Navigating Technology in Healthcare: Mitigating Medication Errors and Patient Privacy Risks

Abstract

Scenario Ending: A medication Error has harmed the Client Introduction Technology has experienced significant advancement over the past few decades. Technology has become part and parcel of human life ranging from communication, interactions, and businesses. Humans communicate and interact with each other using technology by applying phones to make calls among other social media platforms that enhance online interactions outstandingly. On the other hand, most businesses rely on technology to maintain and improve their position in the current competing global markets. Health care facilities are among the businesses whose application of technology has defined merits and demerits to the medical practitioners and their patients in general. Efficient documentation, prompt access to patients’ medical history, access to best forms of treatments just to mention a few proves potential pros of technology in healthcare. However, technology use calls for defined training/knowledge and being very cautious while using it to diagnose and treat the patients. For this reason, this essay aims at providing a detailed analysis on how technology use exposes medical practitioner into committing errors that threatens patients’ lives. The report will help understand why technology demands defined knowledge and caution while applying it in healthcare facilities to avoid medical errors that harm clients. HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory Discussion Patients’ privacy has become increasingly important due to the rapid growth of technology integration in healthcare. Mobile apps and devices though substantially track vast amounts of information of relevance to the patients and healthcare facility in general, ensure such details are placed in cloud-based services that are easily accessible as compared to manual documentation. However, maintaining the privacy of such information proves a challenge as many people have become more technologically wise thus can access such information through hacking which exposes such patients and healthcare to significant risks. The need to formulate and implement advanced methods of managing information and mitigating associated privacy risks proves a potential remedy to address challenging adverse scenarios that healthcare facilitators find themselves in upon breaching the privacy/confidentiality of patients' information. According to Stadler (2021), HIPAA's primary mission was to protect Americans from having their personal/confidential health information shared or stolen. However, with the introduction of information technology in healthcare, loopholes have merged, compromising the security of confidential healthcare information amongst Americans. Internet service providers and third-party analytics companies collect such sensitive information and sell it to marketing agencies for personal interests/gains. Such scenarios expose the nursing care fraternity to the risk of being sued for violation of patients’ confidentiality as stipulated by HIPAA and HIPAA being under attack for its limited potentials in enhancing security for patients' information. Nurse care is a discipline that requires adherence to the set standards of practice and regulation of practice to enhance credibility, safety, and competent practice. Confidence in nursing becomes supported when nurses promptly understand and comply with all set rules and standards. Through such adherences, patients' safety and improved healthcare services become defined in a great manner. However, technology integration in healthcare impacts healthcare regulations as applied by nurses both positively and negatively. According to (Alotaibi and Federico 2017) technology allows health professionals enjoy improved accessibility on patients’ information and data, which enables them to made defined judgments on the best recommendations for the individual patients as demanded by their healthcare standards. Technology also allows nurse care practitioners to provide numerous opportunities for improving and transforming nurse cares through reduced errors, improved clinical outcomes, facilitates care coordination, and enhances practice efficiency and tracking data over time to ensure patients’ safety at all times (Rouleau et al. 2017). However, though such pros define positive impact that technology has on healthcare regulations, the same technology may prove potential threat to the human element compromising adherence to the same healthcare regulations. Such a con limits nurse-patient person-to-person relationships/intersections which may hinder success in the treatment process as little to no attention on either party may be the end results (Stadler 2021). Data and security threats become well defined by technology which may expose nurse cares into accusation for violation of patients’ privacy/confidentiality. For this reason, healthcare must develop and implement improved ways of dealing with technology and ensure their staff remains technologically skilled to enhance efficiency at all times. As technology advances and integrates into the healthcare facilities, so should HIPAA adjust its statutes to cover all areas that enhance security and protect the confidential health information of American citizens at all times. Scenario Ending and Recommendations A medical error that has harmed a client proves to be a scenario ending attributed to various factors like ignorance, lack of appropriate knowledge, wrong diagnoses, and urge to make money from the patients. However, technology integration in healthcare is viewed as a potential contributor to medical errors attributed to limited knowledge on how to properly apply in diagnosing the proper treatment for a given case. Medical error has adverse effects on a client, ranging from causing temporary or permanent new conditions and death in severe cases. Healthcare providers also experience shame, guilt, and self-doubt and chances of being sued together with the hospital their work from if such a scenario arises. An excellent example of a scenario that would lead to medical error is when a health practitioner recommends a cardiac medication for chest discomfort/pain, leading to...