While technology has the
potential to improve care, it is not without risks. Technology has been
described as both part of the problem and part of the solution for safer health
care, and some observers warned of the introduction of yet-to-be errors after
the adoption of new technologies.
Patient care technology
has become increasingly complex, transforming the way nursing care is
conceptualized and delivered. Before extensive application of technology,
nurses relied heavily on their senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing to
monitor patient status and to detect changes. Over time, the nurses’ unaided
senses were replaced with technology designed to detect physical changes in
patient conditions.
The general public
believes that technology will improve health care efficiency, quality, safety,
and cost. However, few people consider that these same technologies may also
introduce errors and adverse events. Given the so many types of medical devices
used by millions of health care providers around the world, device-related
problems are inevitable
Being informed consumers
and users of technology in health care means that nurses be involved in the
selection of new equipment, receive the proper training for its use, and
monitor equipment safety and the effect of technology on patients and families
on an ongoing basis.
Especially as Primary Care Nurse Practitioners, human touch will remain a vital tool in our armament. An ECHO can give me a lot of information regarding a patient's cardiac status, but the machine can't feel the thrill produced by a septal defect [etc.] not seen on ECHO...
ReplyDeleteChika, you wrote a very concise and accurate summary of medical technology. Reading your post makes me think differently about how technology, for the part has positively impacted the care of patients. In addition, you also mentioned the human senses, how we have forgotten about that amazes me but I guess it's not the fault of the nursing profession since we have succumbed to this technology and must rely on this to diagnose, plan and implement care.
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