The advancement of technology in the health industry led to informatics in healthcare setup. To provide seamless solutions for patient care and streamline the process of service delivery, the role of technology is evident in the healthcare sector. The primary factor contributing to the growth of technology in healthcare includes the demand for high-quality service with faster speed and accurate results. In addition, technology also helps medical facilities and patients to reduce the overall incurring financial expenses.
At present, every healthcare organization is looking for means and solutions that can handle an extraneous amount of data while producing meaningful outcomes. The role of technology is evolving in healthcare applications and practice. After the implementation of electronic health records in medical facilities, a collaboration between healthcare services and technology has become an essential component for improving the overall operations of the health industry.
With the central role of health informatics inpatient care and upgraded medical facilities, the career prospects in the industry have increased drastically. The innovation within healthcare opened fresh avenues of success for aspiring graduates interested in technology and health. To start the journey towards a successful career in the burgeoning industry, students can avail themselves of a bachelor’s and then masters healthcare informatics.
Some of the ways are mentioned below that healthcare organizations can consider making better use of informatics.
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Healthcare organizations can rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning to make quick real-time decisions. These technologies can help healthcare providers improve patients’ accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. Moreover, they can also play an effective role in anticipating high-risk conditions. Artificial intelligence can provide valuable insights by going deeper into the data of health conditions that are not possible for the human brain. Thus, elevating the level of care for patients and providing personalized treatment plans ultimately leads to the patients’ recovery. Some healthcare organizations are already utilizing AI technology to improve the quality of their services.
Technological advancements in Artificial intelligence and machine learning led to robotics in the healthcare industry. Robots can administer healthcare services such as surgical procedures by working as assistants and delivering medication. For instance, Xena is a robot that works as a superbugs fighter in the Avera McKennan hospital and is responsible for disinfecting operating rooms. Moreover, the FDA has also given a green signal to an American company interested in using robots in knee replacement surgery.
Blockchain
Blockchain is another technology that can help healthcare organizations improve patients’ data management. By providing high security, blockchain can change the landscape of patients’ medical records. For instance, when data becomes a part of the blockchain, it becomes unalterable. This quality of blockchain can support many functions of the healthcare organizations, including ease in the process of an insurance claim, maintenance of data log of healthcare, and speed up the advancements in biomedical research. Furthermore, with the help of blockchain technology, patients can have better access and control over their medical records. They can manage the data sharing of their medical information more efficiently.
Telehealth
With the boom in telehealth or telemedicine, medical facilities can easily communicate with patients and physicians in remote areas. Being virtual, this part of health informatics shapes and alters the dynamics of patient care and service delivery. Healthcare providers can diagnose and treat patients through virtual platforms like video conferencing. It can help patients in inaccessible areas experience transmittable infections and viral diseases such as COVID-19.
Another similar service called mHealth based on mobile phone technology can improve patients’ experience by easing the service delivery. By using mobile applications, patients can get medical information, schedule appointments, and contact medical facilities, particularly specialized healthcare providers, according to health risks. This technology can also play a vital role in remotely monitoring serious health conditions of patients.
Healthcare Information Technology Systems
Healthcare information technology systems allow different organizations within and across the regional and national boundaries to access, integrate and exchange healthcare data. They can coordinate to provide timely and optimized health care to patients individually and collectively.
With the healthcare information technology systems in place, parents don’t have to take their medical information to new doctors in physical files. Healthcare experts can access their patients’ medical history simply by logging into healthcare information technology systems. Data is present at different locations miles apart and scattered across other computer systems. Still, it is accessible through such information technology systems. In this way, medical experts can diagnose and dispense care while considering all patients’ medical records.
Cloud Technology and Data Analytics
Cloud technology provides storage and real-time access to huge amounts of data. With the help of cloud technology, healthcare facilities can get numerous benefits from health informatics. For instance, with the high amounts of data flooding from all information channels, it can be impossible to access data when needed without cloud storage. It makes data sharing possible and easier.
Similarly, a breakthrough in the healthcare industry is data analytics. It helps healthcare service providers make well-informed decisions by generating meaningful patterns from patients’ medical information. On the contrary, it would take ages to make the most out of the patient’s medical information without data analytics. This technology enabled the healthcare sector to operate faster and provide patient care with innovation and efficiency.
IBM Watson is a pioneer in cloud technology. It plays a vital role in bringing together research and clinical and social data from a wide-ranging source of healthcare to speed up the process of advanced care, communication, and innovation. With the successful implementation of cloud computing and data analytics programs at the Aurum Institute, a centralized system based on clinical data from all sources is operational. It allows healthcare staff to access accurate data with improved reporting outcomes effectively. Furthermore, this technology can help medical facilities provide optimized care to patients after determining the actionable results quickly hidden in endless piles of data storage. One of the most exciting advantages of data analytics programs is it accelerates the process of service delivery by optimizing the healthcare procedures quickly.
Conclusion
Technology has become an irreplaceable partner of the health industry. So to adapt to the demands of the modern world, it is high time for medical facilities to upgrade their outdated systems by aligning them with the latest technological trends.
