Technology and Informatics (Nursing)

00:00 Welcome back, everyone.

00:02 In today's health care system, information technology is the foundation of the future.

00:07 Patient care has become a primary focus in the development of new concepts and knowledge in health care technology.

00:13 Technological development in clinical applications is the current trend in health care and it will continue to play a major role for years to come.

00:21 Ever evolving, health care informatics and technology assists the advancement of medicine and ensure patient safety.

00:28 Modern electronic health records have improved the quality of patient care and communication between staff.

00:33 Meanwhile using computers, tablets, and smartphones really enable doctors and nurses to manage treatment more effectively.

00:39 Here are some common uses for computers in health care.

00:43 First, medication and treatment.

00:45 Health care professionals review and prescribe medications using electronic health records.

00:50 They also use apps and software programs to manage patient records.

00:53 This technology not only boosts staff efficiency, but it also helps to prevent human error.

00:59 Patient diagnosis.

01:00 Doctors use computers to manage and record patient information which can help them to make a more accurate diagnosis, especially if multiple doctors are working with the same patient.

01:09 Nurses can also use technology to perform routine health checks, such as EKGs, oxygen levels, and blood pressure.

01:17 Results automatically saved to an electronic database ensuring that they are both accurate and readily available for other staff involved in the patient's treatment.

01:26 Telemedicine.

01:27 There are so many people who do not have access to adequate health care.

01:31 Technology has really bridged the gap between low-income patients and doctors.

01:35 Telemedicine enables people to discuss their health concerns with the general practitioner over the phone or even by video.

01:42 These doctors can then advise patients on whether to seek help at a medical facility.

01:46 Telemedicine is also helpful for disabled and the elderly who may find it really difficult to travel to their doctor.

01:52 Surgical procedures.

01:54 Surgeons can carry out many advanced surgical procedures using a computer.

01:58 This process is known as computer assisted surgery.

02:01 Computer assisted surgery combines computer intelligence with medical expertise to assist the surgeon during really complicated operations.

02:09 Communication and sharing information.

02:11 Computer technology can also help to communicate and share knowledge between medical practitioners and patients.

02:17 Sharing updates and research within the medical field is made more efficient by computers and the internet.

02:22 Doctors also use the internet to offer or obtain advice.

02:25 Medical practitioners from all over the world discuss issues on medical forums, write articles about the latest advances, and they contribute to the information contained in medical journals.

02:36 Medical imaging.

02:37 Advanced medical imaging equipment can now create three-dimensional images of body parts.

02:43 Use cases include things such as mammography, ultrasonography, MRIs, and 3D X-rays.

02:49 Medical staffs store these images in a computer database and it makes it very easy to retrieve them later Now point of care technology encompasses the devices and systems that support health care professionals in their daily activities of monitoring patients, caring for them, and documenting their health progress.

03:06 The usage of point of care technologies really enables and empowers health care providers in two key ways.

03:12 First, bedside usage.

03:13 The most important aspect of point of care technology is that it is present at the bedside.

03:18 Point of care technologies are used to facilitate and improve interactions between patients and their nurses, doctors, surgeons, and other medical advisers leading to better health care outcomes.

03:29 Technological versatility.

03:31 Point of care technologies that give doctors and nurses access to the hospital's IT systems are virtually limitless in their application for improving patient outcomes.

03:41 Here are just a few ways that point of care technology can be implemented at a hospital and clinic to improve efficiency and outcomes for physicians and patients.

03:50 It facilitates access to electronic medical records.

03:53 The digitalization of patient records has provided a significant benefit for health care facilities.

03:58 This modern method of accessing and documenting patient medical data really allows physicians in both hospitals and clinics to better access, modify, store, and share patient's medical history.

04:10 It enhances documentation with mobile point-of-care terminals.

04:13 The implementation of a wall-mounted or mobile point-of-care terminal really allows nurses to conduct documentation at the patient's bedside using a mobile electronic device, and it creates significant time and cost savings.

04:25 It enhances the quality and quantity of documentation produced and it enables nurses to spend more time directly caring for the patients.

04:34 It streamlines critical activities.

04:37 Point of care technologies present an opportunity for hospitals and clinics to invest in technologies that expedite the flow of patients through their practices.

04:45 It optimizes the daily workflow of physicians and nurses and it reduces wait times throughout the health care system.

04:52 It reduces clinical errors.

04:55 Delays in face-to-face patient care and clinical documentation can lead to an incorrect documentation and future errors and treatment.

05:02 Poor or ineffective communication between patient care team members is also a frequent cause of medical errors, especially for the most vulnerable patients who are seeing multiple physicians at multiple locations.

05:14 The best way to reduce or eliminate these errors is to minimize the time between data collection and documentation for physicians and nurses using point of care technology which really allows immediate, secure documentation of new patient data, and for that information to be readily shared with other members of the patient care team.

05:33 Clinical decision support provides clinicians, staff, patients, or other individuals with knowledge and person-specific information, intelligently filtered or presented at appropriate times, to enhance health and health care.

05:48 Clinical decision support systems incorporate a variety of tools to enhance decision making in the clinical workflow, such as computerized alerts and reminders to care providers and patients, clinical guidelines, condition-specific order sets, focused patient data reports and summaries, documentation templates, diagnostic support, and contextually relevant reference information.

06:15 Clinical decision support systems require a sophisticated health IT component to include computable biomedical knowledge, person specific data, and reasoning or inferencing mechanisms that combine knowledge and data to generate and present helpful information to clinicians as care is actually being delivered.

06:36 Now this information must be filtered, organized, and presented in a way that supports the workflow, allowing the user to make an informed decision quickly and to take action.

06:47 Now there are several benefits to clinical decision support.

06:50 It increases quality of care and enhanced health outcomes.

06:54 It avoids errors and adverse events.

06:57 And it improves efficiency, cost-benefit, and provider and patient satisfaction.

07:02 Now in general, how does technology and informatics benefit us? First, it helps us further our education.

07:09 It helps us increase our communication capabilities.

07:12 It helps save lives.

07:14 It also protects us legally.

07:16 And finally, it helps increase our efficiency.

07:20 So remember, by embracing health care informatics and technology, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, and using them to help clinical decision making, health care providers can stay ahead of the curve and help advance their practice and patient safety.

07:34 So in thinking of what we've covered today, I'd like you to consider this question.

07:38 What are six common uses for computers in health care? They are medication and treatment, patient diagnosis, telemedicine, surgical procedures, communication and sharing information, and medical imaging.

08:00 I hope you enjoyed today's video on Technology and Informatics.

08:03 Thanks so much for watching.