Communication and information technology in healthcare

Communication and Information Technologv in Healthcare

The objective of this work is to examine a new technology for communication such as electronic medical records, voice recognition, or some other communication technology and the impact that it is having in healthcare. This work will consider how efficient and effective communication is with this technology as well as the advantages, disadvantages, impact on consumers, and financial impact on organizations in the short- and long-term. Finally, this work will identify any technological improvements that could be made in the future with this new technology and make recommendations of the same.

"Wi-Fi, Health Care and HIPAA: WLAN Management in the Modern Hospital" states that wireless networking "has quickly become a critical aspect of daily life in the hospital it environment. With the maturation of the 802.11 standards (collectively known as Wi-Fi), hospital staff can remain connected to their critical systems regardless of their location in a facility. Additionally, a new breed of mobile applications has evolved that provide caregivers and administrators with on-demand access to the information and systems they need to better serve their patients. This has led to an increase both in the accuracy and efficiency of hospital operations, which has in turn led to patients that are more satisfied and better served." (2006)

The work entitled: 'Hospital Goes Wireless to Improve Patient Services' relates the story of Inova Fairfax Hospital, a 656-bed regional medical center located in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. Nurses at Virginia's Inova Fairfax Hospital don't stop to take phone calls any more. That's because hundreds of nurses and other hospital employees answer their phones while they're on the go. This is the result of Inova Fairfax's wireless telephone system, which enables key employees to carry portable, full-functioning phones with them anywhere in the hospital. SpectraLink's Wireless Telephone System saves hospitals such as Inova Fairfax thousands of hours per year by helping employees stay in touch without incurring airtime charges." (TechRepublic, 2009)

I. ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES

The work entitled: "On the Use of Wireless Network Technologies in Healthcare Environments" states that the "suitability of wireless technologies in healthcare/hospital environments is investigated specifically that of the Wireless Personal Area Network technologies, namely, Bluetooth and the low-rate specifications described in the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. (TechRepublic, 2005) in fact, hospitals are stated to be presently in the midst of improving communications "...m making telephone tag and overhead paging a thing of the past. Wireless telephone systems can reduce the time spent searching for a particular doctor or nurse and provide a more responsive and effective healing environment. Hospitals around the country have switched to wireless telephone systems allowing them to save countless hours per year by helping employees stay in touch without incurring airtime charges, without the delays caused by paging, and without the risk of equipment interference that have been attributed to high-power cellular phones. A typical in-building wireless telephone system, such as systems provided by SpectraLink Corporation, seamlessly integrates to the hospital's existing telephone system." (TechRepublic, 2005)

The work of Alpay, Toussaint, and Schonk (2004) entitled: "Supporting Healthcare Communication Enabled by Information and Communication Technology: can HCI and Related Cognitive Aspects Help? states that communication in healthcare "...makes up an important part of the healthcare professionals' daily practices. Communication encompasses different forms of interaction and dissemination of health-related information, and takes place in contexts such as patient/healthcare professional relationships, and collaborative care. While Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers a useful means to support the accessibility, the exchange and the sharing of information, the cognitive complexity of these communication processes often remains undermined. Much can be learned from research in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) with its focus on cognitive aspects." (Alpay, Toussaint, and Schonk, 2004)