Health Care: The Role of Technology

Technology may be used in order to reduce the cost of health care. It is important to standardize medication processes and procedures as well as prevent errors within the heatlh care systems. According to the Agency of Health care and Research Quality, there are five main error-prone stages of the medication process
1)Ordering/Prescribing
2)Transcribing and Verifying
3)Dispensing and Delivering
4)Administering
5)Monitoring and Reporting
(Hughes & Blegen)

A drug administration error is a discrepancy between the drug therapy received by the patient and the drug therapy intended by the prescriber (Low & Belcher).Technologies may be developed in order to reduce these errors, beginning from when the Pharmacists prescribe the medication to when the nurse actually administers the medication to the patient. Developing specific technology such as computerized pharmacy systems as well as computerized medication administration would ensure that the patient is receiving the right medicine and the right amount at the right time. This can be ensured by using technology such as automated charts of administration time and the quantity of the drug dosage as well. Robotic Drug Preparation could provide the medicine with an accurate bar code and effectively distinguish between medicine that appear similar (Walton, Medication Administration. Computerization is the key role in the solution of drug administration errors.
Technology is also used in order to identify a patient. Medications sent from the pharmacy to the patient are bar coded to match the identification bracelet worn by the patient which significantly reduces the error (Low & Belcher). Health care cost can obviously reduced if the average time spent in the hospital is decreased. Errors do not facilitate a quick recovery and can sometimes delay the amount of time spent in the hospital.
Technology may also assist in standardizing medical procedures as well. When all health care systems are uniform in quality, in guarantees a competent staff and sound quality while the American people have to pay for the variability

References
Walton, G. (n.d.). Technology. In Medication Administration. Retrieved from
Carilion Health Center
website:http://www.ehealthinternational.org/pdfs/Walton.pdf
Hughes, R., & Blegen, M. (n.d.). Medication Administration Safety. Retrieved from
Agency for Healthcare Resarch and Quality
website:http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/docs/HughesR_MAS.pdf
Low, Debra, & Belcher Jan (2002). Reporting Medcation Errors . Retrieved from
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/spb/ovidweb.cgi