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Welcome back, everyone.
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In today's health care system,
information technology
is the foundation of the future.
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Patient care has become a primary focus
in the development of new concepts
and knowledge in health care technology.
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Technological development
in clinical applications
is the current trend in health care
and it will continue to play
a major role for years to come.
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Ever evolving, health care informatics
and technology
assists the advancement of medicine
and ensure patient safety.
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Modern electronic health records
have improved the quality of patient care
and communication between staff.
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Meanwhile using computers,
tablets, and smartphones
really enable doctors and nurses
to manage treatment more effectively.
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Here are some common uses
for computers in health care.
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First, medication and treatment.
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Health care professionals
review and prescribe medications
using electronic health records.
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They also use apps and software programs
to manage patient records.
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This technology not only
boosts staff efficiency,
but it also helps
to prevent human error.
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Patient diagnosis.
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Doctors use computers to manage
and record patient information
which can help them to make
a more accurate diagnosis,
especially if multiple doctors
are working with the same patient.
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Nurses can also use technology
to perform routine health checks,
such as EKGs, oxygen levels,
and blood pressure.
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Results automatically saved
to an electronic database
ensuring that they are both accurate
and readily available
for other staff involved
in the patient's treatment.
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Telemedicine.
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There are so many people who do not have
access to adequate health care.
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Technology has really bridged the gap
between low-income patients and doctors.
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Telemedicine enables people
to discuss their health concerns
with the general practitioner
over the phone or even by video.
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These doctors can then advise patients
on whether to seek help
at a medical facility.
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Telemedicine is also helpful
for disabled and the elderly
who may find it really difficult
to travel to their doctor.
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Surgical procedures.
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Surgeons can carry out
many advanced surgical procedures
using a computer.
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This process is known
as computer assisted surgery.
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Computer assisted surgery
combines computer intelligence
with medical expertise
to assist the surgeon
during really complicated operations.
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Communication and sharing information.
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Computer technology can also help
to communicate and share knowledge
between medical practitioners and patients.
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Sharing updates and research
within the medical field
is made more efficient
by computers and the internet.
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Doctors also use the internet
to offer or obtain advice.
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Medical practitioners
from all over the world
discuss issues on medical forums,
write articles about the latest advances,
and they contribute to the information
contained in medical journals.
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Medical imaging.
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Advanced medical imaging equipment
can now create three-dimensional
images of body parts.
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Use cases include things
such as mammography,
ultrasonography,
MRIs, and 3D X-rays.
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Medical staffs store these images
in a computer database
and it makes it very easy
to retrieve them later
Now point of care technology
encompasses the devices and systems
that support health care professionals
in their daily activities
of monitoring patients,
caring for them,
and documenting their health progress.
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The usage of point of care technologies
really enables and empowers
health care providers in two key ways.
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First, bedside usage.
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The most important aspect
of point of care technology
is that it is present at the bedside.
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Point of care technologies
are used to facilitate
and improve interactions
between patients and their nurses,
doctors, surgeons,
and other medical advisers
leading to better health care outcomes.
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Technological versatility.
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Point of care technologies
that give doctors and nurses
access to the hospital's IT systems
are virtually limitless
in their application
for improving patient outcomes.
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Here are just a few ways
that point of care technology
can be implemented
at a hospital and clinic
to improve efficiency and outcomes
for physicians and patients.
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It facilitates access
to electronic medical records.
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The digitalization of patient records
has provided a significant benefit
for health care facilities.
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This modern method of accessing
and documenting patient medical data
really allows physicians
in both hospitals and clinics
to better access, modify, store,
and share patient's medical history.
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It enhances documentation
with mobile point-of-care terminals.
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The implementation of a wall-mounted
or mobile point-of-care terminal
really allows nurses
to conduct documentation
at the patient's bedside
using a mobile electronic device,
and it creates significant time
and cost savings.
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It enhances the quality and quantity
of documentation produced
and it enables nurses to spend more time
directly caring for the patients.
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It streamlines critical activities.
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Point of care technologies present
an opportunity for hospitals and clinics
to invest in technologies
that expedite the flow of patients
through their practices.
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It optimizes the daily workflow
of physicians and nurses
and it reduces wait times
throughout the health care system.
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It reduces clinical errors.
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Delays in face-to-face patient care
and clinical documentation
can lead to an incorrect documentation
and future errors and treatment.
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Poor or ineffective communication
between patient care team members
is also a frequent cause
of medical errors,
especially for the most vulnerable patients
who are seeing multiple physicians
at multiple locations.
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The best way to reduce
or eliminate these errors
is to minimize the time
between data collection
and documentation
for physicians and nurses
using point of care technology
which really allows immediate,
secure documentation
of new patient data,
and for that information
to be readily shared
with other members
of the patient care team.
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Clinical decision support
provides clinicians, staff, patients,
or other individuals with knowledge
and person-specific information,
intelligently filtered or presented
at appropriate times,
to enhance health and health care.
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Clinical decision support systems
incorporate a variety of tools
to enhance decision making
in the clinical workflow,
such as computerized alerts and reminders
to care providers and patients,
clinical guidelines,
condition-specific order sets,
focused patient data reports and summaries,
documentation templates,
diagnostic support,
and contextually relevant
reference information.
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Clinical decision support systems
require a sophisticated health IT component
to include computable
biomedical knowledge,
person specific data,
and reasoning or inferencing mechanisms
that combine knowledge and data
to generate and present
helpful information to clinicians
as care is actually being delivered.
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Now this information
must be filtered, organized,
and presented in a way
that supports the workflow,
allowing the user to make
an informed decision quickly
and to take action.
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Now there are several benefits
to clinical decision support.
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It increases quality of care
and enhanced health outcomes.
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It avoids errors and adverse events.
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And it improves efficiency,
cost-benefit,
and provider and patient satisfaction.
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Now in general, how does technology
and informatics benefit us?
First, it helps us further our education.
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It helps us increase
our communication capabilities.
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It helps save lives.
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It also protects us legally.
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And finally, it helps increase
our efficiency.
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So remember, by embracing
health care informatics and technology,
understanding their strengths
and weaknesses,
and using them to help
clinical decision making,
health care providers
can stay ahead of the curve
and help advance their practice
and patient safety.
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So in thinking of what we've covered today,
I'd like you to consider this question.
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What are six common uses
for computers in health care?
They are medication and treatment,
patient diagnosis,
telemedicine,
surgical procedures,
communication and sharing information,
and medical imaging.
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I hope you enjoyed today's video
on Technology and Informatics.
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Thanks so much for watching.