Computerization in the Health Sector

Introduction

Technological advancement is catching up with almost every part of life. Every sector in the economy is trying to incorporate the computer systems in its daily operations. The medical or preferably the healthcare sector is not an exception. The networks take time, especially if the users are not computer literate. Like any case of change, resistance is common. However, the claim that the workers work to make the computers’ work more comfortable, rather than the computers working to make them better workers, is incorrect. The computer systems may face challenges while transforming the manual processes to computerized processes, but they are sufficient (Ahmadi, Nalashi and Ibrahim, 2015).

One great way, through which the computer systems upgrade the quality of services, which the health workers provide, is by allowing a clears and durable filing system. The file system can store information about the various processes in the hospitals as well as patients’ information. With such a file system, the workers would have an easy time accessing such details on the patient, making them more efficient (P. Kudyba, 2016). As such, the workers, especially the nurses, can upgrade the quality of services, which they offer to the patients.

The computers also improve the patients’ knowledge. They can observe various progress or conditions in their bodies virtually. Such observations help in building better psychology for the patient, which ultimately improve the quality of services they receive from the health workers (Weaver et al., 2016). Therefore, the computer systems are there to help the health workers to improve the efficiency of the services they offer to the patients (P. Kudyba, 2016). Despite the few challenges, which the computer systems may face, the level of improvement, which they have on this and other sectors, is tremendous.

The nurses and other health workers should take part in the implementation of computer systems in the hospitals and the health sector in general. They take the first part in the usage of such systems. As such, their participation would be beneficial in improving certain areas in the sector. However, such participation has faced several challenges. One of the challenges is that the nature of the nurse’s work may not adopt the computer systems very well. The nurses interact with the patients directly. As such, an introduction of computer systems would hinder such direct interaction with the patients, which would deteriorate the health services, which the nurses provide to the patients (Weaver et al., 2016).

The nurses’ resistance to accommodate these changes has also been a significant problem. The negative attitude towards the computer systems has caused slow adoption of the policies in the hospitals and health facilities.

There are certain solutions to these issues however. Computer training is one of the solutions. The nurses and other health workers should get training on the use of these computers. Secondly, they should have some orientation period, in which they practice the uses before the actual installation of the systems. Lastly, there should be some motivational engagement with the nurses and the health workers, to change their attitude towards the computer systems.

There are certain issues, which need a keen eye, if the implementation of the computer systems is to take place smoothly. One of the issues is the technicality of the systems. The hospitals or health facilities deal with human lives, as such there should be a lot of care while dealing with these systems. The technicians or rather the programmers should create systems, which take into account the criticality of people’s lives. Another issue is the teaching of computer skills in the health workers. Not all health workers have computer literacy. Therefore, a comprehensive teaching of computer skills should take place before any implementation of computer systems.

Some health professionals, like the physicians are quite scarce. As such, their services become both scarce and expensive. However, with the use of electronic physician adoption and medical records, the facilities and such services may become easier to access. According to research, it is clear that the computer systems and electronic systems will change the health care in a very positive way. What the authors advocate can work in variety of healthcare situations or rather facilities. Some of these facilities include monitoring the physical activity of the patient. The patient’s physical; activities are very important as they can show the progress of their recovery. With the adoption of these systems, it would be very easy to monitor progress of the patients, work that would be quite tiresome for the health workers like the physicians (Ahmadi, Nalashi and Ibrahim, 2015).

Some improvements are necessary for the kind of systems, which the authors have suggested. The networks need to take consideration of the physician’s updates. Some medical conditions change with time. As such, the physician or the health worker responsible for the patient should notice such changes and update them in the system. The computers may not have the capacity to connect with the patient, a significant part of the recovery process. As such, the accommodation of interactive sessions between the patients and the health workers is essential.