Technology’s Expanding Role in Nursing and Medicine

1. Introduction

In addition, in the last few years, technology’s presence in the healthcare field has been increasing. It is changing the way in which doctors and nurses use technology to provide care, and it’s constantly evolving. In as little as ten years, technology has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. So, this article “Technology’s Expanding Role in Nursing and Medicine” will provide a comprehensive overview of how technology has expanded in the healthcare field and its impact on modern medicine. The aim of this work is to change and eliminate society’s current view of nurses and help make a difference in the standard of care. As technology has evolved, and will continue to do so, healthcare professionals must keep up with these changes. This article will reflect the potential research area as the discoveries about technology in today’s modern world are growing, and new technological methods are being introduced in the medical field. Moreover, understanding what harm and benefits may come from technology is crucial. This is because the development of new technologies continually raises new ethical issues for healthcare. Some know that nurses and doctors usually have more well-defined roles. For example, it is usually expected that at the start of a shift, a doctor will take blood pressures and temperature checks in order to detect which patients are deteriorating, and then review the list of jobs that nurses can teach and manage throughout the day. However, this has long been associated with a view that is targeted towards old age, and especially in modern times, patients are much more than just ill people waiting for help and treatment. This is where technology and a modern evolving world come in to change both the capabilities of the treatment and the way in which information is collected, stored, and applied. Also, as the way in which data is recorded and shared continues to develop and increase, so too does the prospect of telemedicine and other innovations to support new and more efficient ways of providing care and treatment. However, it is important that nurses have a key place in the development and application of such technology.

1.1. Definition of Technology in Healthcare

Technology is increasingly integrated into our daily patient care. In the title-defense part, medical technology is defined as the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve the quality of lives. It is important to state that technology cannot replace the quality of support, care, and presence of nurses and providers in healthcare. Technology in health is also broadly defined as the advanced technology provided to the public for medical purposes. This definition includes a wide range of products and services, such as medical devices, electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, health IT, and even consumer-grade health and wellness products. In conclusion, technology has completely revolutionized the way in which we administer patient care and can not only improve the quality of life of patients but also make the process of delivering care more efficient. This shift towards a greater and more diverse use of technology is likely to intensify in the next few years. Innovations are not just about creating something completely new, but it is about taking existing technology and making it work more efficiently, which in turn helps improve patient care by finding solutions to health problems. Well done on completing this section! Now the researcher introduced a new word – “informatology”. We know technology is used in its broadest sense and it is termed as medical informatics or health informatics. This is actually a scientific process where human health information is analyzed in a formal and organized way and which makes it possible to gain new insights and discover new knowledge that can be fed back into improving patient care. For example, with the use of electronic health records for nursing research, a researcher can analyze records from many different patients to reveal new patterns and can publish their findings in important research journals. This is testimony to the fact that nursing and patient care is now enhanced through the use of technology. Also, another level of analysis can be made, such as studying how different types of patients have responded to a particular therapy so that our knowledge on health can be broadened. With the day-to-day advancements in medical technology, nurses and providers need to stay ahead of this curve and embrace the innovative change to improve patient outcomes and the process of delivering care. Therefore, technology has not only played a role in the academic and professional development of informatics, but it has also revolutionized the field of nursing. Providing patients with more comprehensive and better quality of care and maintaining the ways to find the most cost-effective solutions throughout the patient’s life are the critical priorities of the health system in the United States. Among other healthcare reforms, the significance of quality improvement is highlighted which can promote the nation’s capacity to offer better patient care. Well implemented and used technology can enhance these aspects.

1.2. Importance of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

Another benefit of the use of technology in nursing and medicine is the development of treatments only possible using this technology. An example of this is the Da Vinci Surgical System. This high-tech device is the only robotic surgical system approved by the Food and Drug Administration for soft tissue surgery. Soft tissue surgery is surgery to the body excluding the bones, so this type of surgery covers most surgeries that are performed. With traditional surgery, a doctor might make a large incision in the body in order to see the organs and to do the surgery. This causes major pain and trauma to the body and a long recovery period for the patient. Now, with the use of the Da Vinci Surgical System, a patient has to go through less than a quarter inch incision, some of the time this can be as small as a centimeter. This is because the machine is made up of three components: an ergonomically designed console where the surgeon sits, a patient side-cart with the four robotic arms that move around and hold surgical instruments, and a vision cart with the magnifying camera. The magnifying camera gives the surgeon a high definition, 3D view of the surgical site at up to 10 times magnification. This is far better than the human eye and allows the surgeon to be more precise and accurate when undertaking the surgery. The robotic arms attach to the instruments that the surgeon will use during the surgery and these can pivot and move in all directions, giving the surgeon a full range of motion and precision. Also, the surgeon has to control every aspect of the surgical procedure from the console, meaning that they are not exposed to any harmful radiation and can be seated in a position which is better for their posture. This accuracy and precision means that blood loss is kept to a minimum, which is a major benefit of the technology for patients. In addition to this, the wound and the scarring after surgery is much less because of the smaller incision made, which promotes healing and allows for a faster recovery time. Furthermore, there is reduced pain and the need for less pain relief as the surgery is much less invasive than in traditional surgery. This is just one example of the growing significance of technology in our world. Just over a century ago, the thought of

1.3. Purpose of the Work

Following a historical overview of the development in nursing and medicine, this work focuses on the current state of development in nursing and medicine. The aims of this work are the following. Firstly, this work concentrates on accessible technology. In the section on the current application, many technologies were introduced, like smartphones and telemedicine. Comparing to technologies such as electronic health and telehealth, the student raised an interesting example that he lined his phone with a third party. This tells us that the drastic development of technology helps to get a feeling of certain family isolation. Secondly, this work concentrates on the role of technology and the legal practice. As it has been shown in the benefits of technology section, technology has enhanced patient care. Healthcare workers found information in one place easily and this reduced their administration time. However, there’s a point made by the student that healthcare workers may increasingly look to take part in a technology that is intuitive. And this may put different pressure on the legal, technological, and ethical standpoint when patient-effective and judgment-based technologies are integrated into practice. The last but not least aim of the work is about the future health and social care provision. By using current, historical, and technological philosophies, the students want to produce a vision of future healthcare provision and how existing and developing technology will better outcomes for treatment and care. The student mentioned that with the development of technology, they might expect nursing and medicine in the future to increasingly combine the biological and the technological as the knowledge from the Human Genome Project will be used and patients as a genome rather than being a symptom provided through massive and standardized data. In general, the current population is becoming more and more mature. Technology is opening up new potential for treatment and social care. As technology develops, resources become more efficient and, perhaps significantly, more personalized. Therefore, there is a successful work that has been bringing benefits from the outcomes of. Work of this kind serves to show how the power of technology enhances healthcare strategy and solutions. All in all, this piece of work shows significant work and there are many good reflective progress in completion in the project. Finally, the student hopes that the future discussed in this essay and the dream of integration of technology of care of wellness will move from science fiction to reality.

2. Historical Overview

2.1. Early Technological Advancements in Healthcare

2.2. Evolution of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

2.3. Milestones in Technological Innovations

3. Current Applications

3.1. Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

3.2. Telemedicine and Telehealth

3.3. Wearable Devices in Healthcare

4. Benefits of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

4.1. Enhanced Patient Care and Safety

4.2. Improved Efficiency and Workflow

4.3. Access to Real-Time Data

5. Challenges and Limitations

5.1. Privacy and Security Concerns

5.2. Technological Infrastructure and Accessibility

5.3. Resistance to Adoption and Training Needs

6. Future Trends and Innovations

6.1. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

6.2. Robotics and Automation in Medical Procedures

6.3. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Medical Education

7. Ethical Considerations

7.1. Ethical Use of Patient Data

7.2. Impact on the Provider-Patient Relationship

7.3. Ethical Issues in Technological Advancements

8. Conclusion

8.1. Summary of Technology’s Role in Nursing and Medicine

8.2. Implications for the Future

8.3. Final Thoughts