236131_DNP 805 Evaluation of Healthcare Technology

Sample Answer for 236131_DNP 805 Evaluation of Healthcare Technology

Evaluation of Healthcare Technology 

Nursing practice has formed a critical part of patient care in the past years and at present by adapting to the ever-changing patient care landscape. There has been an increased call for better and improved patient care making the stakeholders explore options that can result in better results. One such strategy that has gained attention and momentum is the technology and technological applications (Wu & Luo, 2019). Technology has largely been used in the health care sector to enhance disease diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management. The implication is that patient care, treatment, and disease management have greatly improved over the years, preventing several death cases. With continued innovation and invention, more and better technological applications are likely to enter the patient care environment to make the processes even better. As such, the purpose of this paper is to explore a technology that has been studied in this course, explore the measurement and evaluation of its elements, and the user interfaces evaluation. In addition, this write-up will explore the determination of the functionality of the technology and any possible improvements. 

The Identified Technology 

Several technologies and technological applications have been explored in this course. Therefore, the chosen technology to be addressed in this assignment is assistive technologies for older adults. These are technologies that have been invented to help older individuals have better outcomes by preventing falls, using alarms to detect their movements, and ensuring that they are safe from harm, among others. Among such assistive technologies for older individuals are smart homes (Pirzada et al., 2018). Smart homes are created in such a way that the home environment contains devices that help in monitoring the individuals. Such monitoring improves their independence and enhances their life quality. 

The Elements Measurement and Evaluation 

As earlier indicated, smart homes improve older adults’ independence and quality of life. Therefore, a smart home has various elements, for example, smart devices. Smart devices are used to enhance smart home functionality. These devices include device switches, plugs, lighting, speakers, cameras, appliances, accessories, and sensors. The evaluation of these smart home elements is undertaken by considering how best they enhance the smart home functionality (Pal et al., 2018). The gateway is one of such elements. A gateway is a hub, controller, or bridge that connects with smart devices like WiFi.   

Evaluation can also be done based on how well the elements are capable of communicating with the smart devices and controlling activities. Among the most common gateways are WiFi, IR, Zigbee, Ethernet, Z-wave, and Bluetooth. The other element is user communication strategies, including the use of smartphones, voice assistants, sensors, and automation. Servers are also used in storing and retrieving information which may be evaluated by how well and efficiently they help the user to retrieve information (Pal et al., 2018). Some types include Home Assistant, Amazon Server, and Apple Home Kit. 

Evaluation of the User-Technology Interface 

The user interface or human-machine interface is one of the factors that have to consider when designing a technology to be used by human beings. It refers to an information exchange platform between the technology system and the user. The smart home also has a user interface with elements that can be evaluated. One of them is easy to learn and use (Pal et al., 2018). This refers to whether the users can easily learn and operate the smart home functionalities. The next one is its operation which may entail how easy it is to remember. User satisfaction is another important element, and it measures how levels of satisfaction the technology bring to the users, which in this case is the level of satisfaction regarding the use of smart homes. Error frequency and magnitude are other elements to be considered. It refers to the number of errors that occur and how serious the errors are.  Interactive efficiency is another important element. This element refers to the application of technology to fulfill specific tasks. 

Assessment For Functionality 

Smart homes play a critical role in older individuals’ health and life as they promote better health outcomes and better living. The implication is the smart homes’ user interface should be formulated to help fulfill the safety needs and perform particular tasks as needed. To enhance the interaction, various interfaces can be used. One of them is input controls such as buttons, text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdown lists, list boxes, toggles, and date fields (Hargreaves & Wilson, 2017). Navigation components are also critical, and they include breadcrumb, slider, the pagination search field, tags, and icons. In addition, there are informational components such as tooltips, icons, progress bar, notifications, message boxes, and modal windows. 

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Assessing these elements is important as they help in determining the functionality. For example, one can tell the technicality of a user interface by looking at the input controls. Smart homes are majorly formulated for elderly individuals; therefore, the user interface needs to be as simple as possible. The optimization of smart home use for better results may mean that older adults have to navigate the functionalities to achieve specific tasks. The implication is that elements used for navigation, such as icons, should be representative and clear to enhance their ability to navigate and interpret the system (Hargreaves & Wilson, 2017). Complex navigation bars the user from using some of the best functionalities which could have been of good use. Therefore, their use is limited, or they are not used at all. 

Informational components like the tooltips, progress bar, and message boxes, among others, can also be at the center of assessment. Therefore, their design should also be as simple as possible for better manipulation. For example, in the case of an error message, especially a technical error, the user should be able to effortlessly trace the message in the message box and appropriately act on the same (Hargreaves & Wilson, 2017). Such is only possible with a simple design. However, in cases where the informational components have complexities, then the user may miss critical system warnings, notifications, and messages, which can lead to poor functions. 

Suggestions for Improvement 

Even though the discussed smart homes improve the elderly’s health outcomes, some of its components and elements can be adjusted or improved to make them better. The elements that can be improved include smart devices such as switches, plugs, lighting, speakers, cameras, appliances, accessories, and sensors. One of the possible improvements is procuring quality smart devices that will have few technical issues or errors (Demiris et al., 2017). The end result is enhanced functionality of the system. The gateway is a major component of the smart home; hence it needs to be of high quality and not error-prone. Therefore, it should be acquired from trusted suppliers. In addition, security is key in such systems. Therefore, the devices used as part of the system, such as smartphones, need to have security enhancements to bar potential access by unauthorized individuals. 

Conclusion 

Smart homes are one of the most common assistive technologies for older individuals who usually have more health complications, compromised gait and balance, and reduced mobility. Therefore, this assignment has explored smart homes and their components. The components need to be efficient to improve the functionality. In addition, the user interface should be simply built to enable elderly individuals to navigate the system and perform specific tasks. 

References 

Demiris, G., van Hoof, J., & Wouters, E. (2017). Handbook of smart homes, health care, and well-being. Springer International Publishing. 

Hargreaves, T., & Wilson, C. (2017). Smart homes and their users. Cham: Springer International Publishing 

Pal, D., Funilkul, S., Charoenkitkarn, N., & Kanthamanon, P. (2018). Internet-of-things and smart homes for elderly healthcare: An end-user perspective. IEEE Access, 6, 10483-10496. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2808472 

Pirzada, P., White, N., & Wilde, A. (2018, April). Sensors in smart homes for independent living of the elderly. In 2018 5th International Multi-Topic ICT Conference (IMTIC) (pp. 1-8). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IMTIC.2018.8467234 

Wu, M., & Luo, J. (2019). Wearable technology applications in healthcare: a literature review. Online J. Nurs. Inform, 23(3). https://www.himss.org/resources/wearable-technology-applications-healthcare-literature-review 

DNP 805 Week 5 Assignment Telehealth FINAL

Telehealth 

Among the focus areas of nursing care is safe and efficient patient care at manageable costs. The implication is that there is always a need to undertake strategies that can improve the outcomes while at the same time keeping the costs in check. Over the years, various strategies have been applied to help in achieving the goal. One of such strategies that have widely been applied is telehealth. The use of telehealth has been shown to be effective in helping nurses and healthcare facilities to enhance clinical outcomes, improve patient satisfaction, deal with healthcare disparities, and lower healthcare costs (Gajarawala& Pelkowski, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this week’s assignment is to explore a telehealth technology that can be applied in the current practice. Therefore, various aspects will be discussed, including the telehealth technology application, a precis of a published paper, and a mind map depicting the application. 

Precis 

The importance of telehealth in the health care area and its potential beneficial applications have seen it attract a considerable amount of attention in recent years. Therefore, the application of telehealth in managing various patient conditions has been studied, and the results have been published in journals as peer-reviewed journal articles. Telehealth has recently been applied in the prevention, treatment, and management of pressure ulcers. Recently, a relevant article published by Wickström et al. (2018) covered the use of telehealth in the management of pressure ulcers. This article details how the technology can be applied in my area of practice. The researchers did a study with the aim of investigating the healing time and waiting time between in-person and video consultation assessments for a patient with pressure ulcers. A total of two hundred participants were recruited to take part in the study, where the study group had half of the participants diagnosed through video consultation. On the other hand, the control group had individuals who were diagnosed through in-person assessment. 

The major telehealth intervention applied is the use of video consultation. The patients were offered an iPad programmed with skype to assist in the video consultations. The results of this study were analyzed through log-rank test and Mann-Whitney U tests. The analysis revealed results that pointed to the importance of using telehealth in the management of pressure ulcers (Wickström et al., 2018). For example, the mean healing time in the study group and control group was found to be fifty-nine and eighty-two, respectively. This implies that the use of telehealth in the management of pressure ulcers was more effective as the waiting time and healing time were found to be significantly shorter among patients who underwent video diagnosis. This article is important to my field of study as it shows the importance of using telehealth to manage pressure ulcers. 

Mind Map 

The mind map is a key tool in knowledge synthesis and research as it can be used in writing down and arranging vital points by first writing down the major theme and finding out how it relates to other main and new ideas and concepts. Therefore, a mind map has been created and attached in the appendix section. Ideas and concepts regarding pressure ulcers can be noted from the created mind map. Pressure ulcers require adequate care where the care team collaborates with the patients in the management process for better patient outcomes (Mervis & Phillips, 2019). Pressure ulcers lead to various unwanted outcomes if left unattended. For example, pressure ulcers lead to higher or increased healthcare spending as patients have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for the management and treatment of the pressure ulcers. The condition also leads to longer hospital stays which further exposes patients to other potential infections hence poor health outcomes. When patients get pressure ulcers, they also experience pains that may have to be well managed through the use of effective pain management medications. 

Pressure ulcer management among patients experiencing the problem has various aims which should be achieved. One of them is faster healing. Using various interventions, pressure ulcers can be treated so that patients get healed within a reasonable time. This helps in relieving the pain experienced by these patients. The other aspect is adequate access to appropriate care (Moore & Patton, 2019). When left unattended, pressure ulcers can lead to several undesirable outcomes hence putting the lives of the patients at risk, which can be challenging to the patients. Therefore, the patients should get adequate care to ensure that the condition is better managed. Preventing pressure ulcers is one of the most effective ways or strategies of dealing with the problem. Therefore, it is important for the care team to put a framework in place which can be used to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. Such frameworks can be key in ensuring that the patients are prevented from developing a pressure ulcer. 

The management of pressure ulcers can take various forms, one of them is the use of telehealth. For example, the article explored in the precis section focused on the use of telehealth in the management of pressure ulcers (Wickström et al., 2018). Telehealth can take various forms, but the underlying factor is that the patients are managed remotely through the use of online platforms. Telehealth can take the form of video call consultation or voice call consultation. Using various video and image capture assisted applications, there can be communication between the patient and the care teams to better help in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers. Voice calls can also be used in the follow-up process, where the care team makes calls to the patients remotely located to inquire about their progress (Wickström et al., 2018). Onsite patient education has also been used in the management and prevention of pressure ulcers. The care team can instruct the patients on what to do to ensure that they relieve pressure on various parts of the body to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. 

The prevention, treatment, and management of pressure ulcers entails effective care. However, there are various barriers to such effective care. One of the barriers is poor nurse communication. Poor communication or lack of communication between the care teams leads to inadequate care, which eventually leads to pressure ulcers related outcomes (Lavallée et al., 2018). Inadequate care is another barrier that comes due to less facility and a lack of enough expertise by the care team. Therefore, the patients get poorly managed, which leads to poor health outcomes. Heavy workload is another hindrance. Heavy workload means that the care team experience divided attention and possible burnout, which leads to poor outcomes. 

Conclusion 

A pressure ulcer is one of the conditions experienced in today’s care environment and leads to negative impacts. The implication is that it has attracted the attention of stakeholders who have come up with various strategies to manage the condition. Therefore, this assignment has focused on the use of telehealth, especially the use of video calls which have been shown to be effective in the management of the condition. A precis of a recently published literature detailing the use of telehealth in the management of pressure ulcers have also been explored. A mind map that visualizes the relationships between concepts and ideas has also been discussed. 

References 

Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth benefits and barriers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013. 

Lavallée, J. F., Gray, T. A., Dumville, J., & Cullum, N. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to preventing pressure ulcers in nursing home residents: A qualitative analysis informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 82, 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.12.015 

Mervis, J. S., & Phillips, T. J. (2019). Pressure ulcers: Pathophysiology, epidemiology, risk factors, and presentation. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 81(4), 881-890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2018.12.069. 

Moore, Z. E., & Patton, D. (2019). Risk assessment tools for the prevention of pressure ulcers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006471.pub4 

Wickström, H. L., Öien, R. F., Fagerström, C., Anderberg, P., Jakobsson, U., & Midlöv, P. J. (2018). Comparing video consultation with inperson assessment for Swedish patients with hard-to-heal ulcers: registry-based studies of healing time and of waiting time. BMJ open, 8(2), e017623. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017623