By 
Creative Commons + Scrubs
Jenna, a guest blogger over at The Nerdy Nurse, recently wrote about IT in healthcare–how technology has changed, where things are growing and how those changes impact your job. For some nurses, staying on top of constant tech changes at work can be challenging and confusing, especially if you aren’t especially into tech in your day-to-day life. But as technology continues to be at the forefront of our lives, and since healthcare is one of the most important parts of our economy, it makes sense that the two will continue to converge.
Here are her thoughts on the topic:
Considering the rapidly growing population, it is imperative that time-saving technologies be learned and used as efficiently as possible. Believe it or not, this also saves the environment as well, since healthcare professionals only print out what is absolutely necessary to give to you, thereby saving trees from being cut down unnecessarily.
As new technology is invented and implemented, sometimes we get to try new things. The new Google Glass is one such technology that looks to be very promising. This augmented reality application could help nurses and doctors to get information the very second it is uploaded and available. This would save valuable time for nurses everywhere who are struggling with an increasingly sicker patient population.
For instance, if a doctor in a emergency room or operation room is in need of certain test results and has Google Glass, he/she can immediately access the results the minute the they are available. This could help to save a person’s life, especially in an ER, where finding out a person’s blood type before giving them blood is a matter of life or death.
Not all areas of the medical fields are thrilled with the new gadgets that come out. They can be very resistant to “change,” especially in the older generations, but time has already proven that the more we go forward, the better off mankind is as a whole. And in foreword-thinking healthcare organizations, healthcare professionals who don’t get with the program and adapt to the change are quickly replaced.
The old adage that it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks simply doesn’t apply any longer. In a world of new and rapidly growing technology, it is a “keep up” mentality. While this may make it necessary for continuing education, the advantages are clear.
To read the rest of the post, head on over to The Nerdy Nurse. Then tell us in the comments below how changes in healthcare tech have shaped your job and what you’re still looking to learn.
