Emerging New Technologies in Healthcare

00:01 As we look towards the future of health informatics, we're exploring cutting-edge advancements in understanding the challenges they present.

00:08 Now, today's discussion is going to focus on the intersection between a variety of concepts. Just a few of the emerging technologies include artificial intelligence, interactive web software platforms, and nanotechnology.

00:23 Now, all three of these leverage intense amounts of health information to function.

00:28 These new technologies challenge our understanding of cybersecurity data accuracy and the role of regulatory agencies over this tech.

00:37 Let's get started.

00:38 Technological advancements in health care are transforming how we diagnose, treat, and monitor diseases.

00:45 These include advancements like artificial intelligence, genomics, 3D printing, virtual reality, and robotics.

00:52 For example, cutting-edge medicine includes robotic-assisted surgeries, and virtual reality is being used for pain management.

01:01 Artificial intelligence includes language models like ChatGPT.

01:05 Now, these have significant potential in health care.

01:09 They can help in diagnosing diseases, predicting patient outcomes, automating administrative tasks, and even in personalized patient communication.

01:18 Consider a scenario where AI helps identify disease patterns from a patient's health record, which will aid in early intervention.

01:26 Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter at the atomic level.

01:31 This holds immense promise in healthcare.

01:33 It can lead to breakthroughs in drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and early disease detection.

01:39 Picture nanorobots delivering medication directly to cancer cells, which would incredibly enhance the treatment effectiveness.

01:47 Regulatory agencies have an important role to play in the use of emerging technology.

01:52 Regulations such as those proposed by the European Union regarding artificial intelligence. They aim to ensure AI and other technologies are used to ethically and responsibly address healthcare concerns.

02:08 This means our technology implementations must respect data privacy, transparency, and nondiscrimination principles.

02:17 Health informatics professionals play a crucial role in designing and maintaining systems that support the appropriate use of copyrighted materials and the sharing of reliable data.

02:27 They work to develop solutions that can verify and validate data accuracy, protect intellectual property, and maintain data privacy and security.

02:37 Copyright and data accuracy are two significant concepts to consider as we think about how emerging technologies can be used for patient benefit.

02:45 Now, ensuring copyrighted materials are appropriately used in verified, reliable data is shared. All this is crucial for effective patient care and health education.

02:56 You may be thinking, who's responsible for all that? Well, it's not a simple answer.

03:01 We all are.

03:02 But especially health care professionals and organizations, we're expected that we use and share copyrighted materials appropriately.

03:11 For instance, we should only use licensed software or databases, and we should respect the terms of use for online journals or health information resources.

03:21 Furthermore, because of our education and training, we should be vetting the information we access for credibility and accuracy.

03:31 So let's just take one of these emerging technologies and see how the health informaticist leverages their skills so that they can promote appropriate copyright, protect health information, and work towards the most accurate information exchange possible. We know that interactive web software can enhance patient-provider communication. It can also help with health education and remote monitoring.

03:54 For instance, patient portals allow patients to access their health information.

03:58 They can also communicate with providers and schedule appointments.

04:01 However, with the use of this software, cybersecurity and data protection concerns become much more challenging.

04:09 Healthcare is a prime target for cyber threats like malware and spyware, which could potentially compromise patient data and entire hospital systems.

04:19 How can an informatics perspective help this situation? Well, let's imagine Jane, an informaticist at Community Health Hospital.

04:28 One day the hospital electronic health records or the EHR system starts showing signs of irregular activity.

04:35 Now there's multiple failed login attempts, and even some healthcare providers report their patient data appears to be altered or inaccessible.

04:43 Jane immediately collaborates with the IT security team to isolate the issue.

04:48 The IT team identifies a potential malware attack that may have compromised some of the hospital's systems.

04:54 Jane's first task is to contain the threat.

04:57 She assists the IT team in disconnecting the affected systems from the network so that they can prevent the malware from spreading. Simultaneously Jane starts a system-wide audit, checking logs to make sure they understand the scope and impact of the breach.

05:11 Now, Jane will analyze when and how the malware might have infiltrated the system.

05:16 Her findings suggest a phishing email might have allowed the malware to enter the network. Jane then coordinates with an external cybersecurity firm to help eliminate the malware from the affected systems.

05:27 Now, the firm can use advanced malware removal tools.

05:31 This will help clean the systems.

05:32 They'll also help patch any software vulnerabilities that the malware exploited in order to restore normal operations.

05:40 Jane will supervise the recovery process where the latest secure backups of the system are reinstated.

05:46 Now, this is what will ensure that the patient data is not lost.

05:49 Now, to prevent such breaches in the future, Jane will recommend a hospital-wide cybersecurity training program to help employees identify and avoid potential phishing attempts. Jane's actions help to do several things in this process.

06:05 First, she helped mitigate the effects of the malware attack.

06:08 She helped safeguard patient data, and she's going to prevent future cybersecurity threats. This all demonstrates the vital role that health Informaticists play in cybersecurity within their healthcare settings.

06:23 As we step into the future of health informatics, the intersection of technology and health care will continue to evolve, which is going to offer all types of new opportunities and challenges.

06:34 As healthcare professionals.

06:36 Keeping abreast of these advancements will be crucial in providing safe, effective, and modern patient care.