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Tag Archives: Technology
An App a Day Keeps the Patients Away: The Dangers of Medical Management Software
Where wellness is concerned, the doctor-patient relationship can be just as valuable as the treatment. The bond, built on trust, is essential for proper treatment. Recently, there has been an increased number of medical apps created to simplify a doctor’s duties. Can our obsession with saving time harm us more than help? If you are interested in how medical apps effect the doctor-patient relationship, we encourage you to read this article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.theregister.co.uk
The relationship between a doctor and a patient is very important. Trust is a major part of the relationship; we trust doctors to make decisions about our health that we otherwise couldn’t. Even with a higher level of education and excessive professional experience, medical professionals make errors. Doctors, often having a high workload, could benefit from tools that simplify their typical processes to decrease the probability of error.
Recently, medical management software has been produced to make the process of identifying treatment simpler. Although it’s convenient, how comfortable would you be if an app had the final say in your treatment? With new medications and medical devices pushed in and out of the market, the software is aimed to make doctors aware of medical trends and proper treatments for patients and their specific medical history.
A dangerous issue was revealed about one San Francisco medical management software company. In a recent article, Kaytanna Quach of the register states “Practice Fusion developed a cloud-based medical record management service that generated alerts if patients’ symptoms or circumstances matched certain criteria. These alerts would suggest courses of action that doctors could add to people’s care plans.” It was later discovered that the developers made side deals with certain drug companies to promote the sale of Opioids. The software was set to suggest select medications even if it was not the most effective treatment. The company is being sued and is facing criminal charges.
The use of technology, in this case, can damage the doctor-patient relationship. The knowledge that a doctor follows a specific code of conduct builds the doctor-patient relationship. Medical management software companies may not have the same set of ethics. When a doctor passes the manipulated data from the rigged software, their credibility is at stake and patients may become less trusting. Since these medical software companies aren’t required to have a medical background, they may not understand the seriousness of their actions and the direct strain this can put on the doctor-patient relationship. Without trust, the relationship and the quality of patient care will be weakened. There is also concern that increased use of medical apps can encourage patients to self-diagnose.
With intense regulations and the assistance of medical professionals, medical management software can be very useful for patient care management in the future. Currently, more research needs to be done on the apps to prevent misuse. For more information on this article, please visit the Register website.
One Million Solutions in Health is a company that strives to tackle current health care issues. The company’s goal is to add to the conversation about health innovations and find solutions. To learn more, please contact info(at)onemillionsoultionsinhealth.org.
Is Social Media the Key to Enhancing the Patient Experience?
The abundance of information and technology that is readily available has upgraded health care. Researchers are actively searching to find ways to improve patient care, but have they overlooked a simple fix? Social media, which often gets a bad rep, is where a large majority of people choose to communicate their issues and stories. Can social media data be just as valuable to the health care industry as data obtained in a lab? To find out more about the impact social media can have on healthcare, we encourage you to read this article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.synthesio.com
There’s no denying that the quality of health care has improved with time. Researchers constantly seek ways to better understand health conditions and enhance treatment. However, even with so many advancements, there are still faults in the methods of care that healthcare workers perform. In health care, we expect the next advancement to be from new technology, but what if a new approach to treatment could have the same impact?
Social media, often used for leisure or marketing purposes, is a great tool for improving the patient experience. Carmen Yeung of Synthesio states that patient feedback on treatment and medical journeys can be beneficial to both patients and pharmaceutical companies. Patients’ voices are heard, and pharmaceutical companies can alter their products or offer the proper support as needed. Many patients are turning to social media to paint the picture of their experiences.
To analyze social media’s potential impact on health care, Synthesio, a social media analytics company, reviewed data from the social media accounts of patients diagnosed with cancer. The data showed the importance of direct feedback from patients. This information is highly valuable since it is rarely shared with medical professionals and/or companies. Yeung also mentions that it is important to pay attention to information patients provide in threads on support websites in addition to common social media sites; many patients feel more comfortable discussing different parts of their medical journey on different platforms. The data obtained also confirmed the use of different platforms being used to document different parts of a patient’s medical journey. Research indicates that of the cancer experience, support was the least mentioned topic on social media.
To ensure a positive patient experience, the focus needs to be on understanding the needs of the patient. The healing process should focus on two major aspects: the treatment of the actual condition or disease and the mental impact of having an illness. Keeping this in mind, medical professionals can change their approach to treatment. More people are looking for solutions online, so it would be beneficial to pay attention to those trends. Doctors can alter the dynamics of a visit by discussing some of the most frequently asked questions or common concerns patients may have. In return, this can improve the doctor and patient relationship, while also making patients feel more comfortable.
Paying attention to patients’ feelings surrounding the process of treatment can help them feel like they’re not just subjects, but people. In addition, this level of communication can increase the potential for personalized treatment in the future. For more information regarding the use of social media to improve the patient experience, visit the source information at the Synthesio website.
One Million Solutions in Health is a great place to stay up-to-date on health care information. We focus on trends, innovative technology, and all things in between to create conversation and find solutions. To learn more, please contact us at info(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org.