Healthcare Information Technology
The use of technology in healthcare is often difficult. Theinformation systems deployed by any organization must meet the health needsof the patients or consumers, the business needs of the organization in thefinancial terms of the industry, as well as be effective in a purelytechnological fashion. At the critical care center of the New York-WeillCornell Campus, there is currently an attempt to implement a entirelypaperless system within the hospital environment. This means that allpatient information, lab results and medical texts would be accessible onlyon computers. Also, physicians would record and order medications viacomputer and write computer-based progress notes. This is designed tominimize errors regarding incomplete and faulty information, and wouldallow systems to notify medical personnel electronically in the case ofcontraindicated medications, for example. Additionally, a fully featuredsign-out program would allow the House Staff to print sign-out
Pyxis technology helps health care professionals reduceor eliminate labor-intensive tasks by automating the management ofmedications and supplies where they are needed. They "helpensure that facility resources, from temperature sensitive medications andcostly narcotics to catheters and bandages, are secure, organized, trackedand ready for use. This software was designedspecifically for the industry, as "Pyxis automated dispensing systems," areinstalled in more than 5,500 health care facilities worldwide. " Thus "patient safety concerns, increased attentionfrom regulatory agencies and mounting financial constraints," mean thatautomation technology," may be the only solution. Lawson develops solutionsspecifically for healthcare providers, deploys a specific healthcare ITconsulting team and has been listed first as a "Supplier of SoftwareSolutions or Products" - three times - by healthcare supply chain experts. (Official Website, 2003) At present, in the midst of this critical transition, the criticalcare facility employs Eclipses software for charting on patient and themedication given. The criticalcare center also uses a system name Lawson, a well-known figure in theheath care technology industry since 1996. " As noted on the companysite, the industry is "faced with a growing shortage of qualified healthcare professionals. Although word-processing is a relatively minor facet of the organization,this has been proven to be far more open to attacks from viruses andhackers than the other operations listed. Lawson also serves eight of the top fifteen integrated healthcare networkslisted in the Verispan IHN 100, services one-third of the "Most Wired"hospitals and health systems mentioned in Hospital and Health Networks, andis known for introducing groundbreaking healthcare products. (Lawson, 2004) The only chink in the Weill Medical College of Cornell University'stechnological armor might be said to be its use of Microsoft Office. (Webopedia,2002) Error prevention is particularly key in medical technology, andCornell is doing an excellent job in minimizing such errors. sheetscontaining brief histories, medications, and to-do lists for each of theirpatients, enhancing communication between primary and the coveringphysicians on call for that evening, even if the physicians were not thepatient's regular doctors. Although the software company deployed is better known inthe media for its games technology, the visual nature that this allows forcreating charts is useful, especially when the individuals who must readthe charts need to do so quickly and/or do not speak English as theirprimary or first language. (Eclipses, 2001) The critical care facility also uses a Pyxis machine to database allthe narcotic information regarding patients.
Common topics in this essay:
Official Website,
Ethernets IBM,
Cornell Campus,
,
House Staff,
Solutions Products,
Microsoft Office,
Verispan IHN,
Health Networks,
Novell NetWare,
critical care,
health care,
critical care center,
care professionals,
care center,
care facility,
critical care facility,
health care professionals,
|