VACCINATE NOW! #measles

The mappyhealth website is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services. The website is the result of a contest called Now Trending: #health in My Community to create a web-based application that searched and analyzed twitter data for health topics. This site tracks trending diseases with the help of our friendly social media source Twitter and shows potential health issues that are emerging in the population. The disease I chose to track was Measles mainly because of its recent outbreak and popular topic among social media.  MappyHelath showed that at its peak #measles received 277 tweets. This was not surprising seeing that there was an increase in measles cases and outbreaks in 2014-2015. I think that this website is definitely worth exploring, it’s interesting to see the breakdown based on a geographic location!

References

Tweets about Measles. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://nowtrending.hhs.gov/by_taxonomy/Measles

U.S. Multi-state Measles Outbreak 2014—2015. (2015, February 23). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/measles/multi-state-outbreak.html

CDC

The CDC website is fully equipped with information technology. They have utilized Facebook, twitter, podcast, LinkedIn, YouTube, mobile apps, web apps, and even health e cards to educate the population and increase awareness. Through social media the CDC is able reach out to everyone in the population through their individual preference. The CDC covers a wide range of information including diseases, environmental health, safety, emergency preparedness, healthy living, disease trends and statistics, articles, and news. There is an entire A-Z directory of different diseases that include information about signs and symptoms, transmission, outbreaks, prevention, diagnosis, treatment.

Disease knows no borders! CDC 24/7 does not sleep!  The CDC has a surveillance resource center that uses information technology such as BioSense to monitor, track, and survey the public the possibility of harmful disease outbreaks or exposures. This increases awareness of not only the CDC but the public. Health data exchange systems and EHRS also rapidly collect, share, and evaluate information to increase awareness globally. The information provide is not classified for one or the other which I think is amazing. The information shared is for everyone both consumer and healthcare professionals. The information provided is easily understood but does not lack in content and complexity in any way.

References

BioSense. (2015, February 11). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/biosense/

Social Media VS Telehealth

When I hear social media I immediately think Facebook and Twitter. Social media is a way for patients to have readily accessible health related information, connect with others, share thoughts and stories, and the promotion of health related topics. As opposed to social media, telehealth actually delivers health care services to patients meaning face-to-face interaction with a health care professional. There are actually many different social media platforms that include blogs, forums, and podcast. Each platform provides different types of information. It is all about searching smart because there are accurate and inaccurate information everywhere on the internet. Someone who wants to learn more about their high blood pressure or diabetes may look at sites such as Mayo and WedMD. Someone who wants to read reviews to find a good hospital, doctor, clinic, etc. can utilize Facebook and Yelp. There are also forums on specific diseases such as cancer that serve as a support group as well as a place to share stories and information. 

As for current, or as many call it trending news, Twitter! A recent example of twitter use is the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland. Being from California and a frequent flyer at Disneyland it immediately caught my attention. Twitter proved to be a fast way to spread information with a simple #disneymeasles. 

Whether true or not information is easily dispersed on social media which makes increasingly important to think twice about what we read online. With all of this being said, there is also inaccurate information and bad ways that people use social media. With social media we are not speaking to health care professionals. As we all know those who post on twitter, Facebook, yelp, and blogs are often but not always opinions and should be taken at face value. Social media and Telehealth definitely do overlap with some similarities which are goals to make health care easily accessible, promote health education, and keep patients up-to-date on current health topics. 

References

Ventola, C. (n.d.). Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/

The Wisdom of Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.chcf.org/publications/2008/04/the-wisdom-of-patients-health-care-meets-online-social-media

Telehealth: A new generation of healthcare service

Who doesn't love the convenience of doing things from the comfort of their own home? With such advanced technology we can virtually do everything from home….except getting medical attention. We can buy clothes, food, groceries, essentially anything with the click of a button it’ll be delivered to your house in no time ,exactly two days with prime, that’s after the small fee of $99 of course, but why not healthcare services? With telehealth we are now able to interact with our healthcare provider without leaving the house. It just makes sense that when you’re feeling your worst you want to stay in bed and receive medical care, prescriptions, and access to health records via webcam, Skype, text, email, etc.

The use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support long distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store and forward imaging, streaming media, and wireless communication. (HRSA, 2012)

Benefits of Telehealth 

Convenience of E-visits 

Just imagine, it so happened that you forgot to get a flu shot this year, it just started with a small cough and runny nose… it must be nothing, so you thought! Next thing you know 100 F fever, sore throat, headache, body ache, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea!

You can barely gather your strength to crawl out of bed to grab a sip of water (water WATERRR.. somebody anybody..) let alone get up, get dressed, and maybe make it to the restroom to brush your teeth, locate your keys, get in the car, drive to the doctors office and sit in a waiting room full of germ infested patients for multiple hours…sound familiar?

Flashbacks? We've all been there, doesn't that just should horrific??  With telehealth it becomes increasing convenient to make a visit to the doctor, refill prescriptions, and determine if a follow up visit is required. Patients will no longer have to take time off work or their busy schedules to visit the doctor which makes telehealth cost, time, and energy efficient.  

Home Health Monitoring 

Patients with disabilities or chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS often times make frequent trips to see their health care providers. Patients with these chronic diseases can benefit from telehealth.  Telehealth plays a part in home health monitoring, as seen in the video, patients are taught how to monitor their own vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, weight, pulse ox, blood glucose, etc. These devices are connected to the internet and can be monitored by health care providers and may even serve valuable in emergency situations. This enables few office visits and easier access to medical care and advice. (Mayo Clinic, 2015)

Doctors talk to doctors

Doctors from across the world are able to communicate and provide better care. Doctors are able to share information on the patient such as their diagnosis, treatment plan, x-rays, and other results and consult one another on the best possible approach. A whole team of healthcare professionals at your fingertips! Rural areas are among one of the many areas that can benefit from telehealth. These areas often lack health care facilities and specialists. Doctors are able to communicate with specialists in any geographic location via technology and develop a diagnosis together. (ATA, 2015)

Battle Field 

An awesome way to use telehealth is on the battlefield, for soldiers that fight to protect our nation. Telehealth excellent source to help in a trauma situation. A trauma physician can virtually be on the battlefield to support injured soldiers in their time of need. Telehealth is also designed for veterans and their families in efforts to support soldiers with psychological health and traumatic brain injury. (T2, 2015) 

Disadvantages of Telehealth 

A few disadvantages I see are with those who technologically challenged, electronic glitches, and the physical act of communication and assessment. In certain populations there may be difficult navigating the technology as well as unexpected electronic glitches that may arise. As for an assessment, there may be things that go unnoticed or an assessment is not complete mainly because you cannot feel or touch the patient.

References

ATA. What is Telemedicine? (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.americantelemed.org/about-telemedicine/what-is-telemedicine#.VR4JffnF-Sp

HRSA. Telehealth. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/about/telehealth/

Mayo Clinic. Consumer health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/consumer-health/in-depth/telehealth/art-20044878?pg=1

T2health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://t2health.dcoe.mil/

UM TeleHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://telehealth.med.miami.edu/featured/teletrauma

Challenges Ahead!

 Nursing school is definitely no a walk in the park. It’s difficult to see myself two weeks from now let alone 5 years. Everyone keeps telling me the year that I have left in nursing school will go by in the blink of an eye… we’ll have to see about that. In 5 years from now I see myself working in the NICU, pediatric or maternity unit. As of now, I’m only in my second semester of nursing school so I won’t be surprised if my interests change drastically. I do plan on continuing my education, so I will be applying to schools for a nurse-midwifery/primary care pediatric nurse practitioner. I would love to join a non-profit and travel the world to rural areas providing much needed health care somewhere down the line. 

Regardless of which field I am in there are always opportunities to be an active participant in improving the healthcare system. Designing, selecting, evaluating, or implementing an information system in the workplace will be a challenge seeing that people do not like change. The system would have to be integrated with previous learned knowledge of the staff and prove to be beneficial to all. It is important to build off of positive reactions during the change process instead of negative ones. The actions and cooperation of the staff is important because they will be the ones using the new system which will determine the success of it. Have you ever heard the saying, smiling is contagious well learning is contagious!

Which is why I would use the change theory which requires implementing change in the social system. Once there is positive change it becomes contagious which will increase the willingness to change and learn a new system. The benefits of a new system must always be emphasized to encourage the staff to hop on board. (Nelson & Stagger, p.g. 32) 

Reference

Nelson, R. & Staggers. (2014). Health informatics: An interprofessional approach (Vol. 1). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier/Mosby.

Healthcare Informatics at a Glance

One may wonder, what does technology and informatics have to do with nursing? Well nursing involves delivering a service, making sure that patients are safe, and the care that they receive is simply the best. What better way than to utilize technology to ensure that all of those standards are met. Back in the day, where paper charting was the only option communication among multidisciplinary fields was extremely difficult.  Today, in the 21^st century, we have advanced technology, super speed communication, and the ability to share information and knowledge instantly. The management of information and communication technologies will promote health in ways that we've never imagined! Healthcare informatics is a way of globally integrating researchers, clinical care, educators, consultants, information technology, policy makers, and healthcare providers which will promote the best practice in healthcare. (IMIA, 2015) Healthcare is advanced through informatics in ways such as using evidenced based practice and research, a national data and communication infrastructure, research that turns ideas into practice, accessable information, and knowledge on inter-professionals from across the world. (AMIA, 2015) Being able to access information at the touch of a button enables different fields to interact with one another and ensure an efficient and continuous healthcare delivery cycle. 

Nurses are constantly swamped with patients, a number of different tasks, making sure their patients are safe, charting, talking to family members and doctors, and many many more. The implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) has improved quality, safety, and efficiency of care delivered through increased productivity, improved performance, enhanced effectiveness, and supported clinical care and research. (Nelson & Stagger, p.g. 97) The EHR has an alert system that notifies the nurse of any missed task, upcoming procedure, medication error possibility, just to name a few. This new alert system helps a nurse maintain organized to decrease events such as medication error and essentially increase patient safety and safe delivery of health care services. Learning about healthcare informatics will equip nurses and other healthcare providers with clinical skills, information technology, leadership, and management skills that will ensure a progressively better healthcare delivery system that is patient centered. 

References

AMIA. Nursing Informatics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from https://www.amia.org/programs/working-groups/nursing-informatics

IMIA. The IMIA Vision | IMIA - International Medical Informatics Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.imia-medinfo.org/new2/node/31

Nelson, R. & Staggers. (2014). Health informatics: An interprofessional approach (Vol. 1). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier/Mosby.