Safety Technology
Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety, Improve Work Processes, And Patient Outcomes
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Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety, Improve Work Processes, And Patient Outcomes
The medical technology environment is often characterized by the provision of suitable and efficient laboratory findings and the establishment of effective communication between medical technologists and other health related professionals who have been delivering appropriate treatment. Assuring the safety and efficacy of patient treatment in the hospital requires collaboration. Safe technologies are rapidly being adopted throughout health care organizations in order to enhance patient safety, expedite work processes, and improve the quality and results of health care delivery. This research will primarily concentrate on wearable technology, its users, and the associated advantages and drawbacks in terms of patient safety.
Description of wearable technology and its users
An electronic gadget that may be worn as a piece of clothing, implanted into the user's body or tattooed on the skin is known as wearable technology. Powered by a microprocessor, these devices are easy-to-use, hands-free devices that can send and receive data over the Internet. For people in their early 20s who are either tech-savvy or athletic, wearable technology is a popular choice. Wearable technology enables you to measure your fitness level, track your whereabouts via GPS, and read text messages more quickly. The greatest thing is that the majority of gadgets that enable this are hands-free and portable, which eliminates the need to remove the smartphone from your pocket. In the field of health care and well-being, wearable technology collects biometric data from the human body, such as heart rate (ECG), brainwaves (EEG), skin temperature, and muscle biosignals (EMG). In addition, it collects information about the surrounding environment.
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Data used in gathering technology
Wearable technology helps to ensure patient safety. It contributes to the following: Real-time monitoring of important statistics in order to give more timely data for analysis., Detection of sickness or danger of significant health events in its early stages. Notifications sent immediately when biometrics reach a danger zone; scheduling of office appointments. Wearables' functionality and capacity to collect massive volumes of patient data assist both physicians and patients.
Benefits to patient safety, workflow processes and patient outcomes
Wearable technology has evolved into a consumer expectation. The instrument is widely available, often affordable, and is utilized in a variety of sectors of medicine and nursing. According to a new study conducted by Johns Hopkins medical experts, wearable accelerometers, which detect acceleration and are often found in consumer smartwatches, produce more trustworthy evaluations of physical activity than self-reports. According to Rosenbaum et al (2017), the wearable's tailored data enables physicians to make better educated treatment choices by providing fresh insights into the patient's behavior that go beyond physical exercise. The newest portable instruments can monitor everything from a patient's blood pressure to oxygen saturation, providing clinicians with an unprecedented level of remote patient monitoring.
Cons of wearable technology
Simpler gadgets, on the other hand, have a longer life span. However, some of the most modern wearables have a battery life of around one day. Remember to remove the wearable on a regular basis to charge it for some folks. As a result, numerous developers are investigating wireless charging alternatives that do not need the gadget to be removed. Certain wearables have been found to be incorrect in their data collection. This is particularly harmful when data such as heart rate is being measured. This error may result in excessive activity and other health concerns in those with heart disease.
Role of the nurse leader in selecting, implementing and sustaining technology
Expertise in computer science is required for safe and effective patient care by nurses. Sullivan (2017) state that nursing leaders must gain computer literacy skills in order to foster professional interoperability, ensure that care data is utilized appropriately, and offer patients with efficient, safe, and creative care. Using clinical science, the nursing process, and critical thinking, nurses integrate discrete data bits into information to utilize in every patient encounter (Carol, 2019).
Effectiveness examples: Patient management: Wearable technology may also help hospitals run more efficiently. The researchers want to employ wearable technology to identify health abnormalities in their earliest stages. Researchers can design new forms of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic gadgets using wireless connectivity and wearable technologies (Nasiri, 2019) Wearable sensors and gadgets in the emergency medical services (EMS), the emergency room (ER), and the intensive care unit (ICU) may be used to continuously monitor danger (ICU). It's easier to go about using this method. In the end, the patient's life is on the line here. (heart rate and respiratory rate, body temperature and blood oxygen saturation) as well as the patient's physical and environmental conditions are monitored by the system (outside temperature, presence of toxic gases, heat flow through clothing). It processes data and transmits pertinent information to the healthcare practitioner through the internet (Li et al., 2019). Patients with chronic disease may benefit from activity monitoring according to Baeg & Lee (2020) the activity monitoring function on mobile devices offers a means for healthcare consumers to enhance their self-management skills. Numerous healthy customers already maintain some level of control over their weight, food, and health behaviors. By delivering objective proof in the form of sensor data, wearable gadgets enhance their self-tracking capabilities.
The Cardiac Disorder: Handheld Device is intended for use in patients with heart disease to monitor their cardiovascular health and to allow health applications. The development of a low-power portable electrocardiogram monitoring device (Li et al.,2020). Certain handheld devices are capable of monitoring the variability of the heart rate (HRV). One research used a patch-style device for monitoring heart activity. Designed for the purpose of capturing electrocardiogram (ECG) impulses (Sivanathan & Oleon 2021). Portable devices may be utilized effectively as a health monitoring system in a variety of settings and circumstances encountered during everyday life. In the laboratory or outside of the clinical setting, wearable equipment may monitor a patient's heart activity. Without interfering with the patient's usual activities, heart tests may be conducted in a range of everyday situations. For example, researchers have developed wearable textile-based devices that may be used to discreetly capture ECG, respiration, and acceleration data, as well as to analyze 3D sternal electrocardiograms (SCGs) in daily life. Researches have also developed an ear-worn continuous-cardiac monitor (BCG) (Gardener, 2021). The heart's contractility and control may be studied using ear devices. Although it was first used in clinical settings in 2001, the Wireless Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD) is still in widespread usage today. It is possible to avoid sudden arrhythmic death by using the WCD if an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is not shown to be a worthwhile investment or the risk of arrhythmia is lowered or eliminated. Hernandez et al (2015) investigated the use of a wireless digital watch as a portable surveillance system for monitoring patients' vital signs in Wu & Luo (2019). Researchers compared mobile devices to more traditional means of clinical monitoring. The findings indicated that the portable device examined provided acceptable heart rate measures in around 80% of patients, and the comparison was statistically significant, indicating a reasonable overall match between the new device and the clinical monitor Wu & Luo (2019). It demonstrated that progress was being made.
Conclusion
However, the wearable technology of the future is expected to go well beyond fitness trackers and other current applications. Wearables for personal safety, comfort, and information might be at your fingers, wrist, or even on your dog's collar if the Internet of Things is improved to allow for quick data interchange. Our everyday routines have been impacted by wearable technology. Many wearables allow you to monitor your physical activity and save data for later review. Wearables may also serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration by providing real-time alerts of our behavior, such as reminders to stand or walk.
References
Carroll, W. M. (2019). The synthesis of nursing knowledge and predictive analytics. Nursing management, 50(3), 15-17.
Gardner, M., Randhawa, S., Malouf, G., & Reynolds, K. (2021). A Wearable Ballistocardiography Device for Estimating Heart Rate During Positive Airway Pressure Therapy: Investigational Study Among the General Population. JMIR cardio, 5(1), e26259.
Li, J., Ma, Q., Chan, A. H., & Man, S. S. (2019). Health monitoring through wearable technologies for older adults: Smart wearables acceptance model. Applied ergonomics, 75, 162-169.
Li, N., Liu, Y., Zhang, G., Du, H., Yang, Y., Jiang, X., & Wang, C. (2020). Design of Portable Wireless Electrocardiogram Monitoring System. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1438, No. 1, p. 012009). IOP Publishing.
Nasiri, N. (2019). Introductory Chapter: Wearable Technologies for Healthcare Monitoring. Wearable Devices—Big Wave Innovation.
Rosenbaum, M. S., Ramírez, G. C., Edwards, K., Kim, J., Campbell, J. M., & Bickle, M. C. (2017). The digitization of health care retailing. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing.
Sivanathan, S., & Oleon, A. (2021, May). Real-time bluetooth low energy (ble) electrocardiogram monitoring device. In 2021 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
Sullivan, H., & Skelcher, C. (2017). Working across boundaries: collaboration in public services. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Wu, M., & Luo, J. (2019). Wearable technology applications in healthcare: a literature review. Online J Nurs Inform, 23(3).
