BUSI 511 Liberty University What Have Been Some of The Main Challenges Posed by The Growing Use of Medical Technology Discussion Please draft a response to

BUSI 511 Liberty University What Have Been Some of The Main Challenges Posed by The Growing Use of Medical Technology Discussion Please draft a response to another students discussion Board Post. The original instructions for the students post are as follows:

Although medical technology brings numerous benefits, what have been some of the main challenges posed by the growing use of medical technology in the United States? Next, how do American cultural beliefs and values influence the use of medical technology?

Here is the students post to the above question you are replying to:

Libby Willson

Medical Technology

COLLAPSE

There are many challenges posed by the growing use of medical technology in the United States. The information technology field continues to be an essential part of the health care delivery system. The information technology applications of electronic health records and telemedicine pose their own set of challenges.

Medical Technology Challenges

Electronic health records used to replace traditional paper medical records. The challenges faced by using electronic health records systems results in decreased productivity because electronic health records are time-consuming. Within the United States, it will take a significant amount of time for all health records systems to be electronically used nationwide (Shi & Singh, 2019). The use of multiple electronic health records systems also presents a unique set of challenges. Physicians and healthcare staff are required to access and train on multiple platforms to evaluate and care for patients. Workflow challenges attributed to the use of electronic health records due to the high perception and workload of multiple platforms. Challenges presented when communicating with patients due to typing and facing the computer during patient encounters are major distractions during the consultations. Communication and professionalism issues occurred due to limited access to patient care (Buery-Joyner et al., 2015).

The United States completed a rapid implementation of telemedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians across the United States implemented telemedicine to continue to care for patients while minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The pandemic has challenged healthcare providers to provide high-quality care while addressing the needs of their patients. The challenges faced using telemedicine included limitations on patient privacy and confidentiality. The providers limited clinical decision making due to the absence of physical examinations and point of care testing. In the mental health field, providers challenged with the need for ongoing screening and assessments of mood symptoms. Patients experienced challenges by not having the appropriate device to engage in telemedicine; reimbursement rates are low or unavailable from insurance companies, experienced technology literacy gap, and language barriers limited engagements. As the pandemic continues, healthcare providers continue to provide telemedicine care for patients as an alternative and understand the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of telemedicine (Barney et al., 2020).

Medical Technology – American Cultural Beliefs and Values

American cultural beliefs and values have shaped the development and use of medical technology. As American citizens, there is a high expectation for medical technology advancement to produce high-quality care and find cures for diseases. Innovations are encouraged through capitalism, and the economic and political environment prosper on opportunities to develop new technology. The desire to have advanced technology despite cost leads to technological imperative (Shi & Singh, 2019). Fisher & Monahan (2011) defined a technological imperative as ” the tendency within medicine to prioritize the development and use of new technologies regardless of their cost.” Technological imperative charted onto two consecutive, overlying, models of medical culture in the United States, medicalization, and biomedicalization. Medicalization refers to sustaining and prolonging life by treating disease and illness. Biomedicalization emphasizes treating patients’ illnesses to providing services for consumers. As new forms of technological imperatives occur within the healthcare delivery system, hospitals become stressed due to working with restricted resources and reduced funding but must improve patient care through advanced medical technology (Fisher & Monahan, 2011).

Biblical Integration

With the current state of the United States undergoing the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare delivery has changed from physician-patient encounters to remote communication using telemedicine. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus discusses how the community must address healthcare needs and look at the physical, social, and spiritual needs of the body – not just focus on physical needs. Matthew 10:1 states, “And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”

References

Barney, A., Buckelew, S., Mesheriakova, V., & Raymond-Flesch, M. (2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rapid Implementation of Adolescent and Young Adult Telemedicine: Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.006

Buery-Joyner, S. D., Dalrymple, J. L., Abbott, J. F., Craig, L. B., Forstein, D. A., Graziano, S. C., … Mckenzie, M. L. (2015). Overcoming Electronic Medical Record Challenges on the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 126(3), 553–558. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000001004

Fisher, J. A., & Monahan, T. (2011). The “biosecuritization” of healthcare delivery: Examples of post-9/11 technological imperatives. Social Science & Medicine, 72(4), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.11.017

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2019). Essentials of the U.S. health care system. Jones & Bartlett Learning.