DQ1 With the growing importance of increasing wage rates for employees, many health care organizations are implementing technology such as self-help kiosks to reduce staffing.

HLT 308 Risks Management and Health Care Regulations

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 With the growing importance of increasing wage rates for employees, many health care organizations are implementing technology such as self-help kiosks to reduce staffing. Describe both an advantage and a disadvantage to this practice and discuss how patients may perceive reductions in dedicated staffing.

Thank you Leslie Felipe for your in-depth discussion on the issue of self-care kiosks in healthcare provisions. I agree that self-help kiosks offer a host of advantages and benefits to patients and even healthcare organizations, especially in efforts to reduce the cost of labor and care. The concept of self-help kiosks in healthcare demonstrates the increased level of technology adoption to enhance access to care, reduce the cost of care, and improve the quality of care for patients. Studies show that the use of self-help kiosks in healthcare leads to a host of benefits for patients that include a reduction in wait time, easy payment models, increased interactions with the healthcare system at any time and fast responses concerning a medical or health problem (Letafat-Nejad et al., 2020). Institutions are leveraging this technology to improve care delivery, lower the overall costs of operations and expenses and as a way of embracing technology. Further, it reduces the need for paper documentation and provides a faster way to serve patients.

Conversely, the technology may compromise data security and privacy of a patient and provides limited avenue for a patient to describe their symptoms and choose the most effective options due to the limited interactions with care providers. The implication is that having these kiosks is a great way of increasing accessibility to care. However, the perceived reduction in employee dedication cannot be ignored through the use of this technology (Paul & Singh, 2021). It is evident that patients seek interactions with their providers so that they can outline their issues. However, while self-help kiosks are a possible long-term aspect of care provision, the limit these interactions leading to perceived low quality of care for patients.

References

Letafat-Nejad, M., Ebrahimi, P., Maleki, M., & Aryankhesal, A. (2020). Utilization of integrated

health kiosks: A systematic review. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 34, 114. https://doi.org/10.34171/mjiri.34.11

Paul, P., & Singh, B. (2021). Review of Healthcare Management. In Assistive Technology

            Intervention in Healthcare (pp. 13-27). CRC Press.