Technology has hit many sectors of the economy. The medical sector has not been spared either as it has experienced massive technology change, which has in turn reformed the way they operate. Through the usage of these new technologies, there has been considerable betterment of the way the operation of the sector, notably in the last two decades. For quality medical operation, many people have insisted on the desire to make sure that there is incorporation of information system as a method of easing the work that is being done, especially in the offices of physicians. The resultant of this has been incorporation of information technology systems in the offices of the physicians. The systems incorporated in the physicians’ offices have proven to be of great help in running their activities. The health care information system is one of the ways that the new technologies have brought into place and replaced the old conventional method of operations. Much impact has been brought into it, for example, skin sensors for disease determinations. However, it is notable that there are some traditional aspects practiced in the physicians’ offices that cannot be changed. Among them is the way the patients are diagnosed.
Though technology has come up and swept a great deal of medical practitioners’ offices, there are some things that have not actually changed. For one, description of prescription still remains the same old way that has always been there. Through writing of the results of the assessment, physicians have continually used this mode of communication to the pharmacist. The patient visits to the physician office have also been steady all through the years. Though technology may minimize the number of meetings between the patient and the physicians, there are some diseases that require the doctors to physically examine the patient (Tan, 2005). It is notable that some diseases do require a physical touch of the doctor, and communication by the doctor through online means is not always sufficient.
There has been incorporation of internet resources like the medical journals as well as medical databases in the current years in physician offices. 20 years ago, this was not the case as physicians continually used medical books, which at times were not up to date with the recent technology, which was in existence. In turn, the physicians get to have knowledge from all over the world as this knowledge is easily accessible through the information technology sources that the new technology has brought out. The way of carrying out testing has also been transformed, unlike in the past where testing was done through physical testing of various parts of the body. The new technologies have incorporated the use of high-tech skin sensor devices that are being used to detect some diseases. In turn, disease are detected earlier before the symptoms have even become noticeable to the patients and minimizes the risk that come with diseases that may compromise their health (Wager et al.2009). It is also notable that this is one of the major impacts of information technological systems on health care information system also known as (HCISs) Health Care Information Services. The knowledge about new diseases, outbreaks is also available online. In the same note, the research institutions also have websites that they share important information, which is knowledgeable to medical practitioners on current issues. They also get to share about the new medical experiences. Another way the (HCISs) has been greatly impacted by the changing technology is the rise of radio frequency identification technology (RFID). It is also another way of diagnosing diseases using a radio technology method and does not required the physicians to carry tests like they used to. Such a method saves the time of the physician and he can attend to more patients than he used to traditionally.
Storage of medical information has also seen some considerable changes. Unlike the past years of storage of information in cabinets, the new information technology calls for development of database that solve the problem of having to keep so many records, which at times it is tiresome to retrieve them. Creation of database for all the patients with their sicknesses ensures ease in retrieving this information at any given time and loss of this data is not always possible due to establishment of back up information. There have also been minimum medical errors that are being done in the physicians’ offices as patient identification and combination of drugs problem has been minimized. Initially, there used to be incidences of a mix up of records incase the wrong document was entered in the wrong cabinet or if the file at times gets lost on their storage cabinets (Collins, 2004). The transformation in these offices has ensured that such incidences are minimal as the record kept is usually updated immediately and does not have to wait to be updated later like it was in the cases of filling documents (Wager et al., 2009). The patients are not always required to present themselves in person when making appointments. The new technology has offered a chance to people to do so online, even asking of any queries can be done online as the physicians can get to answer the various E-mail that the patient may be requesting for certain information from them..
For the last two decades, technology has taken a far front in physicians’ offices, and some even describe it as a necessity. However, though there are so many benefits that come with it, it is notable that some of the physicians’ activities done in the offices are not likely to be replaced by the new technology. Among some of these activities is diagnosing of patients as well as physical assessments of patients. However development the medical sector mighty get, the physicians cannot run away from this responsibility because some complications may be complex than they are described by the patient. Some diseases have almost similar symptoms and it is only after assessing them that a physician can get to know the disease that need be treated. However, the transformations in the medical physicians’ offices are undeniably many and beneficial to the medical sector. The issue of electronic records is one common development that has taken place and replaces the convectional cabinet method of storing medical records. Having an electronic method comes with other notable benefits like less likelihood of mixing up the record and good medical prescription formula to mention but a few. Other changes that have occurred are a transformation in the way of accessing patients as high-tech skin sensors that reveal diseases the patient is suffering from, replacing the traditional method of conducting tests, which at times was not always successful. To the practitioners, this is a beneficial factor as they can get to offer their services to more patients than before.
References
Collins, J. ( 2004). RFID Remedy for Medical Errors. Web.
Tan, J. K. (2005). E-health care information systems: an introduction for students and professionals. Califonia: John Wiley and Sons.
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2009). Health care information systems: A practical approach for health care management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.