The Hospital of the Future, Essay Example

In the article “The Hospital of the Future,” author Michelle Andrews discusses a number of different technologies that are having an impact on the way hospitals provide patient care. What Andrews is saying is the in many ways the “hospital of the future” is already here, at least in some facilities, and that more and more hospitals will be adopting these transformative technologies in the future. Among the specific technologies Andrews discusses are robots that allow physicians and others to “visit” patient rooms remotely to gather data and information, to make remote diagnoses, or even to perform surgery. The move towards digital record storage makes it possible for health care workers to use tablets and other devices to quickly gather patent records, and these devices can help to make sure that patients are also engaged and that “everyone’s sharing the same information.”

This has implications for anyone in the health care industry, as patient-centered care and patient outcomes are becoming more important. Many of these technologies can be useful in a variety of health care settings, and can make it easier and faster for health care providers and patients to share information. As Andrews points out in the article, these technologies can be expensive, and economic conditions have had a significant impact on health care organizations. At the same time, these technologies can often lead to improved patient outcomes and can help patients manage their own care. For hospital managers it will be important to be flexible and adaptive where new technologies are concerned, and to use these technologies to focus on engraining patients and developing patient-centered practices.