The Importance Of Technology In Healthcare

To say that technology has improves the overall quality and effectiveness of healthcare is an understatement. Technology greatly benefits many aspects of our lives on a day to day basis and its impact on the healthcare industry is no different. Things like social media and especially the use of smartphones have allowed for advancements in healthcare because of the numerous benefits they offer us, when used properly and for the right reasons that is. The advancements in technology have allowed the medical field to develop and utilize tools such as electronic health records, allowed nurses and physicians alike to expedite patient information across different platforms (such as a smartphone), and fostered a noticeable rise in survival rates over

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) "provides federal protections for individually identifiable health information held by covered entities and their business associates and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information" (Understanding Health Information Privacy). In a nutshell HIPAA is a set of federal guidelines that healthcare providers must comply with in order to ensure that there is no breach of privacy or confidentiality in regards to maintaining patient records. If we practice proper policy and procedures in order to correctly carry out HIPAA we can provide our patients premium care without disclosing any personal information not necessary for proper treatment. One way to carry this approach out is to disclose the minimal amount of personal health information while still meeting the requirements for proper treatment and

I have chosen the second conclusion presented where I am contacted by the Gossip Gazette, and offered $20,000 for the photographs. Within this scenario I can think of many negative disadvantages that accompany the use of smartphones and social media. I would absolutely deny the cash reward for releasing photos I have taken of a patient for the sole purpose that I would be releasing and breaking the patient's basic right to confidentiality. This is one of the major downfalls of technology in regards to healthcare, the major boundaries and violations we can create even on accident by unknowingly breaking HIPAA. By taking photos of our patient, Jerod, and then releasing them to the media we are in violation of many rights and privacies the patient is permitted under federal regulations. This is why one of the major downfalls of technology is security and protection of patient privacy. Using social media or even our phones to take pictures of our patients, such as Jerod from Blue Lizard, creates a permanent record for all to see. This permanent record is likely able to be uprooted and used against you if litigation were taken by the patient in question. Another disadvantage of social media and smartphones is the hugely negative perception it can have on patients who view us using such platforms. What I mean by