The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is designed in such a way that it can provide adequate and timely care to high-risk patients. The current use of modern technology and informatics is transforming how ICU units deliver exemplary care to their patients (Darvish, Bahramnezhad, Keyhanian, & Navidhamidi, 2014). The narrator of the video “Intelligent Hospital Pavilion ICU” highlights several elements that can be considered by medical facilities that want to offer adequate care. The reflection below outlines and describes the elements presented in the video. The paper goes further to explain why the proposed technology should be supported by medical institutions.
Beneficial Elements to Patients and Nurses
Patients in need of critical care should be treated with dignity, support, care, and attention (Lavin, Harper, & Barr, 2015). The elements presented in the video can play a positive role in addressing the needs of ICU patients. To begin with, the technology offers the best environment for both nurses and patients. According to the narrator, the best healthcare environment should be characterized by privacy. The intelligent ICU provides a comfortable healing environment for the patient (Intelligent Hospital TV, 2014). The increased level of privacy in the ICU can support and improve the recovery process. Healthcare practitioners and nurses working in a comfortable environment will find it easier to offer evidence-based care to their clients.
The second element that can benefit patients is the use of modernized technologies and health informatics. For example, the bedside sonogram machine in the ICU monitors the health status of the targeted patient. The machine can monitor and report the functioning of different body organs such as the heart, blood pressure, and internal processes (Lavin et al., 2015). The patient’s condition is then communicated to the physician or nurse instantly. Consequently, the nurse can use the gathered information to make relevant inferences and eventually offer desirable health support.
The inclusion of hi-tech health informatics guides nurses and caregivers to broadcast information to their clients. The participants in the healthcare process will ensure every patient receives appropriate care. Health informatics technology makes it easier for nurses to monitor dosages (Intelligent Hospital TV, 2014). Additionally, dosing calculation is done promptly. Appropriate dosage calculation is appropriate for preventing medication errors.
The technological systems can be used to track the specimens and medicines required in the ICU room. The technology also replaces different handheld equipment such as stethoscopes. This means that more nurses will be in a position to deliver quality patient care. According to the video, pumps are used to minimize confusion in the ICU room (Darvish et al., 2014). Medication prescriptions are also monitored promptly. The automation process makes it easier for nurses to prescribe the right drugs to their patients.
Potential Risks
The other outstanding fact is that the video exposes specific risks that might affect the quality of care available to the targeted patients. It is agreeable that the intelligent ICU links all the hi-tech equipment. Since the patient is monitored real-time using cameras, any failure or malfunction might affect the patient’s health outcome. Sometimes the system might fail when providing adequate care to the targeted patient. Nurses might require advanced training to operate optimally in the unit. Power interruptions and system breakdowns can affect the health delivery process (Darvish et al., 2014). Some of the automation presented in the ICU room might encourage nurses to relax. Consequently, nurses will be unable to monitor their patients frequently.
Benefits and Risks: Supporting the Proposed Technology
Past studies have supported the power of modern health informatics towards improving the quality of patient support. The first benefit associated with the proposed technology is the simplification of the health delivery process (Darvish et al., 2014). For example, the bedside sonogram machine has the potential to monitor the functioning of various body organs. The collected data is then relayed in real-time to the physician. This process guides medical practitioners throughout the healthcare delivery process (Intelligent Hospital TV, 2014). Secondly, the suggested technology improves the security and safety features available to the patient.
The presented informatics has the potential to deal with various problems affecting many healthcare and ICU units. For example, the availability of technology improves the level of dosage calculation and monitoring. This practice ensures that the right medicines are available to targeted patients. The linkage of all the equipment in the ICU makes it easier for medical practitioners to monitor the progress of the clients (Lavin et al., 2015). The proposed technology goes further to replace the old way of handling emergencies in the ICU.
The unique risks associated with this technology include system breakdown, power outages, and laxity. These risks can make it impossible for caregivers to support the needs of the targeted patients in the ICU. The outstanding fact is that the benefits of this new ICU technology outweigh the risks (Lavin et al., 2015). That being the case, medical professionals and nurses should support and use this innovation to transform the quality of medical care available to many clients. This development will play a critical role in addressing the health expectations of patients in need of critical care.
References
Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014). The Role of nursing informatics on promoting quality of health care and the need for appropriate education. Global Journal of Health Sciences, 6(6), 11-18.
Lavin, M., Harper, E., & Barr, N. (2015). Health information technology, patient safety, and professional nursing care documentation in acute care settings. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 20(2), 1-17.
Intelligent Hospital TV. (2014). The ICU at the 2014 Intelligent Hospital Pavilion [Video file]. Web.