Hucl 1501 - Technology in Health Care

HUCL 1501 Hospital Information Systems

Technology in Healthcare

Assignment

Technology plays an important role in everyone’s lives, in healthcare it is always

evolving. The advantages technology contributes to healthcare teams are amazing. The fact that

technology is able to improve quality of life for individuals is appreciated by many. Physicians

are able to provide a quicker diagnosis and treatment, which result in better care for the

individual. Smartphones, iPads, apps, efficient software, x-ray, robots, 3D printing; there are so

many advances, the following are a few technological advances in our great country that I find

truly fascinating.

One particular technology used in a pilot study here in Canada involves care for

diabetics. Wounds in the feet are often something that occurs with diabetics. The device,

MIMOSA (Multispectral Mobile Tissue Assessment Device) can detect poor circulation in the

feet; poor circulation can lead to foot ulcers, foot ulcers can lead to amputation, which can

lead to mortality. The device can photograph the skin with near-infrared light; this will enable a

vision for the Dr. to see just below the top layer. At this point the Dr. wants to determine if the

skin has potential ulcers. This new device can help prevent ulcers from occurring and therefore

prevent possible foot amputation that many diabetics have had to endure. Up until recently this

technology has been big and bulky and only available to patient’s in hospitals. MIMOSA has a

major technological advancement in size. The company has taken a step forward and adapted its

technology to work with a cell phone. If the Doctor has concern or the diabetic patient is

concerned, the patient can simply use a cell phone to take an image. The images are then sent

securely to a health centre or directly to the Doctor and can be reviewed for abnormal imaging.

The MIMOSA imaging can be used anytime, anywhere. More than three million Canadians have

diabetes, between fifteen and twenty five percent of those people will develop painful foot

ulcers; among diabetics it is easy to understand the potential demand for this device. With

MIMOSA’s technological advancement early detection is noted, amputation can be avoided and

diabetic lives can be saved.

A code blue is something that most people are familiar with, it is an emergency response

code that indicates a patient is in need of immediate medical attention. In 2010 a team of

clinicians developed The Hamilton Early Warning in Hamilton, Ontario. What HEWS

(Hamilton Early Warning System) does is measure six vital signs that can dramatically reduce a

code blue occurrence. The vital signs are manually recorded and entered and then the EMR

calculates a score. Along with vital signs being recorded, HEWS also scores delirium, which is

often monitored by nurses in order to avoid sepsis. Based on this score, if required, the nurse is

given an alert to notify the physician, and, or the response team. With a score of three, the charge

nurse is notified; with a score of four, a call is made to the patient’s physician;