Technological innovation has impacted the world positively and has made it easier for people to have access to their healthcare information. Also, it has improved communication between individuals and allowed people to receive their healthcare treatments through telemedicine. There are various ways that health information technology (HIT) has impacted and transformed the healthcare system, and this includes improving clinical outcomes, facilitating care coordination, improving the efficiency of practice, tracking data, and reducing human errors (Alotaibi, & Federico, 2017). Regarding the geriatric population, technology would go a long way in keeping them safe. Medical alert devices, cameras, and other monitoring systems can improve the safety of the geriatric population and enable them to call for assistance when they fall.
One of the elderly patients I care for told me a story of how she ended up in a long-term care facility. She was living alone and had no one to assist her. One day she fell and couldn’t get up due to a fractured right hip. The woman stated that she laid on the floor for 2 days before one of her neighbors who had not seen her came to check on her. The neighbor knocked on her door and there was no response, so she went to the leasing office of the apartment complex. Her neighbor told the apartment manager that she hasn’t seen the elderly patient for some days. The apartment manager opened the door and found her on the floor, and she was in so much pain. The paramedics were called and upon assessment, they found out that she had fractured her right hip. After surgery, she went for rehabilitation and ended up in the long-term care facility where I work. Her discharge paperwork from the hospital stated that the patient was dehydrated, and almost lost consciousness when she was found in her room.
The scenario described above is a perfect example of where a medical alert device would be beneficial for this patient. Utilizing a medical alert device would have enabled her to call for assistance when she fell. The technological innovation through medical alert devices is effective in providing safety to the geriatric population. The advancement of technological innovation is important to the public and in the healthcare system, especially with the geriatric population. The utilization of information and communication technology as one of the ways to prevent falls among the geriatric population is necessary because it will assist them in maintaining their independence, while participating in interventions that are not supervised but remotely monitored by their healthcare providers (Hamm et al., 2016).
Additionally, it is imperative to address the privacy concerns surrounding the use of technology for patient care. Being able to easily access one’s information through technology is great, but measures to protect their identity should be emphasized. For the geriatric population, it is necessary to educate them about the importance of understanding their health-related information before signing any documents giving to them. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a privacy rule that controls how protected health information (PHI) is used and disclosed (Goldstein, & Pewen, 2013). By utilizing this rule, the elderly population won’t be divulging information that could lead to their identity being stolen. Technology has its advantages and disadvantages, but I believe that utilizing it would be significant in mitigating the impacts of falls among the geriatric population as they improve their health outcomes and enjoy a better quality of life.
References
Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173–1180. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631
Goldstein, M. M., & Pewen, W. F. (2013). The HIPAA Omnibus Rule: implications for public health policy and practice. Public health reports, 128(6), 554–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335491312800615
Hamm, J., Money, A.G., Atwal, A., & Paraskevopoulos, J. (2016). Fall prevention intervention technologies: A conceptual framework and survey of the state art. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 59, 319-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2015.12.013
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