The Use Health Care Technology - Essay Example

The use health care technology Introduction Healthcare technology is an innovation that intersects Healthcare and Technology. This is done by use ofRFID tags. These RFID tags are miniscule microchips half the size of a grain of sand. Their operation is based on listening for a radio query and responding by transmitting a unique ID code. Most of these tags have no batteries. They make use the power from the original radio signal in transmitting their response (Jerry, 2007). . An example of this technology in use is the verichip.

It is intended to serve as a device for identification, efficiently a type of wireless barcode for people. Its size is of a grain of rice. It is surgically implanted beneath the skin of its carrier, at the back of the arm. It communicates a unique serial number when cross-examined by a nearby reading device. This serial number is then referenced in the electronic health record (EHR) to identify its bearer (Jack, 2006). VeriChip Corporation, who is the manufacturer of the chip, affirms that the VeriChip cannot be stolen, lost, counterfeited or misplaced.

It goes further to advocate a variety of functions for the device. In settings of health care, the chip can help recognize a Joseph Doe or John Doe. This is in a case a patient is incapacitated or disoriented and the identity is hard to ascertain. In private facilities, the VeriChip enhances physical admission control, as it permits computerized identification of persons and trailing their whereabouts in buildings (Jerry, 2007). Use of implanted chips has some advantages. The first one is noise reduction of patient data.

When having data from so many sources, it is difficult to tell what is real and what is not.  This essentially gives EMR information an upper hand. Secondly RFID tags do not need line of sight for reading. The RFID reader can interpret the tags of sleeping patients in intensive care units without making changes to their bodies. Another advantage is real time analytics. Caregivers and physicians, in most cases, do not have the time interpret the patient data. This is because of the need to make quick decisions.

The EMRs assembles data in a short time (Computerworld, Mar 15, 2004). Another advantage of use of implanted chips is that it helps incase a patient that is unconscious or confused is admitted. The patient will be scanned and his medical history can be retrieved (Jack, 2006). Another use of implanted chips is that it allows differential payments for clinical results, rather than just care volume. This comprises payment based on worth and for keeping patients away from the hospitals. Lastly, these chips promote comparative efficacy of treatments.

This is evident when using actual data since time is minimal to do clinical trials on every option. But, when handling huge data sets, use of empirical trials to compare treatments head to head, practically on a constant basis is paramount, after organizing data (Jerry, 2007). On the other hand, implanted chips, like any gadget inserted into the human body, may prompt an adverse tissue reaction. This may in infection which may migrate from the first site of insertion. Another objection to the use of these chips is based on religion.

Some religious individuals consider RFID the mark of the beast. They go further to say it’s a sure sign of the last days before the judgment day. The chips also pose a threat to privacy. This is because they can be tracked by the GPS system. There is also a possibility of incompatibility with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This may have adverse effects on the bearer of the chip. Lastly, humanity will be exposed to a new world order that will infringe human rights, deny them freedom and render them slaves (Computerworld, Mar 15, 2004).

Conclusion The future dream of many linked health systems is the capacity to connect the electronic medical record system to a personal health record. This will create a shared record. The shared record will include elements of rough permissions at the data type level as well as the ability for patient generated content to be tagged. The provider will then be allowed to maintain clinical integrity of information. According to researchers, a range of techniques can be used to protect the privacy of RFID-tag bearers.

This is to be achieved by involving tags emitting identifiers that change frequently in a clandestine, cryptographically determined way. This will make the outputs of the tags unpredictable and unlikable. This kind of arrangement gives implanted chips an upper hand in medical care, a technology worth embracing (Computerworld, Mar 15, 2004). References Computerworld, Mar 15, 2004:Vol. 38, No. 11: IDG Enterprise. Jack W.P, (2006). Plunkett's Wireless, WI-Fi, RFID and Cellular Industry Almanac 2007 (E-Book): Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID and Cellular Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends and Leading Companies: Plunkett Research, Ltd. Jerry B., (2007).

RFID applied: John Wiley and Sons.