How Does Technology Affect Health Care

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Technology has affected healthcare in negative and positive ways. Fifteen years ago, I attended the National Training Conference, put on by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and I was astounded by the technology available at the time. That was before the ubiquitous smart phone or wi-fi hotspot. At the time, we thought we lived in the information age, but now information is virtually at our fingertips or very easily accessed. That is why the video about patient information is thought provoking. I can see why patients want direct access to records and ability to share with everyone about the disease process. Everything else is so easily accessed. Why can’t their healthcare records be accessed? With access, the need for …show more content…
Odds are that is outdated or it will be in six months. The technology I saw fifteen years ago, would be considered outdated by today’s standards. In a sense, technology is growing so fast and is so expensive that healthcare systems can hardly justify spending millions on a product, when a better version will be available in a few years or sooner. Consumers want new technology and hospitals advertise that they have the newest in technology to attract consumers. Kind of like keeping up with the Jones at a healthcare level. While in school for my bachelor’s I missed a question about what makes healthcare so expensive. I thought it was the salaries of the nurses, doctors, and buildings. The correct answer was technology. New technology is expensive, but the longer technology is available the cheaper it becomes. Which leaves me wondering…why is the technology I saw fifteen years ago, still not in the hospital where I work? Technology does have its advantages. When watching the TEDtalks, I was astounded to see what was available today for healthcare. I can’t even imagine what will be available in ten years! The biggest asset I see in technology is keeping people out of the hospital. The monitoring capabilities are endless with smart phones and the apps that are available. This empowers the patient to monitor their own health and divert crisis that ends in a hospital