EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BRIEF NUR 514

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BRIEF NUR 514

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BRIEF NUR 514

The drastically advancing technology in the evolving world plays a significant role in solving healthcare problems and improving the quality of care provided at a reduced cost. Recent technology has not only been beneficial to the healthcare providers in their line of duty but also improves the well-being of the diverse population. Such advanced technology utilized in healthcare include genomics, robotics, wearable sensors, management system, and telehealth (Wang, & Kricka, 2018). One point of focus is the utilization of three-dimensional (3D) printing as an emerging technology that has displayed significant impact in overcoming current healthcare barriers.

Overview of 3D Printing

            The 3D printing technology, previously referred to as rapid prototype technology, enables customized fabrication of three-dimensional constructs based on images obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) or the computer-aided design (CAD) software. The main purpose of this technology in healthcare is the fabrication of anatomical replicas. Models produced by the 3D printing machines are currently utilized by healthcare professionals in enhancing disease diagnosis, treatment clarification, and practice in certain surgical interventions to enhance outcomes. The models also help in promoting patient education as clinicians utilize them in demonstrating certain medical conditions and the available interventions for the treatment of such conditions (Hornick, 2017). 3D printing is also utilized in orthopedics, in manufacturing custom-made prosthetic limbs which help in promoting movement hence improving the quality of life of the patient. The prosthetic ensures that the specifications of the model match the actual anatomical structure of the user.

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Ethical Issues

            Despite the benefits associated with 3D printing in the current healthcare system, the technology tends to raise several ethical issues. The main ethical issue is justice and access, as most 3D products are costly, hence only affordable by the rich, such as prosthetic limbs. The other ethical issue is safety. Medical professionals are trained to adopt the evidence-based practice to enhance the safety of the patient and promote well-being (Ripley et al., 2017). However, limited studies have revealed the safety of custom-made prosthetics despite their effectiveness in solving current healthcare problems. As such, more studies need to be conducted to ascertain the safety of 3D products such as prosthetic limbs among patients across all ages, from children to the geriatric population.

Improving Access to Care, Patient Safety and Quality

            Several advantages are associated with 3D printing in the current healthcare system. However, with maximum utilization of this technology, patient safety and access to quality and effective care can be attained. For instance, enhancing pre-surgical practice using 3D models can help hasten the surgical procedure with increased accuracy and safety of the patient (Wang & Kricka, 2018). Additionally, the technology will help shorten theatre time per patient hence increasing the accessibility for more patients undergoing similar procedures. Lastly, 3D printing can help enhance the patient outcome, as demonstrations using actual models that are similar to the patient’s anatomical structure can help boost their understanding.

Conclusion

            The incorporation of technology in the current healthcare system has played a significant role in solving healthcare problems. Different forms of technology have been utilized in promoting the safety and quality of care provided at a reduced cost. For instance, the utilization of 3D printing has helped enhance diagnostic procedures, surgical interventions, and the use of prosthetic limbs for those who have undergone amputation. Further advancements are expected in the future to attain safe and readily accessible healthcare services.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BRIEF NUR 514 References

Hornick, J. (2017). 3D printing in Healthcare. Journal of 3D printing in medicine, 1(1), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.2217/3dp-2016-0001

Liaw, C. Y., & Guvendiren, M. (2017). Current and emerging applications of 3D printing in medicine. Biofabrication, 9(2), 024102. DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/aa7279.

Ripley, B., Levin, D., Kelil, T., Hermsen, J. L., Kim, S., Maki, J. H., & Wilson, G. J. (2017). 3D printing from MRI data: harnessing strengths and minimizing weaknesses. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 45(3), 635-645. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.25526

Wang, P., & Kricka, L. J. (2018). Current and emerging trends in point-of-care technology and strategies for clinical validation and implementation. Clinical chemistry, 64(10), 1439-1452. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2018.287052

Healthcare technology is any technology, including IT systems, medical devices, artificial intelligence, algorithms, cloud, and blockchain, developed to support healthcare organizations. Dramatic improvements in healthcare technology have expanded options for medical therapies and transformed how clinicians provide healthcare services. The purpose of this paper is to explore an emerging technology and discuss ethical or legal issues and the nurse’s informatics role with respect to the technology.

Overview of the Emerging Technology

Wearable devices are one of the merging healthcare technologies. These devices are comfortably worn on the body and are designed to allow healthcare providers to monitor a patient’s status during the day remotely. They also enable individuals to monitor their health and activity levels. Wearable devices are typically non-invasive and are developed by incorporating various sensors with wearable accessories like wristbands and smartwatches (Iqbal et al., 2021). They are linked with smartphones with health applications, which aid in monitoring an individual’s health status. Besides, they have attached sensors that collect information about a person’s health and environment and upload to a hospital’s server or databases. Wearable devices can improve healthcare quality by enabling providers to monitor a patient’s vital signs remotely, resulting in improved QoL and reduced healthcare costs.

Ethical or Legal Issues

Ethical and legal issues may arise since wearable devices have the potential risk of data privacy and security breach. Real-time monitoring of individuals’ health information through devices makes it susceptible to cyber-attacks (Pradhan et al., 2021). Health IT legislation requires organizations to maintain the privacy and security of patients’ health information obtained from the devices. The devices are associated with a risk of mishandling patients’ information, which may lead to legal consequences.

Nurse’s Informatics Role In Regard To the Technology

Nurse informatics has a basic understanding of the type of data available from devices and appreciates the value of this data for patients. They assess the data tracked in the devices and work with other providers to determine which data is worth monitoring in the EHR (Bove, 2019). For instance, the informatics nurse can help by adding questions about the wearable device use in the initial visit data, which can help encourage patient data sharing. In addition, nurse informatics has the role of educating patients on how to use wearable devices and clinicians on remotely monitoring patients’ health status through the devices.

Role of Workflow Analysis, Human Factors, and User-Centered Design Concepts

The role of workflow analysis in wearable technology ensures the software operates within existing environments concealing patients’ information behind a workflow transaction server. The server collects information from the user and the health information system to give the user feedback on their current action. Human factors determine the design since it requires considering aspects within physical, cognitive, and emotional ergonomics (Francés-Morcillo et al., 2018). The role of User-Centered Design is to influence the design of wearable devices in terms of comfort, wearability, ease of use, affordability, and reliability.

Conclusion

Wearable technology includes devices worn in the body that enable providers to monitor patients’ status remotely, particularly vital signs and activity levels. This has the potential to improve the quality of healthcare and lower medical costs. Legal issues of data privacy and security breach can arise with respect to wearable technology. Nurse informatics has the role of guiding providers on how to use information data obtained from the devices.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BRIEF NUR 514 References

Bove, L. A. (2019). Increasing patient engagement through the use of wearable technology. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(8), 535–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2019.03.018

Francés-Morcillo, L., Morer-Camo, P., Rodríguez-Ferradas, M. I., & Cazón-Martín, A. (2018). The role of user-centered design in smart wearable systems design process. In DS 92: Proceedings of the DESIGN 2018 15th International Design Conference (pp. 2197-2208). https://doi.org/10.21278/idc.2018.0405

Pradhan, B., Bhattacharyya, S., & Pal, K. (2021). IoT-Based applications in healthcare devices. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2021, 6632599. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6632599

Iqbal, S. M., Mahgoub, I., Du, E., Leavitt, M. A., & Asghar, W. (2021). Advances in healthcare wearable devices. Npj Flexible Electronics, 5(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-021-00107-x

Health informatics has become an essential tool in healthcare for its role in enhancing the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatments. This is because, through data analytics, informatics helps to streamline workflow, reduce medication errors, and enhances efficiency, which positively impacts the quality and patient safety. Thus, informatics helps in overcoming barriers such as wrong diagnosis or delayed treatment, which cause poor quality and patient safety issues. Several informatics systems have revolutionized patient care such as the Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS). The CDSS is a tool that provides healthcare providers with information that they use to make diagnoses and treatment decisions (Kanatas et al., 2020). CDSS system is associated with increased efficiency, avoidance of errors and sentinel events. One of the limitations of the CDSS is that it encourages overreliance on the system, which overrides the subjective decision-making by the providers, which is also essential in decision-making.

The second health technological system used to make healthcare delivery more efficient is the computer provider entry order entry, which is used to record the procedures ordered for the patient including imaging, laboratory, treatment, and other instructions. The value of the CPOE is accuracy, which eliminates the chances of human errors often made by providers (Pontefract et al., 2018). On the other hand, the system can cause workflow disruption, data entry issues, cultural obstacles, and the challenge of initial set-up.

Heuristic principles based on the characteristics of systems to provide usability, efficiency, and easy navigation among other elements are very important in the development of healthIT systems. Heuristic principles are important in promoting the usability of technologies such as CPOE, as well as ensuring the electronic health record and other IT systems comply with the standards for safety, quality, confidentiality and privacy (Rangraz & Nabovati, 2020). Having a system that is efficient and user-friendly prevents workarounds and technicalities in workflow, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in delivering care to patients.

References

Kanatas, P., Travlos, I., Gazoulis, I., Tataridas, A., Tsekoura, A., & Antonopoulos, N. (2020). Benefits and limitations of decision support systems (DSS) with a special emphasis on weeds. Agronomy, 10, 548. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040548.

Pontefract, S., Coleman, J., Vallance, H., Hirsch, C., Shah, S., Marriott, J., & Redwood, S. (2018). The impact of computerised physician order entry and clinical decision support on pharmacist-physician communication in the hospital setting: A qualitative study. PLoS One., 13(11): e0207450. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207450.

Rangraz, F., & Nabovati, E. (2020). Usability

evaluation of a comprehensive national health information system: A heuristic evaluation. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 19. 100332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2020.100332

Emerging Technology Brief 

Health care delivery is an evolving practice that readily embraces innovations to improve patient outcomes. Over time, technological innovations have been integral in health evolution since they improve access, safety, and efficiency, among other critical patient care elements (Svensson, 2019). The convenient use of emerging nurses obligates advanced registered nurses to understand the role of informatics in health care and how to integrate technologies safely and through user-friendly methods. The purpose of this paper is to describe an emerging health care technology that can overcome current and emerging barriers to care. 

Overview of the Emerging Technology 

As health care delivery expands, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) expands proportionately. From a health care delivery standpoint, AI is primarily about utilizing health care systems that mimic humans in analyzing, comprehending, and executing complex medical data (Davenport & Kalakota, 2019). Common AI applications include machine learning, robotic automations, and natural language processing. Davenport and Kalakota (2019) further noted that AI will be instrumental in transforming many aspects of patient care and administrative processes through data analysis, replacing humans to perform key patient care tasks, and guiding research. Health technologies advance care by promoting access, patient safety, and quality. Progressively, the integration of AI in health care will reduce human errors related to medication administration and improve decision-making accuracy (Choudhury & Asan, 2020; Paredes, 2020). AI improves care quality by facilitating real-time data analysis and response. Above all, AI systems can be used to research illness trends among populations and guide health care providers in formulating early interventions and population-based interventions. Data-guided responses such as screening and community-based health practices to reduce contaminations improve care access. 

Ethical Issues that would Accompany AI Incorporation 

Several issues characterize AI applications, and their severity is projected to increase as the use of AI intensifies. The main issues include accountability for mistakes and transparency. Davenport and Kalakota (2019) stressed that AI systems are not immune to patient diagnosis and treatment mistakes. Unlike in instances where clinicians commit errors, holding anyone accountable for AI-related mistakes will always be difficult. Regarding transparency, patients often demand explanations for their conditions and treatments. Some image analyses through AI are difficult to interpret and explain and can lead to patient dissatisfaction. 

The Nurse’s Informatics Role in Regard to the Technology 

Nurses play an instrumental role in technology incorporation into health care. The informatics role primarily involves combining health sciences, systems, and technologies for better patient outcomes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). One of the nurse’s informatics roles in regard to AI is to promote its ethical application. Advanced registered nurses should use AI systems where appropriate as they guide organizations in promoting effective use. Nurses should also help organizations overcome barriers to implementation, such as knowledge deficiencies, attitude problems, and fear of technologies. For instance, they work together with the organization’s management to organize organization-wide training for nurses to encourage AI integration into patient care. 

Role of Workflow Analysis, Human Factors, and User-Centered Design Concepts 

Effective technology use in health care is multifaceted. Workflow analysis identifies information flow and processes. As a result, it can help clinicians to identify areas where AI is needed to optimize patient outcomes. Human factors include the state of collaboration among nurses and their attitude to technologies and change. Svensson (2019) underscored the importance of collaboration when implementing technologies, which is essential for the success of AI integration in patient care. User-centered designs should also be prioritized in tech-driven practices. As Dopp et al. (2020) highlighted, user-centered designs encourage the use of technology, implying that they can encourage nurse practitioners to embrace and effectively utilize AI for better patient outcomes. Such designs factor elements like complexity, interoperability, and security to ensure technologies are user-friendly and users are comfortable with them. 

Conclusion 

Technology is critical in health care evolution as the demand for quality and timely patient care intensifies. AI integration will be pivotal in promoting data-centered, real-time care. As health care providers strive to maximize AI in the evolving practice, awareness of ethical issues is imperative. As discussed in this brief, such issues include transparency and accountability and could be detrimental to effective and efficient AI integration. To maximize AI, nurses and nurse leaders should understand the purpose of user-centered designs and guide organizations in implementing strategies that encourage technology use in patient care. 

References 

Choudhury, A., & Asan, O. (2020). Role of artificial intelligence in patient safety outcomes: Systematic literature review. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(7), e18599. https://doi.org/10.2196/18599 

Davenport, T., & Kalakota, R. (2019). The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare. Future Healthcare Journal, 6(2), 94–98. https://doi.org/10.7861/futurehosp.6-2-94 

Dopp, A. R., Parisi, K. E., Munson, S. A., & Lyon, A. R. (2020). Aligning implementation and user-centered design strategies to enhance the impact of health services: Results from a concept mapping study. Implementation Science Communications, 1(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-020-00020-w 

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 

Paredes, M. (2021). Can Artificial Intelligence help reduce human medical errors? Two examples from ICUs in the US and Peru. Tech Policy Institute. https://techpolicyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Paredes-Can-Artificial-Intelligence-help-reduce-human-medical-errors-DRAFT.pdf 

Svensson, A. (2019). Challenges in using IT systems for collaboration in healthcare services. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1773. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101773 

Appendices 

Appendix 1: APA Writing Checklist 

Use this document as a checklist for each paper you will write throughout your GCU graduate program. Follow specific instructions indicated in the assignment and use this checklist to help ensure correct grammar and APA formatting. Refer to the APA resources available in the GCU Library and Student Success Center.  

​​☒​ APA paper template (located in the Student Success Center/Writing Center) is utilized for the correct format of the paper. APA style is applied, and format is correct throughout. 

​​☒​  The title page is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors. 

​​☒​ The introduction is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors. 

​​☒​ Topic is well defined. 

​​☒​ Strong thesis statement is included in the introduction of the paper.  

​​☒​ The thesis statement is consistently threaded throughout the paper and included in the conclusion. 

​​☒​ Paragraph development: Each paragraph has an introductory statement, two or three sentences as the body of the paragraph, and a transition sentence to facilitate the flow of information. The sections of the main body are organized to reflect the main points of the author. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors. 

​​☒​ All sources are cited. APA style and format are correctly applied and are free from error. 

​​☒​ Sources are completely and correctly documented on a References page, as appropriate to assignment and APA style, and format is free of error.  

Scholarly Resources: Scholarly resources are written with a focus on a specific subject discipline and usually written by an expert in the same subject field. Scholarly resources are written for an academic audience. 

Examples of Scholarly Resources include: Academic journals, books written by experts in a field, and formally published encyclopedias and dictionaries. 

Peer-Reviewed Journals: Peer-reviewed journals are evaluated prior to publication by experts in the journal’s subject discipline. This process ensures that the articles published within the journal are academically rigorous and meet the required expectations of an article in that subject discipline. 

Empirical Journal Article: This type of scholarly resource is a subset of scholarly articles that reports the original finding of an observational or experimental research study. Common aspects found within an empirical article include: literature review, methodology, results, and discussion. 

Adapted from “Evaluating Resources: Defining Scholarly Resources,” located in Research Guides in the GCU Library. 

​​☒​ The writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English. Utilize writing resources such as Grammarly, LopesWrite report, and ThinkingStorm to check your writing.