Assignent Solutionnurs

RESPONSE 1:
The shift towards an enhanced technological approach to primary care is propelled by the need for social distancing in a post-pandemic world. The rise of a new virus has pushed greater populations to seek out primary care to enhance their health. Those who have already been dealing with chronic conditions have been adapting to new technologies and methods that enable them to manage their care at home. In Young & Nesbitt’s “Increasing the Capacity of Primary Care Through Enabling Technology,” there are four domains of technology linked to primary care (2017). These domains are the body, the home, the community, and the primary care clinic. All have been affected by advances in technology that aim to create cost-effective ways to promote health. In the primary care setting, two systems have significantly increased individuals’ access to care. Telehealth and the patient portal have allowed people to take their care into their own hands at their convenience. Patients can now reach their providers from their own homes and attaint details of their care and test results from their smartphones. The increasing desire to manage life at home has birthed technologies discussed by Young & Nesbitt (2017) that bring primary care to the patient. Alarms and sensors that protect the elderly from falls and accidents increase their independence. Body sensors that track health parameters allow patients to be monitored at home rather than in the office. Medication adherence is tracked via ingestible chips rather than taking medications in person at a clinic. Even rehabilitation services can be conducted at home via gaming technologies (Young & Nesbitt, 2017). Electronic health records have created cohesiveness and streamlined care for physicians. The physician can refer to notes and results placed in the patient’s electronic chart to avoid repeating tests and treatments and move forward in their care. The switch to a greater technologically based healthcare world has also reached emerging medical students.
Before the pandemic forced schools into virtual learning, online courses had long been available for students looking for more flexibility. However, the switch to online patient simulations has been met with inevitable consequences. In an article by Paul et al. (2020), students admit that they have found it hard to shift from video-based simulations to face-to-face patient interactions. Another challenge faced within online medical courses is the “lack of guidance for respecting patient exposure during virtual examinations and assessments” (Paul et al., 2020). It is a fact that what is posted online is close to impossible to remove. Anything on the internet is never truly anonymous and is given a specific code that can be traced and exposed if revealed. The safeguarding of patients’ online information is of crucial importance. Patients trust their clinicians with their livelihood and if their information is exposed, it tarnishes an already separated relationship. Another challenge with improving technology in the primary care setting is the impersonal rapport made through virtual consultations. Patients want to feel that they are the focus, and negative emotions can be assumed when physicians are preoccupied with the screen in front of them. While technology has immensely improved the way patients seek and receive healthcare, providers cannot solely rely on them. Providing healthcare depends greatly on the patient’s condition and the provider, be it a nurse, doctor, or therapist has to look at the person in front of them, hear their words and use their own judgment.
RESPONSE 2:
Primary care includes family medicine, internal medicine, nursing, nurse practitioners, pharmacy, pediatrics, general ob/gyn, gerontology, behavioral health, community health, optometrists, and other professionals who fulfill general medical needs of patient populations. An estimated 209,000 physicians in the U.S primary care setting are caring for a population that is approaching roughly about 325 million (Primary Care Progress, 2022). Through routine check-ups, primary care can identify potentially serious problems early, lower the odds of premature death, and lowers costs of healthcare (Primary Care Progress, 2022). It is then, critical, that there are enough primary care providers that can accommodate a growing population and enabling technology has the potential to expand the capacity for primary care providers to offer integrated, accessible care that channels expertise to the patient and brings specialty consultations (Young & Nesbitt, 2016).
An example of a technological gadget that can be useful in primary care are body sensors and monitors. Such can be in a form of a watch, rings, glasses, helmets, embedded in clothing, or even in the user’s body. These wearable devices provide information such as vital signs, sleep pattern, and quality, blood glucose, activity patterns, and so on. The information gathered are quite useful for those with chronic conditions requiring close monitoring, those that are undergoing medication changes, those at risk for preventable hospitalization, and even those needing some motivation for health behavior changes (Young & Nesbitt, 2016). From the perspective of primary care, such high technology devices are usually sent wirelessly to a central repository where it creates actionable tasks for providers, making them able to act immediately instead of being able to only provide treatment during face-to-face appointments, which may not be as frequent (Young & Nesbitt, 2016). Another technology in use now are smart homes. This concept caters to the older adults who prefer to remain at home, therefore, sensors and assistive devices meant to detect motion and activity for the purpose of safety, measuring weight, monitoring medication use, and so on are incorporated within the home and set up to collect data that are integral to the management patients and their conditions (Young & Nesbitt, 2016). Lastly, telemedicine and patient portals, which we have discussed in detail in week 1 are providing an enhanced capacity for both patients and providers to be highly involved in patient’s care and overall health. Telemedicine provides convenience, decreased geographic disparities, broadens the clinical teams to include other specialties through electronic referrals, which increased collaboration and communication, and decreased redundancy in care. Patient portals are giving patients the information and education they need at the tips of their fingers, which allows them to become knowledgeable about their condition and motivates them to be involved in their care (Young & Nesbitt, 2016).
Even with all the advancement mentioned above, there are also concerns that present as barriers to fully adapting the concepts of advanced technology within the realm of primary care or even personally. With technology relying heavily on wireless communication, concerns regarding safety, privacy, and security abound. Additionally, there is the concern of reliability and accuracy because most of these technological advances are unregulated and therefore, may have varied normal ranges and sensitivities (Young & Nesbitt, 2016). Furthermore, the cost of such technology can certainly be a hindrance to utilization. The question then becomes whether these developments can be validated and be included in device formularies where they can be prescribed, and therefore, be covered under health insurance. Lastly, being technologically savvy, I believe is a huge barrier to the use of technology that will enable primary care to become accessible and practical. As mentioned earlier, the population target for these advancements are the older patients requiring chronic management, and very often, they are the ones who are not up to speed with technology and some even refuse to utilize it to their advantage citing concerns regarding privacy and security, among others (Young & Nesbitt, 2016). From the perspective of primary care providers, some remain old school and will need additional education, as well as a shift in attitude and thinking so they can embrace the possibilities that enhanced technology can bring to the primary care setting (Pravia & Diaz, 2019). But, with the younger generation of patients requiring quick and convenient care and newer generation of providers who are well versed in technology, the goal is for them to help the rest of the primary care providers to adapt to this generational shift to maintain robust primary care services (Pravia & Diaz, 2019).
300 words or more for each response.