New Technology Interview

I interviewed a leader in a healthcare facility in January. Recent data rated the organization she works with as the fastest growing organization in terms of technology. I began by congratulating her for the efforts she had shown as the healthcare organization leader. I was interested to know what the technology was all about. In her response, the technology was ‘Telemedicine Technology’. She looked enthusiastic when responding to the question. She explained that the technology was not new as it was part of the government’s plan but had taken long before its implementation. I could not agree with her since I had also not heard about the technology. She said that it was necessitated by the outbreak of Covid-19, which made the institution limit the number of patients who visited per day. The pandemic made patients with mild conditions to revisit the institution regularly before they were attended to by the receptionist who recorded their names.

The state’s economic situation was declining with the rising of the Covid-19 curve; hence, I was interested in knowing the cost of implementing the technology. She responded that if one plans to pioneer a system, it required adequate preparation both emotionally and financially. The technology was a multi-million plan as it required training of all medical personnel, purchasing modern technology equipment for its full implementation. Some people are rigid in implementing new technology, and I was interested in knowing how the health employees had responded to technology. She explained that most of the employees were flexible and adopted the new system very well. She went ahead and explained that there were challenges as some health officers had handled some of the equipment clumsily and were forced to strain the budget to purchase more in case of more damage. 

At the end of the interview, I had to inquire if she had a support system; she said that the family, friends, and the entire fraternity of the organization meant selecting, planning, and implementing the new technology. She said that they were a source of encouragement and supported her financially to the end. With the advent of the new technology, patients can connect with service providers at their location’s comforts. A virtual treatment is more efficient as a nurse can listen to symptoms and review the patient through video conferencing. A patient with critical health conditions can be analyzed, and proper medical attention administered at their location. The patient’s health data are electronically recorded and retrieved by relevant health specialists if health treatment requires specialists or laboratory technologists.

The new technology is efficient in storing patients’ electronic health data due to the adoption of Electronic Health Record. Telemedicine enables the health facility to give any medical facility instant access to medical experts and specialists relevant to more education and information. Thus, it has enabled patients from rural areas to reduce traveling costs from across the country to find specialists or special treatment. In the case of special treatment, the technology ensures that urgent care is immediate care. The health officers in the facility can attest to this technology’s benefits as they reach a more significant number of patients without high turnout in the overcrowded rooms. Telemedicine enables extension of healthcare to patients who have undergone major surgeries to recover in their homes and receive home-based care (Baker & Stanley, 2018). It is done by remote video patient observation where telemedicine captures vital signs and symptoms, and alarms are set so that the nurse receives signals at their stations. Besides, patients with clinics do not regularly visit the health facility as indicated, but the tool accommodates post-hospital care, assisted living equipment, and disease management for patients with critical health conditions. 

Although telemedicine has made it more comfortable reducing geographical and time barriers in the traditional health care services, the technology has several mistakes made in its implementation (Scott Kruse et al., 2016). Despite local and federal initiatives in implementing the technology, inadequate finances to purchase quality equipment and provide adequate training to all health officers in the facility is a major mistake that the health care officer explained she made. She explained that the budget only accommodated a one-time training for all health officers. It was not competent to conduct one workshop for senior and junior employees due to differences in education level. After purchasing the electronic equipment, the facility failed to partner with a recognized electronic company to replace equipment when they wear out. Hence, the facility bought equipment that is not up to standard for use by many people at the same time. Besides, failure to emotionally prepare the medical personnel about adopting the new technology led to resistance to change by most employees. This happens mostly with those who perform tasks slowly before familiarizing with the new technology (Kruse et al., 2016). Finally, the lack of high-speed internet to reach all patients in their location delays service provision. The internet problem was not well thought of during planning as some rural regions were incorporated into the program yet had poor connectivity.

The new technology implementation leader says that she will plan more workshops to train the employees to improve the services. She also says that she will ensure to replace all equipment and partner with Apple Inc. to ensure that the equipment is reliable and long-lasting. In terms of financial challenges, she looks forward to seeking help from The World Health Organization who will provide financial support.

From the interview, the invention and implementation of the technology by the health care service provider have enhanced provision of clinical support in the home health care system, overcoming the barrier of proximity to a health facility, the implementation of information and communication technology in the fast-evolving digital world and the benefit of the patient especially those with critical health conditions. Despite the mistakes in its implementation, there are future recommendations for identifying the errors and correcting them appropriately. The technology will be embraced in many health facilities to address world health issues to fit in the digital world.  

References

Baker, J., & Stanley, A. (2018). Telemedicine Technology: a Review of Services, Equipment, and Other Aspects. Current Allergy And Asthma Reports, 18(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-018-0814-6

Kruse, C., Kristof, C., Jones, B., Mitchell, E., & Martinez, A. (2016). Barriers to Electronic Health Record Adoption: a Systematic Literature Review. Journal Of Medical Systems, 40(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-016-0628-9

Scott Kruse, C., Karem, P., Shifflett, K., Vegi, L., Ravi, K., & Brooks, M. (2016). Evaluating barriers to adopting telemedicine worldwide: A systematic review. Journal Of Telemedicine And Telecare, 24(1), 4-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633×16674087