Telemedicine
- Telemedicine allows the patient and the doctor to consult each other when they are in different locations.
- Usually, a public network (internet) is used, but sometimes that use voice, video, or SMS data sent over a phone. These are examples of real time technologies that allow for immediate response.
- Store-and-forward telemedicine is used when immediate consultation is not needed.
- Telesurgery is where the doctor performs surgery on the patient with robotic arms
Benefits
- It is good for people who are in remote areas, where access to a doctor is difficult.
- It is good for people who have rare conditions who are seeking a specific doctor.
- The patient also might feel more comfortable in their own home
Risks
- Security breaches are a problem. There is always a risk when sending private data.
- Sometimes, the connection can be interrupted or the resolution could be low so the doctor cannot view the patients symptoms clearly.
Remote Patient Monitoring
- Remote Patient Monitoring is when patients return home but are still monitored by their doctors.
- Sometimes it is manual and sometimes it is automatic, for any kind of each other.
- Smart clothes are a form of data logging that collect automatic samples.
- This type of monitoring is helpful because it doesn’t really disrupt the patient’s life. It is good for older people because if something is life threatening, their medical providers will be alerted.
Electronic Medical Records
- Electronic Medical Records (or Electronic Health Records) store the patients data on a database. It holds all sorts of personal and billing information.
- It provides access to a patient's full medical history. It usually allows access from any device that is connected to the Internet.
- Most of this information is stored on a centralised database that is maintained by the medical staff.
- Personal Health Records are managed by the patient, not the hospital. They may be stored on a cloud database or on the patients own computer.
- It gives more control to the patients, and it gives them a stronger sense of security with their medical records.
- Smart cards are also used to store patient data. It is difficult for the doctor to remotely access the information on these cards. The smart cards are encrypted.
- These systems of health care have led to reduced cost and an increased efficiency. Electronic records do not take up a lot of space and they can be retrieved from almost any location.
- They should be hard to lose if the proper data backup techniques are used. This means that it can reduce the chance of duplicate records.
- The Data Protection Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act address the issue of privacy. It requires healthcare providers to notify the patients of any security breaches.
- Stakeholders have different levels of clearance when accessing the patients data. For example, a doctor would have full access while the the accounting department would only have access to the patient’s billing information.
- An opt-in approach requires the patient’s permission to put their information in the system. Otherwise, they may opt-out.
- Electronic Data Interchange are used when data is sent from hospital to hospital. A certain standard needs to be met or else not all the information will be accessible.
Risks
- Information can be hacked
E-presciptions
- Electronic prescriptions are generated automatically and sent to the pharmacy.
- Some link to a medical expert system that suggests alternative, cheaper drug, or alert the pharmacist of any bad reactions between the drugs the patient is taking. It also helps to reduce prescription fraud.
Medical Expert Systems
- can be called Clinical Decision Support Systems
Virtual Reality Therapy
Prosthetic Devices
Prosthetics are robotic limbs that help people who have lost limbs with their mobility. Some prosthetics use a myoelectric system, which registers the electric signals in the wearer's muscles to move the prosthetic. Some prosthetics use neural control, which operate a prosthetic limb by attaching sensors to the nerves on the wearer's shoulders and allow them to move their prosthetic just by thinking about it. One challenge with these prosthetic limbs is to make them more affordable so that they can be more widely available.