Healthcare Information Technology Trends

Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.

In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.

To Prepare:

Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
By Day 3 of Week 6
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described. Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described. Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples.

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Healthcare Information Technology Trends

Introduction

When it comes to healthcare technology trends, 2018 is going to be a big year. It’s the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and there are concerns about the future of Medicare and Medicaid funding; we’re also going through a major shift in how medical professionals practice medicine thanks to genetic testing and other advancements in science. While these developments are important, they don’t mean that there aren’t exciting new things happening in healthcare IT right now—and they’re sure to continue into 2019 as well! Here are some of our favorite ideas for what you can expect this year:

Big data application

Big data is a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications. The term comes from the idea that the amount of information being generated by digital devices such as cell phones, computers, sensors, etc., has become so vast that it can no longer be stored in existing storage systems like relational databases or flat files.

The challenge is figuring out how to analyze this massive amount of information without having to resort to custom programming languages (which would be very expensive) or expensive hardware (which probably isn’t necessary).

Telehealth

Telehealth is the use of information and communication technologies to support long-distance clinical health care. It can be used to treat patients in rural areas, or to provide services to patients in their homes. Telehealth benefits include a lower cost of service, increased access for underserved communities, and improved patient satisfaction.

Analytics and Business Intelligence

Analytics and business intelligence are critical to the healthcare industry. They’re a key component of the patient experience, patient engagement and even how doctors make decisions about their patients.

Analytics can help you understand your organization’s performance at every level so you know where money is being spent or wasted. It also shows you what’s working well—and what isn’t working as well—so there’s no guesswork involved when making decisions about how best to allocate resources in your business.

Business intelligence is one way organizations use analytics for self-improvement purposes: by using data collected through these tools, they can better understand what customers want from them (and how those wants might change over time). This knowledge then allows organizations to tailor their products or services towards meeting those needs while staying competitive with other businesses offering similar products or services within the same industry sector; this type of personalization helps ensure that each customer has access not only but also quality service whenever he/she needs it most!

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a subset of machine learning. It’s the ability of a computer to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. A few examples include Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant—and these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI in healthcare!

Artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but only recently did healthcare providers start using it in their practice. The use of AI tools can help doctors and nurses diagnose patients more accurately while also improving patient outcomes by reducing missed diagnoses or delays in treatment plans.

Healthcare enterprise tools for streamlining process and improving patient outcomes

The healthcare industry is at a critical juncture, facing an urgent need to improve the patient experience through better coordination of care and more effective use of technology. The market opportunity is huge—according to one estimate, it could reach $2 billion by 2021. However, many organizations are still struggling with how best to harness big data analytics and other emerging technologies in order to improve their operations and deliver better services while reducing costs.

Patient Engagement data and analytics

Patient engagement is one of the most important trends in healthcare IT. It’s a key part of patient experience and satisfaction, which are both essential to your organization’s success.

Patient engagement data and analytics can help you identify opportunities for improvement, understand how patients use your services, improve interactions with them and ultimately improve outcomes for everyone involved.

The key trends in healthcare technology in 2018 are related to the patient experience, from big data to telehealth.

The key trends in healthcare technology are related to the patient experience, from big data to telehealth.

Patients want a personalized and personable experience from their doctors and hospitals, says Rebecca Schumacher, chief marketing officer at Medwell Health Solutions.
Big data analytics has become a crucial element of this process. According to Schumacher: “It’s no longer just about what you look like on paper—it’s about how well you understand yourself.” And this means that doctors need powerful tools for analyzing huge amounts of information related to your health history in order to make an accurate diagnosis when they talk with you face-to-face or over the phone.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed reading this article!

Nursing Worker

Healthcare Information Technology Trends