The Role of Technology in Improving Health Care Outcomes

 

In the healthcare sector, technology greatly impacts healthcare services. According to Houngbo et al. (2019), technology can improve care outcomes by improving the efficiency of communication and data management. The Electronic Health Record has improved data management and communication between caregivers, hence reduced medical errors and cost of care. Remote patient monitoring has reduced cost and improved quality of care by increasing the availability of care to people in rural areas.

Teleconferencing has improved care by improving communication, especially during the pandemic. Technology will significant in this capstone project, especially during this covid-19 pandemic. One of the pandemic protocols is that people should avoid social distance. Hence, teleconferencing will be used to provide education.

The learners will converge online and get training through teleconferencing. Other technologies that will be used to provide education include computers, e-books, and other e-educational materials.

Health Policy

Health policy in nursing is vital because it helps the professionals set a general plan of action that can guide their decisions and desired outcomes. Birk (2016) notes that health policies are used to communicate the intention, goals, and objective of healthcare organizations. This week I have learned that nurses play critical roles in health policy development.

One of the roles of nurses in health policy development is to gather information about various healthcare issues that can be included in the policies.

I also learned that health policy nurses have the responsibility of analyzing, evaluating, and assessing health laws, regulations, and policies and advise healthcare organizations (Larsen, 2020). Nurses are also responsible for advocating for policies and lobbying other people to support their initiatives.

They can initiate and advocate for healthcare policies by engaging in politics. Some of the nurse legislators include congresswoman Johnson, representative Lois Capps, and Erin Murphy who is running for governorship for Minnesota state.

Leadership and economic models

During my practicum experience, I got to appreciate the value of good leadership in care delivery. With good leadership, I noticed a positive impact on the commitment, performance, and satisfaction of the staff in care delivery (Fischer, 2016). Likewise, I also noticed that good leadership had a positive impact on the quality of care provided.

Health disparities

From this course, I have come to understand that it is our responsibility as nurses to ensure that health care disparities are narrowed down. This can be achieved by looking for opportunities of reaching out to marginalized communities, for example, using technological approaches, and removing any forms of discrimination and social stigma when addressing the different population health concerns.

References

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice . Available from https://wgu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true& db=nlebk&AN=1021761&site=eds-live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_Cover

Aviki, E. M., Schleicher, S. M., Mullangi, S., Matsoukas, K., & Korenstein, D. (2018). Alternative payment and care‐delivery models in oncology: A systematic review. Cancer, 124(16), 3293-3306. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.31367

Birk, H. S. (2016). United States National Healthcare Policies 2015: An analysis with implications for the future of medicine. Cureus, 8(1). doi: 10.7759/cureus.451