What Are Some Examples of Healthcare Technology?
Healthcare technology is nothing new. Electronic health records supported by applications such as Epic have been around for several years, but not all healthcare organizations can benefit from using the same type of information technology. This is why it’s crucial for healthcare organizations to have access to customized technology to support patient monitoring, clinical research, and much more.
What Are Some Examples of Healthcare Technology?
Healthcare technology is specifically designed to make it easier to gather patient data, analyze research data, and improve access to healthcare services. For healthcare organizations, using customized technology can significantly improve organization and efficiency. In particular, private practices, research clinics, and hospitals can all benefit from using technologies such as health informatics and analytics, AI prediction, voice dictation, and automated patient alerts.
Health Informatics and Analytics
Health informatics and analytics, particularly cloud-based systems, use AI to gather and analyze large portions of patient data. The most common examples of health informatics include storing healthcare information about patients, clinical research, and other trials. Most often, health informatics and analytics are used for public healthcare data reporting, self-use patient portals, and, recently, telehealth.
The crucial point of health informatics and analytics is the intersection between advanced computer science and data storage. Because health informatics and analytics are designed around cloud technology, they can easily be used by larger healthcare organizations or scaled down for private practices. Many healthcare organizations, including government departments, are leveraging healthcare informatics and analytics to better serve larger populations.
AI Health Prediction
AI health prediction is a specialty of health informatics and analytics. Specifically, artificial intelligence is trained to analyze patient data to predict future health conditions. This is a more accurate and efficient way to manage preventative health for patients who are at higher risk of developing serious health conditions, including degenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and much more.
Furthermore, AI health prediction can also be used in public health care. For example, artificial intelligence can analyze population trends to track and predict incident rates of epidemics, including obesity, large-scale pandemics, and much more.
Voice Dictation
Voice dictation is another element of healthcare technology that is frequently used in both private practices and clinical research. Essentially, voice dictation is a plug-in for other healthcare informatics technology that will allow physicians and other healthcare professionals to dictate information directly into patient files, clinical trials, or other healthcare software.
Voice dictation has a high level of accuracy that can improve patient care, organize notes, and increase the efficiency of healthcare professionals. One of the most common implementations of voice dictation software is in private practice. Doctors use voice dictation to record notes about patient visits that are then uploaded into electronic healthcare records.
Automated Patient Alerts
Finally, health technology can also automate certain patient alerts, such as reminders for preventative health screenings and alerts that lab reports for patients have been completed. Automating some patient alerts can improve the response time of healthcare professionals so that patients can receive more prompt care. This may be especially crucial if patients are being monitored for serious conditions that require frequent checkups or lab testing.
What Other Advanced Technology Is Used In Healthcare?
In addition to health informatics and analytics, there are many other types of advanced technology that are used in healthcare. Some of this technology can easily be folded into cloud-based technology to manage healthcare informatics, while other technology is used independently to improve patient monitoring.
Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records are the most efficient way to store information about patients. Typically, electronic health records will include demographic information about a patient, medication lists, and a collection of diagnoses a patient may have. Sometimes, electronic health records can also include self-serve patient portals that allow patients to have more control over their healthcare needs.
Electronic health records can also store information about patient scheduling, doctor contact information, and include storage for compatible files, such as x-rays or MRIs, that physicians can more easily access on a single system. Electronic health records are often paired with AI technology and other healthcare informatics to improve patient experience and patient care.
Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring
Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring are both subdivisions of modern healthcare that are quickly growing more popular. The biggest advantage of telemedicine is that it improves patient access, particularly for patients who are unable to take time off of work or who cannot come into the doctor’s office for basic health concerns. Telemedicine is also often used to replace urgent care visits unless the patient is exhibiting severe symptoms that will require emergency treatment.
Remote patient monitoring is often paired with telemedicine to improve patient outcomes and reduce delays in treatment. Remote patient monitoring typically combines medical software and devices that patients can use at home to monitor basic health measurements, including body weight, heart rate, blood sugar, blood pressure, and pulse oxygen, without visiting the doctor or going to a lab.
Digital Therapeutics
Digital therapeutics is a form of information technology that focuses primarily on patient education, medication adjustment, and symptom monitoring. Digital therapeutics allows patients to have more input on healthcare decisions. The software used for digital therapeutics typically allows healthcare information to be transmitted instantly to a doctor to monitor certain health conditions, including diabetes, migraines, substance abuse, chronic pain, and much more.
Healthcare Apps
Healthcare apps are widely popular because the software can be easily accessed on a smart device and can improve patient access to healthcare, particularly patients who do not have healthcare insurance. In today’s climate of low access to affordable healthcare, healthcare apps have revolutionized preventative medicine and have placed power back in patients’ hands to improve health conditions or access to treatment.
In particular, healthcare apps designed to increase access to mental healthcare are important. Many communities do not receive enough access to mental healthcare due to the inability to pay, overwhelmed healthcare workers, and other obstacles to accessing care. However, with a healthcare app, patients can access a mental health professional by phone call, video chat, or text message. Many of these apps can also help patients access medications to manage mental illnesses.
Wearable Sensors
Finally, wearable sensors are another area of health technology that is quickly gaining ground. Sometimes paired with digital therapeutics and remote patient monitoring, wearable sensors can monitor a patient’s vitals in real-time. Wearable sensors are common for patients who have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or other conditions that must be continually monitored.
Wearable sensors can also be used in the diagnostic process for certain health conditions. For example, remote heart monitors can be used to track cardiac events while the patient is at home so that cardiac specialists can have a more accurate reading of potential cardiovascular diseases.
Why Are Cloud-Based Healthcare Systems Better?
Cloud-based healthcare systems are superior to traditional methods of healthcare information storage for a few reasons. For one thing, cloud-based healthcare systems are more cost-effective after the initial investment in the software has been made. Other reasons why cloud-based healthcare technology is better include:
More Efficient and Organized
Cloud-based technology is far more efficient than traditional methods of storing healthcare records. For example, healthcare records are stored on an electronic system that can be easily updated and accessed by doctors to improve patient care. Because all file types can be stored on the same electronic health record, this can also improve organization for patients who have extensive medical records.
Improved Collaboration
Cloud-based healthcare systems can also improve collaboration between physicians to treat patients. For example, primary care physicians may need to correspond with specialists to diagnose a patient or monitor a patient’s condition. Surgeons and specialists can easily access patients’ electronic health records to learn about their medical history, which can also improve patient outcomes and overall patient care.
How Can an IT Support Company Help With Healthcare IT Management?
An IT support company may be essential to monitor healthcare information technology. IT support companies can help with all stages of healthcare software, from developing applications to designing software systems used by healthcare facilities. Importantly, IT support companies can help with healthcare software implementation, particularly for healthcare facilities that are transitioning to health informatics and analytics.
Contracting with an IT support company can also assist in the sustainment of advanced healthcare systems. For example, IT support can troubleshoot issues with healthcare apps, telemedicine, and electronic healthcare records.
What About Cybersecurity?
IT support companies may also be able to improve cybersecurity. Anytime personal identification information is stored on an electronic system, it’s essential to prioritize security systems as well. For the healthcare industry, HIPAA has particular regulations about how electronic health records can be stored so that a patient’s personal information will be protected.
Healthcare technology is one of the best ways to improve the efficiency and organization of a healthcare facility. There are several ways advanced technology can be implemented, including through health informatics and analytics, AI prediction, voice dictation, automated patient alerts, electronic healthcare records, and telemedicine. To learn more about how to successfully implement healthcare technology, contact Riveraxe today.