Today, technology and healthcare are inseparable, and providing the high-quality patient care without Informatics seems challenging. Nurses are specifically taught to “utilize informatics skills in their practice” (Masters, 2015, p.301). I felt the effect of informatics on my workplace environment when electronic medical records (EMRs) replaced the paper based ones. It has become incomparably easier and quicker to find the necessary information about the patient in a short amount of time, which is crucial when the patient needs the immediate help. Besides, the EMRs, and to be precise the EHRs (electronic health records), allow to “share medical information among health care stakeholders” (Zahabi, Kaber & Swangnetr, 2015, p.805). This can be very helpful if a patient decides to visit another medical organization.
Biomedical equipment (or medical equipment) is meant for health and medical specialists to help them in diagnosing, preventing or treating various diseases. In the course of my practical training, I have seen the use of various biomedical equipment, for example, oxygen cylinder and regulator, ECG/EKG, and different lab equipment: lab microscope, incubator, and so on. I did not use those, though I helped to use the X-ray equipment.
The use of the X-ray equipment has actually affected care. We used the equipment to diagnose a new patient in a very critical condition. Doctors immediately identified the reason behind a severe pain in the patient’s abdominal cavity. It allowed them to make out a precise diagnosis, determine the way to help the patient and schedule the operation. As a result, the patient came through a difficult operation and survived. Thus, these are the examples of how informatics and technology affect patient care.
References
Masters, K. (2015). Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlingon, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Zahabi, M., Kaber, D. B., & Swangnetr, M. (2015). Usability and safety in electronic medical records interface design: A review of recent literature and guideline formulation. Human factors, 57(5), 805-834.