Technological Advancements In Health Care

I. Technology in the healthcare industry today and its impact The state of technology in the healthcare industry is that it is developing very rapidly. 10 or 20 years ago, you wouldn’t be able to find very many computers or technology at a typical doctor’s office. Most of the stuff was done with analog equipment and manual paperwork. Now, if you go into a doctor’s office, you will find it laden with advanced technical equipment and computer technology. You may not even find a pen or pad on the doctor’s desk! Technology has the ability to change the face of the whole healthcare delivery system and improve the quality of health and healthcare. Although there are many challenges that it represents, overcoming these challenges will lead to a

In 1946, two men, Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell, discovered the magnetic resonance phenomenon and just 4 years later the first magnetic resonance image was created. By 1977, a scientist, Raymond Damadian, after receiving a patent to build a magnetic resonance imaging machine, produced the first MRI of a human body. This new technology through the work of many scientists was evolved into the MRI scanners used by doctors throughout the world today. This invention has changed the face of modern medicine but, unfortunately in The United States, MRIs scans cost a more, on average, than any other country in the world, and are being misused at a staggering rate. In order to fix these issues, health care professionals and consumers of MRIs must step

Introduction Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a way of medically imaging the body with the use of a magnetic field and radiofrequency waves. (1) As image quality of MRI continues to improve, more MRI exams are being ordered. Increasing MRI exams leads to increased wait times. Due to current wait lists, the health status of patients may decrease, influencing the type of treatment the patient will require once removed from the wait list. (7) The advances in technology have increased in the past decade, with MRI procedures are vastly growing to provide superior diagnostic quality compared to other modalities. New technologies are also allowing for faster scan times and further increased image quality. (9)

Less invasive surgical technology Less invasive surgical technology such as laparoscopic procedures can reduce patient recovery time and allow for more low-cost outpatient procedures

Technology plays a critical role in the twenty-first century as it continues to improve everyday life. Technological benefits have expanded into the healthcare setting and has greatly impacted the medical field. Specifically looking at the nurse’s role, technology has eased interdisciplinary communication, accurate documentation, and reduced medical errors-at least that is the idea. Since a large portion of the nursing population was neither raised nor educated with technological knowledge, this raises a very interesting question. In acute care nursing, how does a negative perception of technology advancements compared to a positive view of technology effect patient care? Researchers wonder if these advancements have really improved their work performance as intended or if it has hindered it by lack of acceptance among the nursing staff. The research in this paper came from three different nursing journals that discuss technology advancements and nurses’ perception of this modern day tool.

Technological Advances Healthcare delivery in the United States has morphed through substantial changes over the years with most changes occurring as a result of technological advances in medicine. Though technological advances directly affect health care delivery in America, other factors affect it as well. As reported by Ball (2012), two of the earliest and most important technological advances that affected the system of health care delivery in the United States were the invention of the x-ray and the discovery of germs. These two advances drastically altered the health care delivery system and illustrate the way in which other technological advances may have bearing on the system. Further, these technological advances have drastically altered the public opinion with regard to the health care delivery system in the United States. Unfortunately, the resulting public opinion of the current health care delivery system is not necessarily a positive position. According to Jonas and Kovner (2008), this is probably due to the fact that health care in the United States remains a mystery to most. Additionally, the public opinion of the health care delivery system will continue to be affected by advances in technology as it was by the identification of germs and the use of x-rays in medical diagnosis.

As the world is becoming more technologically advanced, doctors and scientists are inventing new, harmless, and painless ways to observe your internal systems. In 1970, Raymond Damadian was able to connect the use of magnetism and radio waves as an instrument that could be of use in the medical field. He was able to create a tool that would change the medical world. This machine gives clear images of the inside of the body, making diagnoses easier to determine and also more accurate (Bergman).

An ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, more commonly known as an MRI, are two common ways doctors obtain pictures of what is happening in one’s body. An ultrasound uses soundwaves to penetrate human flesh. As these waves encounter things of varying density in the body, the waves are reflected back differently. Due to these waves’ reflections, the ultrasound machine can formulate an image in real time, and physicians can interpret these pictures to give diagnoses (No Author, 2008). On the contrary, an MRI uses a powerful magnet to align atoms in the body. These atoms create their own rotating magentic field which a scanner can identify and create a picture from (Lewis, 2014). Although an MRI gets higher quality images and scans through bone and air, an ultrasound is ultimately better and more commonly used because it is cheaper and more accessible.

How technology changed the medical field over the years. Over the years, technology have become such a huge part of our society. There’s essentially nowhere that one can go without having to interact with any form of electronics whether it’s at the grocery store or even in the gas station. Technology

Throughout the years technology has had a huge impact on healthcare innovation. Healthcare technology has had great advancements from the past and will continue to advance in the future. The increase in technological advancements has had negative and positive outcomes on hospitals and clinics. These advancements in healthcare industry have

Technology is constantly advancing and improving the quality of life. An idea is presented and it becomes a solution to a problem. Technological advances in the health care field have improved the care given to patients, made diagnoses more precise, decreased surgeries times, and enhanced the medical field in so many ways that it can not be addressed in this one page paper.

Technology has truly played a pivotal role in the advancement of today’s healthcare system. Carl Houston (2013) discusses how technology has made huge advancements in things such as: genetics and genomics, less invasive and more accurate tools for diagnosis and treatment, 3-d printing, robotics, biometrics, and computerized physician/provider order entry and clinical decision maker. With today’s advanced technologies, patients with more complex health issues, which would have killed them in the past, can now be treated. Interventions and cures that we did not even think were possible years ago, are being used. For nurses, electronic health records (HER) allows them to have quick access to the patients medication and health history information

Health care systems survive due to numerous reasons, but one of their most important traits is the willingness to adapt to changes caused by the flux of the industry. Healthcare issues and healthcare delivery rarely become static due to new diseases, changing patient attitudes, medical spending, and technological innovations. The need for personnel and institutions to adjust with these issues cannot be overstated. Recently the importance of technological advances has become a forerunner in revamping medical systems. High costs, shorter hospital stays, and a reduction in hospital staff have demanded new ways information can be passed to those who need it most. Advances in information technology surround us everyday through the use of pagers,

Preoccupied with the new treatment technologies, the medical field has missed the opportunities provided by the digital revolution to match its internal growth with improved communication with the recipients of their service in its mission of serving its patients. Situation, where the insiders like Volandes claim that the field needs disruption, but the establishment is trying to transfer part of responsibility back to the patients (as Mulley suggests in “Stop the silent misdiagnosis: patients’ preferences matter”) leads to the conclusion that the medical es¬tab¬lish-ment has already lost communication channels with the patient. While opening the comm¬u¬ni¬ca-tion channels throughout the world has marked the digital age, the medical field missed the op-port¬¬unity to openly connect with its patients and understand their needs.

Medical technology encompasses a wide range of healthcare products and is used to diagnose, monitor, and treat diseases or medical conditions that affect humans. This may included but not limited too, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical equipment. Such technologies are intended to improve the quality of healthcare delivered through earlier diagnosis, less invasive treatment options and reductions in hospital stays and rehabilitation times. Recent advances in medical technology have also focused on cost reduction. Medical technology may include medical devices, information technology, biotech, and healthcare services. The impacts of medical technology may involve social and ethical issues. For example physicians may seek objective information from technology rather than listening to subjective patient reports. A major contributor of healthcare expenditure in America is the advancement of medical technology. According to several studies it is shown that there is a correlation between the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and money allocated to healthcare. One of the leading theories is that medical technology is growing faster than expected.