Technology

Discussion of the Technology
Healthcare is defined as providing medical and healthcare goods and services dedicated to the improvement of the health of individuals. The healthcare sector is engaged in the prevention, treatment, and management of illnesses and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professionals, hospital management firms, health maintenance organizations, biotechnology, and variety of medical products and devices such as Assist Walker, UpRise Onyx Folding Walker, and Electric Wheelchair to name a few. Combining medical technology and the human capital, the healthcare industry diagnoses, treats, and administers care around the clock, responding to the needs of millions of people.

Information Technology (IT) is defined as the study of the development, design support, and management of computer-based information systems, specifically software applications and computer hardware. Completing some projects using information technology results in the quick processing and upward flow of information, as well as ameliorates reliability and completeness of processed information.  Recent innovations have improved the efficiency and quality in many industries.  In the purview of the healthcare industry, it allows people involved in the healthcare service to collect, store, retrieve, process, and transfer information electronically.  Using information technology can determine different products and the exact functions of a system which will depend on the specifics of its implementation in a given setting.

Nowadays, computers play an important role in healthcare medicine by aiding in certain aspects of medical diagnosis in instances such as producing a list of medically consistent diagnoses possible for a given set of symptoms presented by the patient indicating the best further diagnostic tests to differentiate between remaining diagnostic possibilities calculating the probabilities for the alternate diagnostic possibilities and enabling a more precise statement and analysis of the value decisions which may be associated with treatment planning. (Ledley  Lusted, 1960, p. 299)

Essentially, if there is something information technology can contribute to the healthcare industry, it is speed, efficiency, and accuracy of the delivery of information, especially in this business where accurate and timely information is considered very important since this involves people and their health.  Healthcare is in the business of saving lives and preserving them, and they need all the resources necessary to ensure that healthcare professionals can meet the challenges that go with the job.

The following are examples of real-life applications of information technology in the healthcare industry

In an article published by Healthcare IT News, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) plans to release a lightweight electronic health record (EHR) designed to capture data to a cancer patients office visit.  The standard-based software features capabilities that will enable the sharing of information about patient diagnosis, treatment, and out comers, according to Ken Buetow, associate director for bioinformatics and IT at the NCI (as cited in Mosquera, 2010). This technology is based on an early application of the Patient Outcomes Date Service, an open source ultra-light record derived from standards of NCIs Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG).  The record, whose purpose is to furnish data on patient demographics, disease, and treatment results, could be used by providers and even consumers for data sharing to concerned parties.  In time, the NCI plans to make this IT-base easily accessible to interested providers and consumers within 60 days (Mosquera, 2010).

Essentially, the use of information technology enables health care professionals to easily input data based on the initial examination of the patients and assist doctors in providing an accurate diagnosis which can be shared with the patient and enable doctors to address the problem by recommending the appropriate course of action.  Since this information is electronically stored, it is readily available when it is needed.  There is no need for the old-fashioned way of storing records in file cabinets which may be locked away in archives until pulled up in a later date which would take time. Furthermore, this information can be shared by other doctors who might encounter similar problems and enable closer coordination among doctors.

In another article from the Internet, a team of specialists from the Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston Texas an electromechanical device is being developed to discern regular influenza from the dreaded pandemic H1N1 that has struck fear in most parts of the world.  One of the challenges of the recent pandemic is for health specialists to differentiate the virus from seasonal influenza when confronting clinical classes, as this novel virus appears to have a distinct strain different from ordinary influenza virus. This is important because accurately identifying the virus strain has implications on how to address the problem.  This team recently made use of an electrochemical device on samples taken from recent cases of the H1N1 virus to see if it can identify the unique strains of the virus.  One device is called ElectraSense Influenza A assay and the other used RT-PCR or Luminex assays. Based on the findings, the former was able to identify the strains of the H1N1 virus with an accuracy rating of 99.  It was able to correctly identify 23 to 24 samples of the virus confirmed in the laboratoriesas well as all samples of influenza AH1N1 and AH3N2, and identify them as distinct from pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza virus (Straight et al., 2010,  pp.76-78).

These two website articles provide examples on the importance of information technology in relation to the healthcare industry because healthcare has always been one of the primary concerns for everybody the world over. Using information technology could bring additional benefits, considerable sharing of information among providers such as physicians, offices, hospitals, imaging centers, and clinics and laboratories. The primary focus of those advocating a healthcare information infrastructure is the development of standard medical devices to identify or distinguish signs and symptoms of certain diseases and ailments. The government can be involved by providing information dissemination for public healthcare through information technology.

The Role Technology will Play in Business
Healthcare Information Technology (HCIT) for business industries includes providers of insurance, healthcare products, medical equipment and information management systems. Information technology can play several roles in business industries to be indicated or suggested in order for productivity to increase when data processing tasks can be automated. This allows businesses to serve and accommodate more customers with fewer resources and do so quickly and efficiently. Managers can make well-informed decisions when the various metrics of business can be monitored and reported on in more meaningful ways to ensure effective results. Businesses can use the Internet to broaden their markets using Internet marketing or through the search engine optimization method which is very popular today to advertise their products, making them more accessible and convenient to reach new customers. However, one possible downside here is it also means increased competition.

Technology-based information security and integrity is significantly different from padlocks on filing cabinets to secure confidential files. Digitized information improves ones ability to preserve and protect data, but also creates new vulnerabilities that must be addressed. One of the best and newly invented remote control desktops and computing abilities can provide the opportunity for information workers to communicate online. This allows businesses to address a variety of concerns for fast and timely solutions, including the need for less office space thus reducing congestion in the workplace, reduction in commuting expenses as well as gasoline expenses for those who own cars, and allowing employees the flexibility or capability to deal with various circumstances and more.

There is no doubt that technology is here to stay.  Even for those who adhere to old-school methods in managing information, they will admit that information technology can make the tasks of healthcare professionals a lot easier in terms of speed, accuracy, and efficiency.  In this business, time is always of the essence since lives are at stake. Therefore, it is necessary for doctors to be provided with the necessary information at the shortest possible time from the time data is input to the time the information is fully processed into something useful.  Efficiency is related to speed in the sense that it uses less procedures or protocols to carry it out. Accuracy is also very important as it can spell life or death, and it is essential that correct information must be readily available.  This has been demonstrated in the abovementioned examples. For instance, in the first article, cancer specialists use it to quickly share information and in the second article, it shows how technology can correctly identify virus strains quickly which can prove vital to provide the appropriate treatment.  These prove that information technology is a vital partner to the healthcare industry and considered a godsend as the industry is trying to keep abreast with the future.