Medical Technology Essay

Introduction

In today's world, the utilization of computers across diverse sectors has gradually escalated to a global level, given that an overwhelming number of organizations rely on computers for their daily operations. The medical care sector is an example of one of such fields that have embraced computers for their potential reliability, adequate performance, as well as efficient utilization. Case in point, most hospitals employ computer systems to store, process and easily access patient health records (Martinez-Perez, De La Torre-Diez, & Lopez-Coronado, 2015). An analysis of the reliance on a computer within the healthcare industry reveals why medical practitioners across all sectors of healthcare should be equipped with a tablet as a medium to access medical records of different patients easily, given that healthcare delivery is defined by numerous unforeseen situations.

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Tablets Utilization in EHR

One of the revolutions that transformed the health sector is the adoption of the revolutionary Electronic Health Records (EHR) platform across most medical platforms. The transforming aspect implied an alteration of patient's records from analog storage techniques towards the modernized and computerized platforms. For this transition to be useful, doctors were equipped with desktop stations, work laptops, as well as tablets to utilize while filling the patient's data (Avitzur, 2010). Nonetheless, the different operation capabilities, as well as output capacities of the tablet outweigh the other three from an efficiency perspective.

From a utility perspective, tablets are portable as compared to desktops and laptops, an aspect that implies that they can be utilized in an emergency, or critical medical dispatch situation. Secondly, when assessed regarding financial setback, tablets are reasonably cheap of the three and bear minimal maintenance cost regarding repair and operational expenses. Cumulatively, they are numerous reasons why medical practitioners should be equipped with customized tablets to aid them in healthcare delivery, most of which will be highlighted in this article.

Operation Capabilities

There are numerous reasons why this paper is recommending the embrace of tablets by doctors, one of them being advanced communication infrastructure. During the assessment and input of patient data, doctors consistently network with each other, as a strategy to foster better patient care. Tablets, unlike desktops and laptops, offer better interface communication features such as networking platforms and telecommunication capabilities, elements that possess the potential to foster complex collaboration capabilities between medical practitioners across diverse sectors as well as organizations (Walsh & Stetson, 2012).

Output Capacities

It is a fact that performance among desktops, laptops, and tablets varies; however, the latter possess more opportunities for productivity based on the ease of customization and access. In today's world, numerous softwares have been crafted to support the EHM's platform across diverse sectors. The ease of customizing and applying these software has been advanced on (java platforms), which primarily craft applications (mini software versions) and easily integrate them into the tablets (Martinez-Perez et al., 2015). Besides, most of any institution's medical applications can be customized to run parallel with the EHS systems smoothly within the tablet platform, an aspect that will guarantee maximized performance.

Portability Aspect

A tablet's portability is the third factor why medical practitioners should be endorsed to utilize it over the other available computer platforms. The delivery of healthcare is always a scenario that is defined by the unpredictability of events, such as, in the event of rapid ambulance admissions. When dispatching medical response to critically affected patients, a tablet would be the perfect companion that will constantly equip the caregiver with adequate information about the patient at the moment of need (Avitzur, 2010). Additionally, when nurses are doing general checkups of patients, the ease of the tablet's handling would enable them to conveniently cover a wide area of the wards with ease while assessing and recording on the patient's progress.

Maintenance Aspect

The technological products, just like any other asset, are usually subjected to wear and tear as well as maintenance costs. When all factors are put in place, it becomes evident that tablets are the cheapest to operate and maintain based on their cheap and readily available spare parts as well as the pocket-friendly cost of acquisition. In case of damage, or theft, tablets can be restored quickly without interrupting the flow of work an aspect that would be evident in the scenario of a desktop or laptop malfunction (Walsh & Stetson, 2012). Additionally, data lost can be easily retrieved when utilizing a tablet compared the other two. The downside of a tablet is that its vulnerability to hacking, although the threat is evenly shared among the other alternatives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, healthcare organizations play a crucial role in upholding the responsibility for the provision of quality healthcare services to the patients. In a bid to actualize their purpose, hospitals should then be ready to face the realities of the advanced technology infrastructure capabilities, such as the one illustrated above. Additionally, heading into the future, it is the time that medical practitioners fully embraced the utilization of mobile computing platforms such as tablets and smartphones while dispatching healthcare in a bid to stay ahead of the curve, for technology is a revolutionary platform that will be then vital in every sector of the healthcare industry.

References

Avitzur, O. (2010). In practice: How neurologists are using the newest Tablets-in and out of the clinic. Neurology Today, 10(24), 22-24.

Martinez-Perez, B., De La Torre-Diez, I., & Lopez-Coronado, M. (2015). Privacy and security in mobile health apps: A review and recommendations. Journal of medical systems, 39(1), 181.

Walsh, C., & Stetson, P. (2012). EHR on the move: resident physician perceptions of iPads and the clinical workflow. In AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings.American Medical Informatics Association.