New Technologies in Nursing

Introduction

The current nursing technologies have transformed how nurses conduct their duties. Evidently, such technologies and new healthcare systems have endured establishing better services to patients. According to the reports of different researches and surveys, improvements in nursing technology have augmented patient gratification and general outcomes (Ball 86).

In addition, there is also a decrease in clinical errors and diminished expanse of paperwork that nurses performed earlier. The outlook for innovative technologies in nursing continues to be dynamic as new equipment, computers, and machines target to alter the prospects of healthcare (Mastrian 114).

In this research paper, some of the current trends in nursing technologies, as well as the significance of new technologies for both nurses and other persons, are discussed.

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Current Technological Trends

Even though there are several technological innovations in the nursing field, there are some technologies that have made headlines lately as they simplify and modernize the amount of work for each nurse to assist them in focusing much on their patients (Mastrian 114).

These technologies include point-of-care technology, electronic health records, as well as patient and staff identification systems. Besides, there are electronic lift systems, smart beds, and computerized operator programs. The aspects of cloud computing are also relevant in this context.

It denotes the outsourcing of computer applications as well as data storage provisions from local computers to third-party servers within the healthcare systems. This is a critical provision in the context of nursing and healthcare advancements in regard to technological embracement.

Point-of-care technology

Point-of-care technology uses a wireless linkage and computer to enable nurses in several hospitals to access and obtain an extensive array of information precisely from a patient’s room.

It has become very useful in receiving patient records, prescription information, X-rays as well as getting an alternative opinion from another trained health care expert.

Currently, computer and software corporations are working to develop this technology to take into account mobile and wireless applications. This will make it easy for nurses to get the information they require whenever they need it.

Electronic Health Records

Currently, Electronic Health Records (EHR) has become a significant issue as policymakers make an effort towards creating a Nationwide Healthcare Information Network (NHIN) to systematize the EHRs.

Even though paperless healthcare records have been used for several decades, the recent Harvard research indicated that less than one in five nurses is utilizing electronic health records, despite the fact that computerized documentation was related to nursing quality and superior patient results. Medical experts expect that there will be rarer medical faults as more hospitals continue to embrace EHRs (Mastrian 114).

In addition, there will be an upsurge in quality care and gratification and a general accuracy in services. They update the records of all qualified practitioners in the healthcare sector. Concurrently, it is important to ensure good practices by encouraging fairness in access and affordability of medical services (Kennedy).

Through proper electronic records, it is vital to listen to grievances and solve minor cases within the healthcare sector. They can handle concerns from patients and the public at large. Proper electronic records in healthcare limit the barriers encountered by practitioners during practice and renewal of licenses for health practitioners. They facilitate scientific research aimed at intervening in critical cases like emergencies.

They also help in coordinating with employers to ensure the healthcare sector has enough staff to meet the needs of society. The electronic medical records system does much to standardize and unify information through the medium of computers.

However, it is not the only computer technology-based method that most hospitals employ in order to maintain a sleek operation characterized by management competency and productivity. A cloud computing platform is also used. In fact, the electronic medical records system is based on cloud computing. Cloud computing refers to the outsourcing of computer applications and data storage from local computers to third-party servers.

Patient and Staff Identification Systems

Patient and staff identification systems in healthcare centers have gradually developed to improve efficiency and authentication of the nursing services provided. This trend is meant to avert unapproved individuals getting into the facility or retrieving patient records.

Some of the technologies involved in these systems include Bar codes, Wrist bands, and radio frequency identification. They are useful in training and pinpointing patients in order to minimize errors and at the same time, provide safety for individuals who visit hospitals.

Other technologies that have been introduced lately for purposes of identification of patients and healthcare experts include a new palm vein technology, eye scans, and microchips. These technologies have been useful in reducing incidences of unauthorized persons accessing patient files. Through proper identification, the use of web-based training technology is highly efficient for nurses.

The technology allows healthcare employees to partake in training and identification from their home location or any other location with internet access. This eliminates the need for hospitals to administer the identification of patients and staff in remote locations. Thus, it is a relevant technological requirement that buttresses career development, training, operational efficiency, and employee productivity.

“Electronic Lift Systems, Smart Beds, and Computerized Staff Schedules”

Progress in the current healthcare technologies embraced has been adopted to augment the ease, safety, and efficiency of the nursing job. It is vital to note that the electronic lift systems which use wireless technologies have radically diminished the injuries/strains initially encountered among patients and nurses. Smart beds, as well as computerized staff programming systems, have also enhanced the overall nursing efficiency (Bonnel 142).

Concurrently, other smart beds incorporate point-of-care technologies, which augment the access as well as analysis of patients’ information variables like blood pressure, temperature, heaviness, and neck/head elevations. It is crucial to note that the proposed new staff scheduling schemes are helpful in promoting efficacy.

They guarantee nurses the opportunity to organize their coverage and work schedules tenuously. This is a critical provision in the context of technology and nursing advancements.

Significance of new nursing technologies to the society

There are several benefits of the new nursing technologies not only to nurses but to other individuals in society as well. Patient safety and quality of health care are the major trends that have promoted advancements in nursing technology. National Quality Indicator Database is one of the illustrations of a program that helps in tracing nurses’ influence on patient care results.

This databank of nurse-subtle pointers, with data from close to 1, 000 hospitals, is one of the many that indicates nurses’ significance in the provision of safe, high-quality care for each person. As a consequence of this quality push, more and more technologies are being increasingly developed to improve the quality of services offered to patients.

The outburst of medical technological advancements has resulted in countless life-saving and life-improving innovations and inventions, encompassing spare body parts stretching from knees to thumbs and theatrically enhanced instruments and diagnostics (Bonnel 142).

With these technological innovations, medical devices are becoming more accurate, easy to use, and cost-effective. Currently, nurses spend less time with patients on issues that can be done remotely. Gathering and accessing information about a patient is a matter of seconds.

Robotics has been employed in tight areas to improve the precision of the services offered. The incorporation of new nursing technologies has decreased the shortage of nurses in hospitals. Even though new technological innovations and inventions have several benefits and drawbacks, the key idea behind the invention of new technologies is to make a certain task easier to conduct. Technology makes work easier, faster, more effective, and better (Nay, 102).

Concurrently, technologies utilized in the world’s healthcare systems are more advanced compared to those utilized in other industries. Spendings in healthcare provisions continue to grow due to the advanced technologies applicable within the system.

As a strength, there is comprehensive information on the amounts of money that the governments have spent on technology in healthcare. This has noted the impact of technology on the improvement of healthcare in the world. Technology has contributed to the development of new ways of treating diseases that were previously untreatable.

Additionally, it has improved ways of managing chronic diseases (Greenwald, 2010). Medical technology basically refers to the methods, tools, machines, and processes that are used in the provision of medical care. For example, the advanced technology used in healthcare in the US has enabled the discovery of new procedures in treatment methods and improved the clinical process.

Concurrently, several factors are at play in determining whether this technology will improve the state of healthcare provision or not. Some of these factors may include the achievements of the technology and whether it supplements or substitutes the already existing technology. One reason that has influenced the use of high technology in healthcare in the world is consumer demand.

Another reason is that health insurers have invested a lot in medical technology in the US in terms of funding innovators of new technology. The desire of medical practitioners to use new technology in the treatment of diseases has also led to the use of high technologies in healthcare.

Conclusion

It is vital to agree that new nursing technologies have changed the nursing industry by creating safer, efficient, and improved healthcare services. However, even though nursing technologies continue to advance, some of the fundamentals of health care will remain. These principles include supporting patients, monitoring the healing process of patients, and, most significantly, providing them with care as human beings (Daniels 56).

As new technologies continue to emerge, nurses will have to embrace the benefits as well as challenges that come along with them. However, it is evident that new nursing technologies have really impacted positively on the provision of quality, safe, and efficient health care service.

This has tremendously improved the lives of not only patients but also nurses, who presently find it easy to offer their services in a shorter time. This is a critical provision in the context of technological advancements and improved service delivery in the healthcare sector.

Works Cited

Ball, Marion. Nursing Informatics: Where Technology and Caring Meet. London: Springer, 2011. Print.

Bonnel, Wanda Teaching Technologies in Nursing and the Health Professions: Beyond Simulation and Online Courses. New York, NY: Springer Pub, 2010. Print.

Daniels, Rick. Nursing Fundamentals: Caring & Clinical Decision Making. Australia: Delmar Learning, 2004. Print.

Mastrian, Kathleen G. Integrating Technology in Nursing Education: Tools for the Knowledge Era. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Print.

Nay, Rhonda. Older People: Issues and Innovations in Care. Chatswood: Elsevier, 2010. Print.

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