HCA 360 Topic 2 DQ 2
answer:
With an increase in the accessibility of health care technology, individuals are able to obtain their own health data and analyze it better in a non-supervised environment. The use of mobile technology has given individuals the ability to be more involved in understanding their own personal health data. They can be more involved with understanding their personal health data by having access to a device at home or work that will allow them to do this. Additionally, there is also now an emergence of devices that users can wear on a daily basis that will provide relevant personal healthcare information based on the actions of the wearer. Personal wearable technologies obtain and analyze personal health data such as steps taken, heart rate, altitude climbed and even sleep patterns. Most wearable technologies are not supervisory which allows them to be used while the user is pursuing his/her everyday activities
The increased accessibility of technology is changing the way patients are treating their own health. There was a time when patients would come to the doctor’s office and hand over their medical information, but with new advancements in medical technology companies are making it easier for patients to have more control over their health data by helping them collect data and interpret it themselves.
Patients today have a plethora of health care technology at their disposal, including blood pressure monitors, blood cholesterol monitors, blood glucose monitors, and digital scales. This is significantly changing the relationship between health care professionals and their patients as well as the health care industry as a whole. With greater technology available for patients to determine in-home health information about themselves, there is less dependence on the medical community or third-party institutions to accurately provide this health data for them. This has the potential to shift power in the patient/doctor dynamic and in a way that could change how health care professionals move forward in identifying trends in regards to public health. Our research indicates that 78% of physicians would like to intervene earlier in order to prevent chronic disease within their patients. This presents an opportunity for patients with greater access to home monitoring technology to receive more immediate and customized treatment using their own health information.
With the improvement in technology, people have taken on a new role in their own health and well-being. Individuals are changing the way they interact with their doctors, focusing more on understanding and collecting data regarding their health. The increased access to technology in patients’ homes makes it much easier for them to track information about their health and personal habits, making them more involved in research and data collection for their own good. One issue that arises is how large the influx of data will affect how patients seek professional medical help. If patients begin to take on more of a physician’s responsibilities, are doctors then bound to learn about computers and statistics?
Technology, such as educational health websites, and smartphones that can be used to gather data about personal health are reducing the relationship between illness and mortality rates. While technology is bringing us closer to a healthy lifestyle, mobile devices are only improving this aspect when used properly. Technology is shifting the relationship between patients and health care professionals because individuals do not always follow the doctors orders due to their experiences with other patients or with technology itself.
The world of health is changing significantly. Individuals are now more connected and engaged to their health than ever before. Data collection such as fitness tracking, blood pressure logging and sleep monitoring are becoming the norm for most people who have a deep desire to understand more about their own health status.
The relationship between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) is becoming a more involved one. While this may be seen as much bettering the relationship, it may have negative effects in some aspects. Health care technology such as personal health record (PHR) and electronic health records (EHR) are improving patient health and wellness by increasing their ability to understand their data. This can allow them to be more proactive with treatment, something HCPs agree is bettering the relationship. However with growing numbers of patients viewing their own data, there is a potential for them to see fault or mistakes with the HCP’s approach or diagnosis. Patients may also see fault in the HCP in comparison to other doctors, potentially leading to less trust of the HCP by their own patient and perhaps even discouraging them from seeking future treatments from that particular individual or practice.
The increase in health care technology, leading to a more rapid rate of innovations in the medical field, is shifting relationships between patients and health care today. Innovations such as mobile apps that allow patients to manage their own heart disease, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, etc. have led to the development of one-on-one communication between doctors and their patients. This, in turn, has brought changes to how healthcare organizations are run.
The recent advances in the health care industry are moving at an extremely fast rate and affecting patients in different ways than they had just a few years ago. Health plans are one of the primary points of contact between health care providers and patients and they provide the essential framework for negotiating procedures to be performed, costs, providers over which the plan sponsors have purchasing power, effectiveness, services covered and covered person populations, among others (AHA, 2013). These changes are putting a new focus on patient-provider relationships and allowing for more partnerships between health care organizations governed by the private health insurance industry. As such, recent changes in health care technology have been geared towards increasing patient independence. A specific example of this is the rise of personal health records or PHRs. PHRs can be defined as “web-based applications with secure and confidential web portals that store a person’s clinical data in an organized way” (Raucher & Alpern, 2009; p. 679).
In the last 20 years, patients have become more knowledgeable and educated about their health. The rise of accessing medical services via the Internet has broadened the scope of health care services available to patients by providing information about specific diseases, treatments and various health resources. Patients are able to research and obtain investigative information about diagnoses that doctors are unable to provide for them. As a result, patients have a more comfortable experience with the doctor because they feel more informed and involved in their own healthcare. In addition, there is a great support network via social media sites in which people with specific health issues or disorders can connect, offer advice and share experiences (Blackwell 2).
question:
With an increase in the accessibility of health care technology, individuals are interfacing differently with their own health than they did 20 years ago, largely by being more involved in understanding their own personal health data. How is this increase in health autonomy shifting the relationship between patients and health care professionals or the health care industry in general? Cite at least one reference in your response.