Healthcare Delivery

Name

Institution

Medical Technology and Information Technology

Medical technology refers to the processes, equipment and procedures by which medical care is provided. For instance, changes in new technology will involve new surgical and medical procedures, drugs, medical, medical devices and new support systems. Examples of medical procedures include angioplasty and joint replacements. Changes in technology involve the use of biological agents while the support systems include telemedicine, electronic medical records and the sharing of medical information. In addition, technological changes in medical devices include the use of CT scanners and implantable defibrillators. Every field of medicine has some type of medical technology that is continuously affected by new technology (Dössel & Schlegel, 2010).

In the United States, Traditional Medical Technology (TMT) has been evolving in treatment of the heart disease. In 1970s, cardiac care units were implemented and irregular heartbeat was managed by use of lidocaine. Three hours after a heart attack, beta-blockers were used to reduce the blood pressure. As the use clot-buster drugs increased in hospitals, coronary artery bypass surgery became the most common technology. In the 1980s, to prevent reoccurrences after a patient had suffered a heart attack, blood thinning agents were used. The short-term beta-blocker therapy was changed to maintenance therapy, and after the patients with a heart attack stabilized, angioplasty was used. By 1990s, cardiac rehabilitation programs were later introduced, and implantable cardiac defibrillators were used for those patients who had irregular heartbeats. In 2000, new drug strategies were developed for long-term management of heart attack which included, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, statins and aspirin. As a result of the evolving Traditional Medical Technology, mortality rate for patients with a heart attack reduced by half between 1980-2000. Another example of traditional evolution of medical technology is the treatment of pre-term babies. There was very little that was done in 1950. However, by 1990, artificial pulmonary surfactants and special ventilators were used to help the lungs of the infants to develop. In additional, neonatal intensive care units and the use of steroids for the babies reduced the infant mortality rate to one-third compared to the year 1950 (Dössel & Schlegel, 2010).

Today, as technology improves, medical providers have improved the quality of healthcare through information gathering, communication, treatment and research. For instance, people are relying on the internet more than ever to search for healthcare information about symptoms of diseases, their methods of treatment and medicines available. Information technology has improved patient care and work efficiency as nurses and doctors can use emails, texts, video conferencing devices to consult with other colleagues all around the world. Additionally, the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) that contains a database of patient’s history medical record has encouraged patient’s participation in the treatment process (Dössel & Schlegel, 2010).

There are some technological advances that have combined medical technology and information technology. For example, telemedicine has enhanced exchange patients information from one site to another by use of electronic communication. Telemedicine has brought improvement of the clinical health status of the patient. For over forty years, medical providers have been using demonstrations to extend healthcare to patients who are in remote areas. However, the use of telemedicine has rapidly spread and integrated operations in hospitals and private physician offices, with consumers at home and the workplaces. Telemedicine aims at providing remote clinical services by use of information technology (Dössel & Schlegel, 2010).

References

Dössel, O., & Schlegel, W.C. (2010). World congress on medical physics and biomedical

engineering september 7 – 12, 2009 Munich, Germany: Vol. 25/VII diagnostic and therapeutic instrumentation, clinical engineering. Heidelberg: Springer Science & Business Media.