Technology In Direct Patient Care
Technology In Direct Patient Care
Discussion: Identify Two Forms Of Technology Used In Direct Patient Care
Requirements
2–6 pages; excluding any title page, references, appendices, etc.
Identify two forms of technology used in direct patient care.
Description: Identify two forms of technology used in direct patient care. Discuss a) when each is used, b) the value of each regarding the art and science of health/patient care, and c) the strengths and drawbacks of each, include graphics or photographs to show the technology in use.
Patient care technology has become increasingly complex, transforming the way nursing care is conceptualized and delivered. Before extensive application of technology, nurses relied heavily on their senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing to monitor patient status and to detect changes. Over time, the nurses’ unaided senses were replaced with technology designed to detect physical changes in patient conditions. Consider the case of pulse oxymetry. Before its widespread use, nurses relied on subtle changes in mental status and skin color to detect early changes in oxygen saturation, and they used arterial blood gasses to confirm their suspicions. Now pulse oxymetry allows nurses to identify decreased oxygenation before clinical symptoms appear, and thus more promptly diagnose and treat underlying causes.
While technology has the potential to improve care, it is not without risks. Technology has been described as both part of the problem and part of the solution for safer health care, and some observers warned of the introduction of yet-to-be errors after the adoption of new technologies. For example, nurses and other health care providers can be so focused on data from monitors that they fail to detect potentially important subtle changes in clinical status. Problems may emerge based on the sheer volume of new devices, the complexity of the devices, the poor interface between multiple technologies at the bedside, and the haphazard introduction of new devices at the bedside. Despite the billions of dollars spent each year on an ever-increasing array of medical devices and equipment, the nursing profession has paid little attention to the implementation of technology and its integration with other aspects of the health care environment.
