Benefits of Technology in Health Care

Technology overcomes communication barriers within health care. Technologies, such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs), grant Healthcare Providers (HCPs) easy access to patients’ health information. As a result, patients medical histories are easily obtainable, and medical diagnoses can be made earlier. Moving away from paper charting to EHRs provides faster communication methods between HCPs. Before EHRs, transferring patients’ charts required time consuming, and less private communication methods such as, facsimiles, verbal reports, or courier shipping services. Now, EHRs are stored within password secured databases, permitting only authorized HCPs to access the patients’ medical information. HCPs can share patients’ treatment statuses with other HCPs without having to contact each other directly. Overall, technologies promote more efficient communication, which enables more time for HCPs to provide hands-on patient care.

Tasty Times. . . Chocolate Milk Anyone?

Last week in practicum (lab), we learned about patients affected by health and age-related conditions that make it difficult for them to feed themselves. Sometimes, these patients require a nurse to assist them with feeding. As students, it is important to have hands-on experience feeding patients before going out into the clinical hospital settings. Ultimately, meaning we would be using our classmates as the “lab rats” to practice feeding each other!

I was the patient first... I reluctantly handed my partner, Gabby, the applesauce I had chosen to eat (I figured it was the best choices out of all the sickening pureed foods). Actually feeding one another was a simple task, but… there was a catch. I had to wear special eyeglasses that impaired my vision. For example, I was only able to see through tiny circular holes in the lenses. Now, not only was I being fed unpleasant food, I was also blind! As you can imagine the feeding was messy.

Finally, as Gabby went to feed me the last spoonful of my applesauce the professor brought me another “treat” to eat! Actually, the treat was more like the THICKEST and MOST DISGUSTING chocolate milk I have ever had.
Supposedly, the chocolate drink was a type of meal replacement beverage, which has all the nutrients of an ordinary meal. The purpose of these drinks are to give patients with health issues, such as difficulty swallowing, a convenient way to receive adequate intake of nutrients throughout the day.

Hmmm… All I have to say about this experience is that I am going to feel very sorry for my future patients that are having to be drink these sickly meal substituting beverages. Additionally, I realize how extraordinarily happy I am that I will be the nurse, instead of the patient…Therefore, I will never have to drink them EVER AGAIN!