Computers in the Workplace

Information technology is fully integrated into every aspect of healthcare and requires anyone working in that environment to be computer literate.

Right from the moment someone walks in, whether for treatment or as a visitor, computers are used in every step of the process.

Registration

Registration is where any visit begins, and this is done through technology. The registration/appointments clerk enters the visitor’s information into the hospital system, and depending on if this is their first visit, all their previous history at the hospital will be appear.

Sometimes, if the patient has granted access, their history from other hospitals that use the same electronic medical record (EMR) will pull up.  

This is useful in that it helps the person registering them to be able to direct them to where they need to go, and more importantly gives pertinent history and records of treatments to their care team.

Processes

While most hospitals keep some physical records dating back to the time before computers were widely accessible, most (if not all) workflows are now shifting to technology driven processes.

Artificial Intelligence

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the role (and place) of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

In an industry that embraces technology in literally every function, up to and including surgery, it is widely acknowledged that AI can only improve the care we give our patients.

However, there is real concern about whether AI use will infringe on the rights and protections our patients expect from and are owed by the hospital, since AI is not regulated.

Mylavarapu argues that AI use will not only open new methodologies, prevention and treatments, but also reduce the cost of healthcare, and thus the benefits may outweigh the risks (Mylavarapu, 2023).

References:

Mylavarapu, R. T., Pokhriyal, A., Dhargalkar, R. R., & Bhati, N. (2023). Empowering Healthcare with AI: Addressing Challenges and Envisioning the Future. 2023 4th International Conference on Electronics and Sustainable Communication Systems (ICESC), Electronics and Sustainable Communication Systems (ICESC), 2023 4th International Conference On, 1393–1398. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICESC57686.2023.10193228