Societal Trends in Nursing and Patient Education

Explosion of Technology in Nursing and Patient Education
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August 22, 2019
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Providing the best quality of healthcare also means that healthcare professionals must be able to adopt new techniques and technologies for the betterment of the whole healthcare process (Patmon, Gee, Rylee, & Readdy, 2016). Nurses, being those who are at the forefront of the healthcare process, are then required to be more flexible to adopt these new changes in society. Yet, the constant change in the existing technologies, as well as the great demands of their work makes this a difficult task for them. It requires a great deal of openness and determination to adapt and learn how to utilize them fully (Halstead, 2018). In line with this, this article would try to explore how new technologies (e.g., EHR – Electronic Health Record) could affect the nursing process as well as patient education. All in all, the author of this article believes that while the adoption of new technologies could make it more difficult for nurses to adjust, these improvements could still increase efficiency and improve the working conditions of these professionals.
Effects of the Explosion of Technology
One of the things that render the adoption of a new technology difficult is the lack of openness and determination on the part of the employees in learning about such a methodology. Of course, no one can blame them especially due to the heavy workloads that they experience in their day-to-day lives which sometimes leave them no time for their selves. Nonetheless, the integration of new technologies within the workflow could cause a temporary disruption in the efficiency of their work. In a study conducted by Rouleau, et al. (2015), they found out that the adoption of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) could have negative impacts on the nurses' performance of their daily routine, especially at the beginning. Accordingly, these effects are not only confined to those that are included in the process, but also to the nurses’ quality of lives. However, the benefits of these effects could easily outweigh its costs in the long run. For example, the implementation of new ICT technologies could prove to be useful in informing nurses and physicians of the patient’s needs and reduce the risks of malpractice, as compared to previous technologies (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2007). This shows that the implementation of new technologies must be taken with careful consideration of both the efficiency of the workflow as well as the quality of lives of healthcare professionals.
Patient education can also be significantly affected by the explosion of technologies in society and the healthcare setting. On the one hand, the dominance of social media and other search engines has led to the growth in the number of patients who tries to find a cure for their disease online rather than with a medical professional (TheMedicalFuturist.com, 2018). In turn, this could negatively affect patient’s health education especially since they might rely on false information that they can see in the media. On the other hand, patient education can also be affected by new technologies when done properly. The use of new tools for imaging and presentation have made it easier for professionals to explain to their patients what is happening within themselves as well as the kind of treatments that are presented to them, which could help them in making informed choices (Billings & Halstead, 2015). In a 2019 study conducted by Taibanguay, et al. on the effect of improved patient education on medication adherence of elderly with rheumatoid arthritis, they found out that better patient education leads to greater medication adherence for the patient. Accordingly, this shows that every stakeholder (including the patient and the State) should work towards the better and proper use of technology in light of the healthcare process.
 
 
Strategies on Implementation
           In line with the discussions above, it could be seen that certain strategies must be implemented to enhance the positive effects of technology while minimizing its negative effects on the healthcare process. Going back to the example provided above (e.g., ICT implementation), it could be seen that the implementation and integration of new techn...