While technology is definitely improving health outcomes in all areas from the surgery suite to the medical records office, there are still technology barriers in the medical field. The obstacles don’t have as much to do with the software and hardware of the systems in place as they have to do with human barriers.
The human being can be the biggest obstacle to the advancement of effective, efficient health care. One of the toughest problems to solve for those wishing to further their involvement in technology within their field of medical care is teaching staff how to use it. It’s been said by many medical managers that nurses are not critical thinkers, but rather, people who follow specific orders. There are also a number of nurses who predate technology in hospitals and clinics. This, coupled with the added expense of transitioning to new technology, means that an unprepared health care system can set itself up for a rocky ride before the technology is effectively paying for itself.
As an example: Suppose a rural home health organization with 100 employees and multiple sites of service delivery makes the transition to electronic medical records. The nursing staff is not office based, but works with patients in their homes. Therefore, their familiarity with computers and software is minimal. Now not only will the trainer have to teach new software, he or she will likely be teaching basic computer skills as well. Also, morale tends to drop as the new technology is implemented and remains low until that technology is mastered — which can also add to training costs.
Federal law requires that electronic medical records be used to improve efficiency within the system. Therefore, the medical field must look to find a technology provider who can teach from a remedial position. Also, the medical organization should allow real users to test various products to determine which will be received positively while performing necessary functions.