend large amounts of time online or on their cell phones. Our goal is to develop an app which will allow a Better Health patient to access any time of the day 24-7. Benefits of the app will include tips on health education, which in return will allow the patient the opportunity to take preventive steps in taking care of themselves. I will deepen the leadership and management practice in order to strengthen the organization to fulfill our goals.

Patients Like Me (PLM) is a patient generated research network that strives to improve lives and a research platform in real-time that wishes to advance medicine. On this network, individuals can connect with other who has a common illness or condition, and they can monitor and share their own experiences. In PLM, the information progression data is generated about diseases that can help researchers, medical companies, pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofits, and helps create a more effective care, products, and services. Patient experience with treatments and medication are gathered, which allows treatment efficiency and any side effects to be measured and recorded. If People Like Me were to grow without a General Platform, then the network must continue to add on other niche communities as the group has done in previous

As consumers utilize smartphones, tablets, and other devices for other functions like social media and email, they are starting to look at these features to assist them with their healthcare. Mobile body area network devices will be a growing trend in the coming years as a way to get patients engaged in their healthcare and also to give providers routine updates on the status of patients with chronic conditions. As DeGaspari (2014) indicates, these devices can lead to improved functionality for other devices used in hospitals, such as sensors for monitoring patients that might get up and wander or be a fall risk. Telemedicine will continue to grow as payers, providers, and patients all start to realize the mutual benefits that can be

Unfortunately, along with the good must come the bad. For every positive aspect of smartphones and social media in healthcare related settings, there is an equally negative aspect. One pitfall of smartphones in healthcare is directly related to one of the positive aspects of smartphones: the availability of medical

Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuous medical care and patient self-management education to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications[ ].

Patient education is needed initially for the use of peripheral monitoring devices, and the investment could be initially pricey. The infrared and sensor technology can be great for caregivers and family members because it is easy to detect falls, injuries, or illness using this system, which would offer immediate care to patients. Lastly, the Glucoboy has helped a sometimes painful task into a game, which has been proven to be effective in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for diabetic children. (Deickman A., Elfrink V., Schlachta-Fairchild L, 2008)

Carecloud is great for long hours of the day, making your time more efficient. CloudCare allows you to view how long a patient has been waiting for and what rooms are open. In the initial conversation with the staff from the UMUC clinic, the first complaint was the amount it time it took to check a patient in and the inconvenience of having to run around to notify the provider. With the CareCloud, allergies are acknowledged and will let the provider know if a patient should not take a certain medication. Carecloud also lets you discontinue medications.

LifeStat, developed by SaskTel, is a device that serves the purpose of fulfilling the communication gap between patients and their caregivers. It allows SaskTel’s clients to examine their own blood pressure, glucose levels, and heart rate levels without having to physically go to the hospital. The information gathered by the client is then transmitted to SaskTel’s data center where a professional caregiver or physician is able to monitor the client’s personal health at anytime of the day. SaskTel’s executive committee recently approved a proposal to launch LifeStat into the Canadian healthcare market place. Pat Tulloch, senior director of marketing for SaskTel, was given the task

Consumers today are becoming more pro-active are assuming greater responsibility for the management of their own health. This trend is evident in the rise of “quantified self-tracking” – the regular collection of any data that can be measured about the self. Interest groups have formed amongst self-trackers, for instance the Quantified Self group in San Francisco and the HomeCamp group in London, where self-trackers share their tracking experiences and data (Swan, 2009, pg.509). According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), 30 percent of patients are already using computers or mobile devices to check for medical information (2015, pg.1). The growing active participation of patients is also demonstrated in the usage of online tools to track data. Catering to the uptick demand, health social networks such as PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether

These personal companions are able to monitor every human reaction to physical and emotional stimuli, as well as, how a specific disease process is affecting the different systems of the body, and how medications are systemically treating any disease process. This system will detect disease processes much earlier than is capable at the present time. This information is then transmitted to this global health care network, as previously mentioned, and the data used to better understand disease processes and help to find cures for these diseases. The human genome has also been decoded by computers, for the cost of around one-hundred dollars. With this technology, medical professionals can better understand why some people, and who these people are specifically, are more susceptible to different types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and so on. These chronic conditions and diseases will be cured and prevented and the larger problem will be mutating viruses and “super bugs”, for which pharmaceutical companies have put very little effort into developing curative or nonresistant medications.