Technologies Supporting Applied Practice and Optimal Patient Outcomes Essay

Undoubtedly, the use of social networks and mobile applications is changing healthcare. The increase in people’s use of social networks for health management and care makes it essential for healthcare professionals to have adequate knowledge and skills to recommend suitable digital tools (Skiba, 2017). To do this, professionals must understand the digital tools at their disposal. Technologies Supporting Applied Practice and Optimal Patient Outcomes Essay

Trends

Now more than ever, patients seek to educate themselves about their health through social networks; some even seek a second opinion on social media. Others use them to cope with their conditions, manage the stress caused by their medical conditions, and even choose their providers. One of the most used resources is content related to nutrition and fitness.

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Benefits and Potential Challenges

One benefit of using technology is that patients can be more active in their treatment, care, and treatment outcomes (Gupta et al., 2018). However, one of the inherent challenges in using technology is the development and training of the user, whether the patient or the healthcare professional, for personal use or for recommending technology to patients (Skiba, 2017). Another potential challenge for using mobile health technology is that 15-24% of Americans report needing more internet connection. This can be supported by the fact that 38% of household income is less than $20,000, making it difficult for some to afford internet subscriptions (Sieck et al., 2021). Therefore, another significant challenge of mobile healthcare is poverty rates, which prevent most older adults from affording equipment like smartphones or subscriptions (Sieck et al., 2021). Technologies Supporting Applied Practice and Optimal Patient Outcomes Essay

Recommendations

Therefore, during the initial patient assessment, healthcare providers must add a question to determine which device the patient has and how they access the Internet. This can enable the healthcare provider to recommend clinical technology that can assist in managing their health. Equipping a person to use the Internet for healthcare costs less than managing medical conditions, and the benefits are persistent and significant. Therefore, efforts to increase digital skills are valuable tools for reducing these disparities. Technical support should be included in the assessment to assist inexperienced users.

References

Rao-Gupta, S., Kruger, D., Leak, L. D., Tieman, L. A., & Manworren, R. C. (2018). Leveraging interactive patient care technology to improve pain management engagement. Pain Management Nursing, 19(3), 212-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2017.11.002Links to an external site.

Sieck, C.J., Sheon, A., Ancker, J.S. et al. Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health. npj Digit. Med. 4, 52 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00413-8Links to an external site. Technologies Supporting Applied Practice and Optimal Patient Outcomes Essay