Use of Quick Response Codes in Health Care - Research Paper Example

? We can but should we? Use of Quick Response s in Health Care 29th, March Introduction There are various concerns raised by the public about the reliability of the quick response codes in emergency health care. Different questions have been raised whether this newly adopted technology in health care only aims at serving its purpose during emergency, or whether it is a new way for the government to gain access to the private information of people. A quick response code is a matrix barcode, which can be read using a smartphone that has the right bar code reading application. In health care, the bar code is encoded with heath information or data of an individual. In order for a first respondent to access an individual’s data on the bar code during an emergency, the smartphone or other enabled devices can be used to scan the bar code (Davis, 2012). Although this technology in health care might play a big role in emergency cases, there are various concerns such as privacy and ethics concerns, raised by its use, which might discourage most health care institutions and individuals from adopting it. Body The history of the quick response codes is traced in Japan. This is where the Japan-based company ‘Denso Wave Corporation’ invented this technology in 1994. Initially, this technology was not meant for use in health care. Instead, the company invented this to help in tracking Toyota vehicles and vehicle parts, during the process of manufacturing. However, in the most years, packaging companies and consumer advertisers have been responsible for the infiltration of the QR codes in the USA. Today, QR codes are found on the internet, on mails from advertisers, on books, and on billboards. In this case, the bar codes have data about the advertised products and the company, as well as the URL’s of the company. Most recently, QR codes have crossed the border from advertising and marketing industry to the health care sector (Maeder & Martin-Sanchez (2012) In health care, this technology is still new, therefore, has not been adopted by most health care institutions. Knowledge of the technology and expertise still lacks, since this technology is still in its initial stage of implementation. For instance, in the USA today, the implementation of this new technology is underway in the Marin County, in the state of California, through a partnership with Lifesquare. The health care professionals in this county are being equipped with iPhones with enabled bar code readers. On the other hand, Marin residents are encouraged to register their personal and medical information in the quick response bar codes available in CVS stores. Lifesquare requires the individuals to stick the bar code stickers to areas it recommends, such as wallets, and mobile phones, among others, where these can be accessed during an emergency (Davis, 2012). In this case, the health data read by the first respondent is directly fed into the emergency systems of the relevant health care institution. According to Garcia-Betances and Huerta (2012), the major advantage of using QR code is that it is a simple technology, which does not require special tags in its use. The QR code is a type of a 2D code, thus it is easy to generate and print the bar code on different surfaces, including paper, and plastic surfaces, among others. This does not require use of any complex equipment. Therefore, with basic training, individuals lacking information on how to use the QR codes can learn this within a short period. Additionally, the QR codes in health care are capable of reducing cases of erroneous reading of patient health information, leading to misdiagnosis and wrong prescriptions. This is because, QR codes are easy to read and decode since this technology is not a complex. As long as an individual has a smartphone or a device capable of decoding a bar code, they can access the health data on a patient’s bar code. Garcia-Betances and Huerta (2012) note that since the 2D-based readers are camera-based, these have a much narrower field of capture, compared to other technologies using code readers that are based on radio frequency. Therefore, the probability of QR codes presenting wrong information, including information from a nearby source, is low, because of its readers’ narrow capture field. Thus, the QR codes are unambiguous and cannot result in erroneous positive identification, since the code reader has to be in close proximity with the bar code on the surface (Garcia-Betances & Huerta, 2012) Furthermore, Lewis (2012) notes that QR codes are a lifesaver. This is because, when used in emergency cases, these enable the patient to get the attention of a doctor or nurse within the shortest time possible, as long as the first respondent identifies the QR code and reads it. Reading the QR code is instant, thus enhancing urgency. Immediately the patient’s code is scanned, the health care professional can access the health data of the patient and use to treat the patient, especially in cases where the patient is not verbal. Another advantage of QR codes according to Lewis (2012) is that this technology helps in engaging the patients emotionally “. . . The main benefit of generating QR codes is engaging the patients' attention and emotions through their smartphones” (para, 19). Most people today are prone to misplacing or losing their paper instructions and handouts, but rarely lose their smartphones. Therefore, storing their health records in form of QR codes helps to avoid loss of important medical information, since they rarely lose their phones, and if they lose their phones, most of them have backed up their information (Lewis, 2012). Currently, a major disadvantage of using QR codes in health care is the current failure to determine its effectiveness. This technology is still new in the health care sector, and is yet to be widely adopted in the U.S.A. and other parts of the world. In addition, because of its low popularity, most people are not familiar with how this technology is used. Although QR codes are widely used in other sectors, apart from the health care sector, most people still do not know what QR codes are, and how these are used. Therefore, it is hard to determine the effectiveness of QR codes, since these are yet to be put on wide practice (Davis, 2012). In addition, there is the privacy concern of adopting this technology. The use of QR codes means that anyone can access an individual’s health data, provided that they have a device that can decode the QR code. Therefore, this puts a risk to the privacy of the patient. Furthermore, if a person is taken to any health institution where their QR bar code is scanned, the individual’s health data is automatically fed into the system of the health institution, without the consent of the patient. This therefore, is a major risk to a person’s privacy, and is also considered unethical in the health care profession (Maeder & Martin-Sanchez, 2012). Another disadvantage of using QR codes is that the QR codes require the use of a smartphones. This means that without a device with software for reading the QR code, it is impossible to decode the QR codes. Therefore, this technology might fail in the case where the first respondents are not equipped with smartphones or any other device, which is capable of decoding the QR codes. This points to the fact that this technology might appear expensive to health institutions, which operate under tight budget, as these might not afford to buy several smartphones for decoding patients’ QR codes (Garcia-Betances & Huerta, 2012). Furthermore, Maeder & Martin-Sanchez (2012) have also argued that QR codes make it easy to access to an individual’s health information. This is an advantage to the paramedics but a disadvantage to patient, in case the wrong party accesses this information. If accessed by the wrong party, the security of an individual is put at risk. In QR codes, an individual cannot control who accesses their data, since there is no login information, requiring a password. Conclusion If fully implemented, QR codes will serve an important purpose in health care. However, today, there are still suspicions about the reliability of the QR codes. This is with regard to its effectiveness and the consequences it has on the users. Therefore, it is paramount that the concerned bodies address the suspicions held by people, to allow for a wide adoption of this technology when it is fully implemented. Health institutions with low funds should be funded to aid the purchase of smartphones. On the other hand, people should be educated through the media and other channels on how to use QR codes. Finally, about the privacy issue, the concerned body should perform a privacy impact assessment of this technology, which will bear the possible privacy risks a user is exposed to, as well as the ways through which these risks will be mitigated. This should then be made available to the public. Adopting this measure will help promote ethics in health care, since an individual will accept the technology, knowing the impact it has on their privacy. Nonetheless, the adoption of QR codes in the health care sector is a milestone, which should be appreciated, as this will increase efficiency and effectiveness in health care. References Davis, K. (31 May 2012). Emergency workers scan QR codes to access health information, IDG News Service. Retrieved from http://www.macworld.com/article/1167033/emergency_workers_scan_qr_codes_to_access_health_information.html Garcia-Betances, R. & Huerta, M. (2012). A Review of Automatic Patient Identification Options for Public Health Care Centers with Restricted Budgets. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics. 4(1): 1-16. Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/ojphi/article/viewFile/4011/3220 Lewis, M. (25 June 2012). QR Codes in the medical practice. Retrieved from http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/modernmedicine/modern-medicine-feature-articles/qr-codes-medical-practice Maeder, A. & Martin-Sanchez, F. (2012). Health Informatics: Building a Healthcare Future Through Trusted Information; Selected Papers from the 20th Australian National Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2012). Sydney: IOS Press. Read More