Answer

Future Technology in Healthcare

Information and communication technology (ICT) is significantly transforming industries. In the healthcare sector, the importance of ICT applications is reflected in home test kits and personal digital assistants (PDAs). One example of a technology trend is telehealth with integrated home test kits. Telehealth entails using ICT, mobile devices and computers to remotely access healthcare services and self-care (Catalyst, 2018). The integration with home kits involves directly feeding the information on the individual’s profile and alerting the patient or the healthcare provider in case of an issue. For instance, an individual with hypertension and with a home test-kit of blood pressure has the details fed in their personal profile and of an emergency, engagement with the doctor using the health application and the decision-making process will be informed by the information fed from the test kit. Through telehealth, the patient does not need to visit the hospital physically.

The impacts of telehealth with integrated self-kit data include reducing the number of physical visiting to the health care facility, promoting home care, and ensuring effective service delivery. This will reduce congestion at the facility and fatigue among healthcare providers. According to Monaghesh and Hajizadeh (2020), the telehealth concept has proved effective during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic in reducing congestion in the healthcare facilities. Presently, there is a wide range of home test kits for various measures including sugar levels, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. The data is fed into the individual’s profile on the telehealth application. Healthcare providers consider this information when making decisions regarding patient care.

There are several barriers to this technology trend. Two of the most significant barriers are the costs incurred in developing the integrated telehealth system and the need for training programs for all stakeholders, including the healthcare providers and patients. Such a system is costly for some healthcare organizations and patients to afford and should be carefully approached to avert other issues, including cybersecurity. Also, all other stakeholders using and developing the system require training. This ensures that the technology is used as required. Mitigating these barriers involves effective planning and including training programs in the implementation process.