The Decade of Health Information Technology, Research Paper Example

Nurses understand the value of higher education and must constantly adapt to growing trends in the field. Since information technology is becoming an increasingly important component of practice, nurses are acquiring masters and PhDs in the field of health information technology. Furthermore, many individuals that do not act as practitioners are doing the same because they recognize the growing importance in technology in the health care setting and wish to become more involved in patient care.

Even nurses that do not wish to obtain a higher level of education in the information technology field must gain an understanding of technological applications in their institutional setting. Many health care organizations have implemented a widespread use of electronic health record systems, so it is integral for each employee to comprehend its use and effectively use this tool to contribute to patient care. Many electronic health systems offer the opportunity to forward health records and information to clients through a patient portal (Bates, 2005). This is one way that nurses can ensure that their patients are knowledgeable about their own care and are able to act as partners in this care as well. Since these applications are meant for individuals that may not necessarily have a high level understanding of medical knowledge, we can take advantage of these systems to provide information to our patients clearly and concisely. To promote optimal health, these systems can also provide patients with recommendations concerning lifestyle changes that they can implement immediately to improve their health in addition to providing them with important next steps concerning their appointments and follow ups. Since nurses spend significantly more time with patients than other qualified health professionals, they are responsible for the dissemination of information. If nurses become more involved in this process, they will be more aware of needs in the field and will be able to modify their practices to appropriately meet these needs.

Even though technology is often associated with many benefits, it is also important to consider that increased access to the Internet means that patients are exposed to an overwhelming amount of information (Bradley et al., 2006). Furthermore, these individuals do not necessarily have the ability to discern whether the information they encounter is true or false. It is therefore valuable for nurses to take on the role of an educator when talking with patients to help them understand which websites are trustworthy and which should be ignored. Providing them with information about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, in addition to knowledge that helps them distinguish the validity of .coms, .orgs, and .govs is necessary to help them understand how to use the Internet to access health information more safely (CDC, n.d.). Since only government health organizations can secure .gov domain names, it is important for consumers to recognize that this is the most reliable health information source. Any individual can purchase a .com or .org domain, so it is important to confirm the reliability of the publishing organization before using this information. Furthermore, helping them understand the difference between peer reviewed research and unmonitored blog posts is a useful application as well.

Some of the information researched by patients involves the question as to whether alternative medicine will assist their recovery. As a component of the education process, it is helpful to explain the differences between traditional medicine and alternative therapies. These alternative therapies are typically advantageous for treating symptoms of illnesses, without helping recovery by working on the root of the problem. On the other had, traditional medicine allows these conditions to be resolved to a greater extent. One of the best examples of using alternative therapy alongside traditional medicine is the use of massage, acupuncture, and herbal remedies to treat back pain, while also consulting orthopedic spine and neurology specialists to determine the cause of the problem. Chronic back pain is a common problem among many individuals living in the first world, and it is beneficial to use alternative medicine as a non-medication method to help reduce inflammation and pain. However, these methods must be used consistently to ensure that the pain reduction effects are seen because they treat symptoms instead of causes. Meanwhile, traditional medical professionals may recommend MRIs, x-rays, and other scans to detect the source of the pain. In addition, they can provide medication to assist with pain symptoms and recommend surgeries to correct these problems altogether. It is important for nurses to become involved in the decision making process when it comes to alternative and traditional medicine so they can help their patients understand the full research of their decisions. There are cases in which traditional medicine techniques are imperative because some alternative medicine techniques have not been proven to provide lifesaving benefits. Thus, by helping the patient understand the advantages and disadvantages of both traditional medicine and alternative medicine, the nurse can help the patient make a more informed decision regarding his or her care. It is important for nurses to make ethical recommendations in this case, while also considering the beliefs and wishes of the patient. Together, the nurse and patient can collaborate to develop an effective care program.

Cloud technology is not a surprising technological development. We can already use the Internet to access information, so using the Internet to store data is intuitive. However, when we wish for this data to remain private, we can sequester it from public access and require the input of a correct username and password to be allowed to view it (Hilbert et al., 2011). It is important for the servers that hold health care data to remain secure. While it is possible for this information to be hacked, advanced security methods can provide to prevent this from occurring. Ultimately, it is necessary to inform patient about how they can protect the data stored on the cloud in addition to helping health care staff understand how the data should be protected on their end. If care is taken, health care information on the cloud should not be accessed by an unauthorized individual, thereby supporting patient privacy and protection according to HIPAA. Teaching correct use of technology will help protect patients and their families.

Another healthcare systems barrier that is relevant to this discussion is that individuals in low income communities tend to receive compromised care. While this is a well-known problem, it is also important to emphasize how this issue relates to the availability of technology. Since institutions in these areas tend to have a low level of funding, electronic health record system software and integration with the cloud and other Internet applications is not as prevalent. Thus, these individuals are even prevented from having access to their health care information to the same extent as individuals living in order communities. This is an ethical dilemma that could be resolved in part by spreading awareness about this issue to help these health centers acquire the funding they need to operate effectively.

Since nurses are uniquely able to detect the issues that are present in the health care system, it is important for them to advocate for people by contacting local politicians and charities regarding public health issues (Brailer, 2004). It is possible to find funding to help support patients if enough nurses actively speak out and construct well-evidence arguments in favor of their views. It is important to promote equal health for all individuals, independent of their health status. Nursing can improve barriers to health care simply by making people aware of these issues and convincing them to act on their passion regarding these topics.

References

Bates, D. (2005). Computerized Physician Order entry and medication errors: finding a balance. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 38(4): 250-261.

Bradley, V. M., Steltenkamp, C. L., & Hite, K. B. (2006). Evaluation of reported medication errors before and after implementation of computerized practitioner order entry. Journal Healthc Inf Manag, 20(4): 46-53.

Brailer, D. (2004). The decade of health information technology. HHS Report. CDC. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov

Hilbert, Martin; López, Priscila. (2011). The World’s Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information. Science, 332 (6025): 60–65.