Which Health Care Technologies Are Being Used in the Facility, Essay Example

There are a wide range of technology applications supporting our nursing unit.  These range from computer based systems for retention of patient records, clinical treatments and prescriptions.  These are linked to printers for hard copy print outs.  We are also well equipped with a number of communication devices that include, telephones, pagers, cell phones and fax machines.  The digital age also supports the clinical side with digital readers covering a variety of applications. As such the digital technology has influenced virtually every aspect of our work.  Despite the advances in technology it cannot help to alleviate the shortage of nurses in the profession.” Nurses record a wide variety of information about a patient’s care and progress.  For example, nurses would record a patient’s status while in ICU every hour, or when and how pain medication should be given and when it was given, or the progress of a pregnant  woman visiting a clinic. ”  (Urquhart C, 2008)

It is without a doubt that in 10 years technology will continue to advance at a rapid pace and certain existing technologies will become obsolete.  Perhaps the biggest leaps in technology will occur in the field of artificial intelligence and robotic applications.  This may see more menial and drone like tasks being automated; in essence providing the nurse with more time to deal with meaningful tasks of patient care, research and clinical work.  One of the obvious barriers to this is the human interface. Patients want to feel loved and cared for by another human being, an integral part of the sociological need.  Machines are heartless and cold, despite being efficient, they offer no bodily comfort or support.  Communications are likely to become more sophisticated and wireless based. They will become more integrated and a nurse might find herself with a badge that integrates a number of communication protocols i.e. telephone, messenger, fax, voice recording, instant messaging, original point data entry device etc.

“Distribution of Artificial-Intelligence-Based Decision-Support Systems for Nursing Face Special Barriers and Challenges” (S, 1985)

The training of nurses in IT will become an important issue ” Adopting clinical technology requires a new skill set for nurses and nurse leaders, the roundtable participants agreed. “It’s an evolution, not a revolution,” said Nancy Chapman, principal of ACS Healthcare Solutions in Dearborn, Mich.”  (Runy, 2008).

Works Cited

Runy, L. A. (2008, 8 26). Information Technology and Nursing. Retrieved 2 19, 2010, from Hospitals and Health Networks: http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/08AUG2008/i080826HHN_Online_Runy&domain=HHNMAG

S, E. (1985, 4 9). Challenges facing the distribution of an artificial-intelligence-based system for nursing. Retrieved 2 19, 2010, from PubMed.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3839837

Urquhart C, C. R. (2008, 11 1). Nursing record systems: effects on nursing practice and healthcare outcomes. Retrieved 10 19, 2009, from Cochrane Reviews: http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab002099.html