The Human/Technology Interface
The human technology interface is how technology enables an individual to interact with world around them. In the video above Paul McAvinney, from my hometown of Rochester, NY, describes his engineering goal of using technology to capture human expression. This philosophy can easily be translated to the medical profession and more specifically the nurse-patient interaction. Imagine an application that could help nurses assess subconscious responses to pain therapy or assist an elderly home care patient maintain their independence.
Applications that follow the basic tenets of good informatics will achieve system integration and allow for a single bit of data entered and used throughout the information systems and peripheral devices. They also take into consideration effective screen design making utilization intuitive for the end-user on all likely hardware.
With the advent of a more prolific system of EHRs nursing practice was introduced to much wider access to information and improved work-flow with optimized technology. Educational institutions and healthcare organizations are taking advantage of simulation technology to prepare healthcare workers for different patient care scenarios and now as focus for care shifts from the inpatient setting to preventative care and the outpatient setting mobile health technology will continue to develop. The use of technology is developing to going beyond delivering care for the ill to enabling health for all.
The Future?
Envision a future with a medical support system that allows individuals with chronic conditions to move from self-management to supported management with the assistance of telehealth. Well, in some regions that future is here and the possibilities are endless! Telehealth can be utilized to go beyond data collection and assist with interpretation and strategies in the home or outpatient setting. Telehealth combined with consumer engagement can provide social support, education, and condition management to decrease the number of hospital visits, length of stay, costs, and emergency department visits.
For instance Kentucky implemented Anywhere Care to allow individuals in the community access to physicians through telehealth 24/7. With this system patients can access a provider from home and determine if they need to seek care in a hospital setting.
How to Get There
Utilizing telehealth to manage acute or chronic conditions can only be achieved with patient participation. Achieving that level of engagement may be difficult with patients who already struggle with compliance, follow-up, or technical challenges. Ideally we will see more programs initially targeted at populations that will readily be able to utilize telehealth; pediatrics, home care, and people with social services.
A teenager with newly diagnosed diabetes can be raised to utilize telehealth to manage their chronic condition by interacting on a regular basis through the available technology with the nurses and providers, learn about adjusting their pump, trending blood sugars, diet concerns, and long-term health management. Parents with a newly arrived infant with a chronic condition can learn about care management, developmental consideration, and access providers one on one in real time when questions arise.
A patient with hypertension can regularly interact with a nurse or provider to assess their state of health, condition management, and strategies. Vital signs can be uploaded to a nurse and trends can be monitored to ensure proper dosing, compliance, non-pharmaceutical interventions and reminders can be pushed to the patient on a routine or as-needed basis. The patient can develop a relationship with a clinician and have consistent follow-up care without needing to worry about transportation or other logistical concerns.
Patients already enrolled in home care can initially be introduced to telehealth with the assistance of the home health nurse and aids. The hardware, software, and training can be introduced when the patient still has a coach to guide them through the process with intuitive interfaces with simple icons, touch screens, and data uploading. As the need for homecare decreases or as a condition moves from acute to chronic more of the care delivery and interaction can occur with telehealth.
Patients enrolled in social services may already have home visits or regular appointments with a case manager at an office. Telehealth can be utilized in these situations to touch base with the client and ensure they do not have any health care needs to be addressed.
As each of these situations becomes more common telehealth will continue to expand as a mainstream means of care delivery. Nurses will be instrumental and research demonstrates that quality telehealth programs require more home visits with the nurse who develops a relationship with the client, helps facilitate the care, and still manages to decrease cost with proper utilization.
Nursing leadership can help drive these care changes as the potential for the human-technology interface is really only limited by the imagination. Leadership should listen to their staff nurses and help identify needs, gaps in care, or potential areas for non-traditional care that provides the quality and experience of traditional care with added benefits. The leader can then use their position to advocate for implementation or development of the innovation. Paul McAvinney states that scientists tell us where the universe came from and engineers decide where it is going. Nurses and their leadership team need to play an active role as the engineers of healthcare delivery ensuring a quality patient experience that with safe and effective care.
What kind of technology would you like to see developed?
What technology would make interacting with patients and providing quality of care easier?
Let us know in the comments below.
A teenager with newly diagnosed diabetes can be raised to utilize telehealth to manage their chronic condition by interacting on a regular basis through the available technology with the nurses and providers, learn about adjusting their pump, trending blood sugars, diet concerns, and long-term health management. Parents with a newly arrived infant with a chronic condition can learn about care management, developmental consideration, and access providers one on one in real time when questions arise.
A patient with hypertension can regularly interact with a nurse or provider to assess their state of health, condition management, and strategies. Vital signs can be uploaded to a nurse and trends can be monitored to ensure proper dosing, compliance, non-pharmaceutical interventions and reminders can be pushed to the patient on a routine or as-needed basis. The patient can develop a relationship with a clinician and have consistent follow-up care without needing to worry about transportation or other logistical concerns.
Patients already enrolled in home care can initially be introduced to telehealth with the assistance of the home health nurse and aids. The hardware, software, and training can be introduced when the patient still has a coach to guide them through the process with intuitive interfaces with simple icons, touch screens, and data uploading. As the need for homecare decreases or as a condition moves from acute to chronic more of the care delivery and interaction can occur with telehealth.
Patients enrolled in social services may already have home visits or regular appointments with a case manager at an office. Telehealth can be utilized in these situations to touch base with the client and ensure they do not have any health care needs to be addressed.
As each of these situations becomes more common telehealth will continue to expand as a mainstream means of care delivery. Nurses will be instrumental and research demonstrates that quality telehealth programs require more home visits with the nurse who develops a relationship with the client, helps facilitate the care, and still manages to decrease cost with proper utilization.
Nursing leadership can help drive these care changes as the potential for the human-technology interface is really only limited by the imagination. Leadership should listen to their staff nurses and help identify needs, gaps in care, or potential areas for non-traditional care that provides the quality and experience of traditional care with added benefits. The leader can then use their position to advocate for implementation or development of the innovation. Paul McAvinney states that scientists tell us where the universe came from and engineers decide where it is going. Nurses and their leadership team need to play an active role as the engineers of healthcare delivery ensuring a quality patient experience that with safe and effective care.
What kind of technology would you like to see developed?
What technology would make interacting with patients and providing quality of care easier?
Let us know in the comments below.
References
Kaufman, N., Khurana, I.,
Holmen, H., Torbjørnsen, A., Wahl, A. K., Jenum, A. K., ... &
Stadler, M. (2016). Using Digital Health Technology to Prevent and Treat
Diabetes. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 18(S1), S-56.
Paré, G., Poba-Nzaou, P., & Sicotte, C. (2013). Home telemonitoring for chronic disease management: an economic assessment. International journal of technology assessment in health care, 29(02), 155-161.
Thede, L. (2012). Informatics: where is it?. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1).
Thede, L. (2012). Informatics: where is it?. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1).
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