Answer

Healthcare Technologies

From the invention of X-rays machines to sophisticated surgical instruments, technology in healthcare plays an important role in improving patient quality of care and outcome. One of the technologies in my specialty which has impacted the quality of patient care is ultrasound. Also known as sonogram, ultrasound functions by using waves of higher frequencies for the purpose of stimulating tissues in the body (Bockenstedt, Little, & Albright, 2015).  The stimulation provides the ability to monitor and view images such as internal organs and flow of blood in the body.  Apart from being used during pregnancies to check development of the embryo, ultrasounds have proven to be valuable diagnostic tools in procedures like liver and breast biopsies. They have been used to provide correct diagnosis which leads to accurate treatment of various diseases, especially those that affect the internal organs. Accurate diagnosis leads to correct treatment which ultimately leads to elimination of several ailments, hence improved patient outcome. A study conducted by Jones et al. (2014) reveal that since introduction of high quality ultrasound machines for monitoring pregnancies, several abnormalities have been noticed during child growth; however, correct treatment or interventions have been undertaken which have ensured survival of many babies.

While the importance of ultrasounds is appreciated, some of the hospitals or healthcare facilities have not implemented it for certain reasons. The first reason is capital involved in order to completely install them. According to Bockenstedt, Little, and Albright (2015), some of these machines are too expensive for certain facilities, especially in remote areas. Another barrier to implementation is insufficient skills to operate some of these machines. Ong et al. (2015) state that some healthcare institutions have no skilled workers who can accurately operate the machines. In the end, they hire or train some healthcare professional to manage the machines which sometimes become very costly.