Since the introduction of technology in healthcare, the sector has taken a dramatic upgrade. With the use of technology, doctors can diagnose and treat patients quite easily. It has been at the forefront in saving the patient’s life and restoring life to normalcy. Technology has also helped in ensuring that doctors, patients, and students in the healthcare sector undertake their duties at ease. However, even with all the good things of technology and innovation in the industry, some setbacks come alongside the use of technology in the healthcare sector. In this blog, you will see a few highlights on the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the field.
Healthcare Records Digitization
In healthcare, there is a lot of paperwork involved. Technology has made it easy for registrars, doctors, and students to collect and store health records on respective patients. Previously, healthcare records would go missing and make it difficult for the doctor to keep a good track on the progress of a patient. However, with the implementation of innovation, storing, and retrieving critical data is quite easy. Nurse’s job has also been made easy when it comes to administering medication on various patients.
Additionally, billing and coding of different treatments and updates are also easy. Therefore, people working in the records department will not have to spend more time trying to evaluate various medical practices. On the other hand, the use of technology has also impacted the record-keeping process negatively. The system is infected with viruses and hackers. Therefore, unless you have a good security implementation, the EHRs (electronic health records) can easily be charged and lead to administering the wrong medication to patients.
Access to Information
Nearly 95% of people have smartphones, and they use their devices to access and browse through the internet. With the introduction of information communication technology in the health sector, connecting patients and doctors has been made easy. In the comfort of your home, it is easy to diagnose and even medicate yourself with the assistance of a healthcare practitioner. Also, patients can follow up on their treatment progress through email and other social media platforms too. You don’t have to walk to the hospital to test and know your condition. Instead, you can type in your symptoms and let the internet give you its findings on the same. Additionally, you are also able to receive a prescription for easy access to medication over the counter.
On the other hand, accessing such information through online platforms has minimized the number of patients in hospitals. Therefore, professional doctors who are not in the online platforms find it difficult to practice their profession. Additionally, it also easy to misdiagnose and treat a different disease. Some conditions have similar symptoms; therefore, when you only depend on the symptoms that you have without further professional testing, you can treat the wrong disease.
Also, these services are only accessible to a place where there is an internet connection. Therefore, people who are in rural areas find it challenging to get the information due to poor connection. For patients who don’t understand what is ips, it gets even more complicated for them to attain essential information.
The use of mobile phones also makes it complicated for professional doctors to use relevant medical equipment when treating patients. Therefore, when they are required to test various conditions, it takes more time for them to learn how the equipment works. Although the use of mobile makes it easy for practitioners to complete their operations from anywhere, learning the uses of respective machines.
Conclusion
With all the benefits and disadvantages of technology, it has still taken the healthcare sector on a higher level. Innovation has made it easy for doctors and patients to meet and execute respective operations. However, as doctors and patients, it is essential to communicate on every step to ensure that the use of technology is profitable for the practice, and it also improves the standard of life.
