Technology in Healthcare - Essay Example

Technology in Healthcare The use of processes, equipment and procedures to deliver medical care is what is broadly referred to as medical technology; where this includes use of biologic agents in drugs, use of dynamic medical devices such as implantable defibrillators and innovative support systems for example in transmitting medical information. Either new technology may increase or decreasing spending in healthcare however, researchers in general agree that progress in medical technology has led to increased overall spending in U.S healthcare (“Snapshots: How Changes…”). Certainly, medical technology has been useful over the years with profound breakthroughs being achieved but there needs to be an understanding of the impact of technology in healthcare- both positive and negative effects and how the latter can be mitigated. Technology is being adopted in healthcare to develop new treatments for previously untreatable diseases, major progress in clinical ability to treat acute ailments, increase access to healthcare to the patient population, making improvements in existing capabilities and promote efficient delivery of services. Medical technology has been used as a restricted substitute to a treatment, a substitute to an existing treatment or a supplement to an existing treatment. These changes are important to note as they affect the cost of treatment as they determine whether the technology raises or lowers the initial cost of treatment (Prantel). The field of medicine largely uses a number of types of medical technology or is affected by new technology and this had been evidenced for instance by the reduction in overall mortality rate from heart attack between 1980 and 2000 as the number fell by approximately half. Another instance is with treatment of pre-term babies where in the 1950s it was almost impossible to provide this treatment but by the 1990s, there had been advances in technology; for example, it became possible to have steroids for the mother and/or baby and artificial pulmonary surfactant started being used to help infant lungs develop. These advances in technology reduced mortality by a third of what it was in the 1950s (“Snapshots: How Changes…”). Adapted from http://news.avancehealth.com/2009_04_01_archive.html Primarily technology use in healthcare has been opposed for its high cost implications. However, from the graph above digitizing healthcare is forecasted to save the healthcare approximately 400 billion and 150 billion dollars inpatient and outpatient costs cumulatively by 2018 respectively. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that while assessing cost implications of technology there needs to be a consideration of improvement in quality and healthcare access to a wider population. This in generally means that the positive effects of medical technology on patient care should not be isolated from such assessments. At the same time, there are instances where medical technologies have been used inappropriately and this has led to increase in costs without improving quality of patient care (Prantel). Similarly, the technology should be assessed to find out if it directly affects any other hospital services. Also, the levels at which any technology is used should be considered that is, the number of times it is adopted or the kind of disease it is adopted on where application on rare diseases would imply high costs of treatment due to economies of scale. Overall, assessing cost implications of medical technology is complicated as it may not affect one thing but affect another indirectly or directly (Prantel). Costs arising from adoption of medical technology include employee training, increased need for skilled professionals, upgrading of facilities and meeting demand for using of the technology by both consumers and providers of healthcare. Upgrading of facilities happens because of adopting new organizational along with support systems aimed at better storage and easy access of medical information on patients, and improving healthcare delivery. In adopting technology in general, there will be start-up and maintenance costs that encompass employee training and need for skilled professionals where employees in hospitals and clinics have to be trained on how to use new equipment, systems, procedures, how to administer new drugs among other new technologies. The need for skilled professionals comes about because IS/IT consultants or vendors have to be brought in to train the employees to ensure that the implementation process is undisrupted and that newly installed systems are sustainable. An additional cost implication arising from medical technology is where creators have to gain profits for their work and research along with marketing efforts known to be expensive have to be considered (Shi & Singh 160). Where the healthcare industry adopts new technology in the form of information systems that for example eliminate the need for clerical officers, it results in unemployment, as machines will replace people. In addition, computer systems are seen as dehumanizing medical staff particularly where systems installed facilitate transmission of information between patients and medical staff. There will be fewer interactions as jobs are made too routine and fragmented this is because doctors will simply rely on information from electrical records to treat patients and this may lead to minimized care (Lehoux 236). At the same time, there will be conflicts arising from control of information and resources as computer terminals will act as tools for communication and storage. Electronic medical records are such that patient information that includes medical history, billing information and test results is accessible by a number of health providers where this may be seen as an invasion of privacy and there may be potential misuse or loss of data. Marketing efforts made by manufacturers/creators of new technologies are done through sales representatives whose main concern is to sell the product and this may affect their ability to give out comprehensive information or mislead doctors (Anderson & Aydin 9). There is the concern as well that new technology in form of information systems is not reliable as computers may crash, freeze or be hacked into and information altered. In such a scenario, the efficiency attributed to new technology is not achieved as physicians will have trouble accessing information and this may lead them to take more time to treat patients as they wait for the computers to be fixed. Misappropriation of technology is another concern where unauthorized persons may be able to get into systems aimed at dispensing medicine and make unauthorized prescriptions, by stealing identity information of physicians. The old-fashioned method of prescription where physicians write down prescriptions and put their signature becomes a securer way of operating (Shi & Singh 162). There are instances where technology has been known to reduce costs for example with the polio vaccine. Similarly, it has been reported that certain advances in technology have in fact had quite significant impacts that justify their high spending. Interventions brought about because of technology for example dealing with heart attacks, treatment of pre-term babies, treatment of depression and cataracts have been shown to yield benefits that far outweigh costs incurred. This argument also brings into light the fact that persons who have been treated faster or had their lives saved because of technology, get back into the job market, spend their income and go on to make economic contribution. Supporters of this argument defend use of technology in healthcare and oppose cost containment measures, as they believe this will harbor innovation (Lehoux 238). The other positive effects of technology come from having an optimistic view where this view holds that technology increases production as processes become simplified and physicians can treat more patients in a day for example. In addition, there is enhanced communication where employees have access to an open system through which to exchange information (Anderson & Aydin 8). Technology has made it possible to access healthcare information mainly through the Internet where in 2009 it was reported that 24 million Americans searched for healthcare information online. This means that patients have become empowered and more interested in seeking out information on their health. In the same way, healthcare facilities have been able to raise awareness on various health issues and carry out community outreach programs via social media (Krueger). In conclusion, adopting new technology in healthcare should be viewed for the possibilities it has brought about through treatments, procedures, drugs and processes. The cost implications of technologies can be justified by looking into the benefits they provide, where other negative effects can be minimized by having proper implementation strategies and ways of ensuring sustainability. Issues such as privacy of patients’ information and access to medicines by unauthorized persons can be dealt with by involving users that is physicians, patients and other relevant parties in creation of information systems. This gives creators of such systems an opportunity to have a two-sided view that is, considering the users while still ensuring viability, when coming up with the information systems. Cost containment efforts are indeed likely to deter innovation and as such should be approached with this awareness and instead focus is shifted towards ensuring that technologies created are effective and efficient and are properly utilized. Works Cited “Snapshots: How Changes in Medical Technology Affect Healthcare Costs”. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2007. Web. 20 Feb 2013 < http://kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/snapshots-how-changes-in-medical-technology-affect/> Prantel, Anne. How Does New Technology Affect Healthcare Costs. The Tech Storm. April 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2013 < http://www.thetechstorm.com/2013/04/how-does-new-medical-technology-affects-health-care-costs/> Shi, Leiyu & Singh, Douglas. Delivering Healthcare in America: A Systems Approach. Ontario: Jones& Bartlett Learning, LLC. 2012. Print. Lehoux, Pascale. The Problem with Health Technology: Policy Implications for Modern Healthcare Systems. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. 2006. Print. Anderson, James & Aydin, Carolyn. Evaluating the Organizational Impact of Healthcare Information Systems. 2nd Ed. New York: Springer Science +Business Media, Inc. 2005. Print. Krueger, Alyson. 6 Ways Technology is Improving Healthcare. Business Insider. December 2010. 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