5 digital characteristics of office-based vs. hospital-based doctors | Articles | Main

Study finds hospital-based doctors lean more toward digital technology than their office-based counterparts.

 When looking at the digital habits of physicians who work for hospitals and those working in offices, there are important variances. Here are five points to know about how these groups differ:

1. Hospital-based doctors place a higher value on both drug reference and diagnostic tool mobile apps as important digital information sources.

2. About 81 percent of hospital-based doctors say they use their smartphones for professional reasons. Only 73 percent of office-based doctors responded the same.

3. Hospital-based doctors are only slightly more likely than office-based doctors to use tablets for professional reasons: 44 percent vs. 42 percent. Interestingly, 16 percent of office-based doctors use tablets for personal reasons only compared to 8 percent of hospital-based doctors, demonstrating that more of the latter use tablets overall but mostly for personal use solely.

4. More office-based doctors (29 percent) say that they use email as a way to communicate with patients compared with hospital-based doctors (23 percent).

5. Office-based doctors (45 percent) are more likely to use professional social networks for professional purposes compared to hospital-based doctors (33 percent). These could include QuantiaMD, Sermo or Epocrates.

Chances are good that doctors using hsopital electronic health records use a totally different EHR at home in their offices. This may not be true in the huge systems such as Kaiser Permanente, MayoClinic, Cleveland Cllinic and University Health Systems.   The level of complexity for patient illness is higher than for office visits, which is why hospital physicians use online references for diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. These are subtle but important differences.

5 digital characteristics of office-based vs. hospital-based doctors | Articles | Main

The Ways Technology is Having an Impact on Healthcare

Over the past decade, developments and advancements in technology have had a huge effect on the healthcare industry, how we give and receive medical care, how patients and medical professionals communicate, and how new health professionals are trained. Technology has brought about a wide range of different benefits for the healthcare industry, and has made accessing suitable healthcare easier for all. Along with that, technological advancements have also made it easier for health professionals to attend to people in need during disasters or in developing countries which have limited access to medical resources. We’ve listed some of the main impacts that the latest developments in technology have had on the healthcare industry.

Training New Professionals

When it comes to training as a healthcare professional, technology has made it easier for anybody to apply and train to work in the healthcare industry. Whether you’re just graduating from high school and want to pursue a healthcare career or have been working in a career for a number of years and are ready for a change in pathway, technology has made it easier than ever for budding healthcare professionals to get a degree and start their career in the industry. For example, this RSN to BSN online course with no clinicals involved can help registered nurses to further their healthcare careers without having to quit work or cut their hours in order to qualify.

Digital Storage

Before it was possible to file records and other files digitally, hospitals and other healthcare institutions needed to rely on physical storage and filing systems in order to ensure that they had all of their patient and employee records in order. Because of this, the risk of losing records or confidential data being accidentally released was much higher for organizations within the healthcare industry. However, thanks to advancements in technology, specifically the development and launch of cloud computing, storing medical records and information on patients can be done much more safely and securely, with less risk of records being lost or ending up in the wrong hands.

Telehealth

One of the best things to come out of technological developments for the healthcare industry is telehealth. This idea allows doctors, nurses and other health professionals to contact others in the industry when they are in need of help, advice, or guidance with a certain procedure or diagnosis, for example. Telehealth has come in extremely handy during a range of emergency medical situations and at disaster sites such as earthquakes and tsunamis around the world where medical personnel and healthcare resources may be scarce.

Better Access to Healthcare

For patients, advancements in technology have made it easier for them to access the level of healthcare that they need. Online healthcare advice from sites such as WebMD or NHS in the UK have come in handy a number of times for patients who are suffering from certain symptoms and need some guidance when it comes to what to do next in order to get treatment. Along with this, online pharmacies give patients the option to speak to a qualified pharmacist or health professional online in order to get advice when it comes to the best steps to take in dealing with their symptoms. Although it may not yet be possible to get a full diagnosis and treatment completely online, there is a huge range of information and advice available for patients to take advantage of.

Health Tracking

Thanks to advancements in technology, it’s never been easier for a patient to track their health without disrupting their regular routine. More and more health professionals are incorporating the use of wearables and other smart devices which will not only track and record a patient’s vital signs, but will send data directly to their doctor or another health professional where it can immediately be assessed. This allows doctors and other health professionals to better get to know their patients and understand what is going on with their day to day health and well-being. Wearables and other smart devices have proven very popular when it comes to managing and treating conditions such as diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, and heart conditions.

When it comes to recent advancements in technology and gadgets, the healthcare industry has been impacted in a number of different ways. Development of technology has created easier access to healthcare for patients, better collaboration for medical professionals, and has also made it easier for anybody to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. As technology continues to progress, more changes are definitely in store!

The Ways Technology is Having an Impact on Healthcare

American Academy of Ophthalmology

This year I am attending the Academy Meeting from home. The annual event is a favorite of mine, however travelling takes a lot of energy, time away from the office, inconvenience, expensive hotel rooms, long lines, large crowds, dangers of infectious epidemics, remote possibility of public disturbances and even terrorism.  Sad to say the world has changed.   Yet technology is making life easier for some who remain creative and inquisitive.  However, there is nothing like immersing oneself in  the gestalt of an AAO meeting.  Next year !!

The event was broadcast by

Suffice it to say "it was good". Only sorry more content was not broadcast live.. The video and audio quality were first rate ! Broadcast quality..

Not only is the meeting a center for learning and sharing, It is also a social event where old friends, former residents, chiefs of departments renew old friendships, update war stories and compare notes.

There was a lot of activity on facebook and twitter as well. Who are the giants of social media in ophthalmology? Nominate your candidates in the comments. Perhaps one of these will become the first Secretary for Ophthalmology Social Media  #oscm

Innovation in Medical and Surgical Eye Care Takes Center Stage at AAO 2016

Is There a Difference between Telemedicine and Telehealth?

While telemedicine is the older of the two phrases, telehealth is rapidly gaining acceptance, in large part because of the evolution of the healthcare landscape.

Today’s healthcare ecosystem is filled with references to and examples of telemedicine and telehealth – in some cases, the two terms are used interchangeably. Whether they mean the same thing is a topic of considerable debate.

In general terms, telemedicine is considered the clinical application of technology, while telehealth encompasses a broader, consumer-facing approach – “a collection of means or methods, not a speci­fic clinical service, to enhance care delivery and education,” according to the federal network of telehealth resource centers.

“While ‘telemedicine’ has been more commonly used in the past, ‘telehealth’ is a more universal term for the current broad array of applications in the ­field,” the TRC network states in its online resource guide. “Its use crosses most health service disciplines, including dentistry, counseling, physical therapy and home health, and many other domains. Further, telehealth practice has expanded beyond traditional diagnostic and monitoring activities to include consumer and professional education. Note that while a connection exists between health information technology (HIT), health information exchange (HIE) and telehealth, neither HIE nor HIT are considered to be telehealth.”

ORIGINS OF TELEMEDICINE

A landmark 2010 report by the World Health Organization found that telemedicine – literally meaning “healing from a distance” — can be traced back to the mid-1800s, was first featured in published accounts early on in the 20th Century, and adopted its modern form in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily through the military and space industries. Owing to the fact that much of the technology encompassed in today’s telemedicine platform wasn’t around back then, and noting a 2007 study that found 104 different peer-reviewed definitions for the word, the WHO settled on its own broad-based definition:

“The delivery of healthcare services, where distance is a critical factor, by all healthcare professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities.”

“Some distinguish telemedicine from telehealth with the former restricted to service delivery by physicians only, and the latter signifying services provided by health professionals in general, including nurses, pharmacists, and others. However, for the purpose of this report, telemedicine and telehealth are synonymous and used interchangeably.”

Dig Deeper:

• Telemedicine Still Isn’t Winning Hearts and Minds
• Report: Telehealth Will Be a Billion-Dollar Industry By 2018

Is There a Difference between Telemedicine and Telehealth?