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Jason Sledge 

DB #4

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BUSI 511 DB #4

Although medical technology brings numerous benefits, what have been some of the main challenges posed by the growing use of medical technology in the United States?  Next, how do American cultural beliefs and values influence the use of medical technology?

            Healthcare technology offers amazing advancements in medicine to benefit all stakeholders, especially providers and patients.  Technology has improved diagnostic ability, treatment options, data manipulation, and so much more.  Just like anything, however, medical technology is not all sunshine and roses and has downsides as well as benefits.
            In the past two decades especially, the introduction and heavier reliance on new medical technology has changed the way pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and hospitals operate on a daily basis in profound ways.  Major restructuring and changes to operating procedures have been required.  One issue commonly faced is reluctance to change, as healthcare providers wrestle with the pros and cons of new technology.  “One of the major challenges is practitioners’ hesitation and unwillingness to employ these new technologies in medical practice” (Pan et al., 2019, p. 5801).  New technology forces everyone utilizing it to change habits and make adjustments, often major adjustments.
            Another study confirms this issue as well.  In this article “the following barriers to the adoption of computer technology were identified: negative attitudes, lack of knowledge, role adjustment related to the disruption of traditional work habits, and changes in established work roles” (Andre et al., 2008, p. 753).  A main challenge of technology is how it disrupts employees and workplaces.  Technology often offers enhanced efficiencies via increased reliance upon automated or computer processes, which can lead to different and/or lower staff requirements.  A company at large may see this as a benefit, to invest in such technology and save on employee costs in the long term; the displaced employees will see it quite differently.  While technology has created many new benefits and enhancements to the field of healthcare and created jobs in technology and IT, it has also cost many people jobs that new systems made obsolete.
            Another obvious issue with technology in medical care is the expense – both the expense of having the equipment and the expense of patients utilizing the equipment.  Health care providers must consider the cost-effectiveness of various diagnostic tools, interventions, treatments, medications, and so on, “weighing benefits against costs” (Shi & Singh, 2019, p. 121).  The notion that the U.S. wastefully and excessively uses expensive medical technology without any justification is insulting to the highly trained professionals providing care in this nation.  In my experience providers do not wastefully employ every expensive test and gadget at their disposal without good reason.  If an X-ray is sufficient then it is ordered, if more detail is necessary then a more costly MRI may be ordered.  Insurance companies, both private and government payers, implement onerous prior authorization requirements on nearly everything that costs above a certain threshold, preventing providers from ordering unnecessary items for patients, and often making it impossible for very necessary services to be provided.  The notion that patients and providers are flippantly and wastefully blowing through expensive and unnecessary items with medical technology should be challenged and not simply accepted at face value.      
The simple answer here, using common sense, is of course to use the technology when warranted and not to use it when redundant or unnecessary.  If it has a chance to produce a better outcome for a patient, it should be used.  This is an issue that is all about making wise decisions.  Proverbs 15:22 says “plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (New International Version).  When healthcare professionals rely on their experience and training, their discussions with coworkers and patients, and carefully weigh the pros and cons of various decisions regarding whether or not to implement an expensive therapy, treatment, intervention, or diagnostic tool, then a wise decision is likely to be reached.  Americans are fortunate to have the world’s best medical technology, which is largely designed and invented here based on the ability to profit from such advancements in the non-centrally controlled system of care, which does not ration care and pick human patients as winners and losers to save money as other nations with nationalized care do.  Americans may seek the newest and best in general as a society, and this certainly flows into healthcare and desire for fancy new technology, but the providers are there to educate patients on what is appropriate and what is not.  Just because a patient may want a certain technology does not mean it is the appropriate course of treatment and does not mean it will be provided.  Prior authorizations for payment approval, as well as the terrific training and professionalism of providers, give checks and balances to the possibility of greedy and uninformed demand for medical technology.  When it is medically appropriate and needed, and needed urgently, what a comfort to know that it is available without rationing.  

References

Andre, B., Inger Ringdal, G., Loge, J., Rannestad, T., Laerum, H., & Kaasa, S.  (2008).  Experiences with the implementation of computerized tools in health care units: a review article.  International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 24 (8), 753-775.
            
https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=35603417&site=ehost-live&scope=site
       
Pan, J., Ding, S., Wu, D., Yang, S., & Yang, J.  (2019).   Exploring behavioral intentions toward smart healthcare services among medical practitioners: a technology transfer perspective.
            International Journal of Production Research, 57 (18), 5801-5820.
            
https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=138342154&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Shi, L., & Singh, D.  (2019).  Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System.  Jones & Bartlett Learning.

The NIV Study Bible (K. Barker, Ed.; 10th Anniversary ed.).  (1995).  Zondervan.
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Naomi Gregoire 

Medical Technology Advancements

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Although medical technology brings numerous benefits, what have been some of the main challenges posed by the growing use of medical technology in the United States? 

            Medical technology is referred to as the practical application of scientific knowledge that works to improve people’s health and help create efficiencies in the health care delivery system Shi & Singh, 2018). Due to medical technology, the medical field itself has greatly benefited from all advancements and developments. For example, according to the textbook, advances in organic chemistry have made it possible to identify and extract active ingredients that can be found in natural plants in order to produce drugs and anesthetics (Shi & Singh, 2018). Another example of how technology has changed the medical field is the use of 3D printing. 3D printed models have been used for preoperative planning of complex surgeries, the creation of custom prosthesis, and has aided in the education and training of physicians (Marro, Bandukwala & Mak, 2016). With that being said, where there are benefits, there are often risks involved, too.

Some challenges involved by the growing use of medical technology include electronic health records (EHRs). There have been many concerns brought up by physicians about the amount of time documenting patient information and managing orders (Gellert, Ramirez & Webster, 2015). It has been shown that many believe that the increased use of EHRs cause reduced patient time, inability to exchange health information, and templated notes (Gellert, Ramirez & Webster, 2015). While they approve of the use of EHRs, physicians wish it to be better and more updated, so they can worry less about notes and more about patients at the bedside.  
 
Another main challenge posed by the growing use of medical technology is telemedicine and remote monitoring. Telemedicine employs telecommunication technology for medical diagnosis and patient care when the provider and patient are not in the same vicinity (Shi & Singh, 20180. Although the invention of telemedicine has been helpful, especially during the times of a pandemic, there are downfalls. Main barriers of telemedicine have been licensure of providers across state borders, legal liability, and reimbursement issues (Shi & Singh, 2018). There is a lot that goes into telemedicine since you are not in the office to use the resources they have readily available there. Either way, it is a growing outreach and has developed immensely over the years.

Next, how do American cultural beliefs and values influence the use of medical technology?

            American beliefs and values have been a key factor in determining the nature of health care in the United States (Shi & Singh, 2018). The United States offers an economic and political environment which freely allows innovation opportunities for not only scientists, but large manufacturers as well (Shi & Singh, 2018). We live in a society where everyone wants everything fast and quick, with high expectations at that. This causes a great demand for an increase in medical technology to be developed and updated. The textbook outlines a term, technological imperative, which is referred to as the desire to have state-of-the-art technology available, accompanied by the desire to use it despite its cost (Shi & Singh, 2018). We have such a “need it now” culture when it comes to technology, that we do not always understand what it takes to get it. Sometimes it is easier to say we will be patient that to actually wait. “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (King James Bible, 2017, Romans 8:25). Let us be patient, for what will come, will come. Whether that means a new advancement for life saving procedures or the day our Lord and Savior comes to save us.
 
 
 
References
 
Gellert, G. A., Ramirez, R., & Webster, S. L. (2015). The Rise of the Medical Scribe Industry. JAMA, 313(13), 1315. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.17128

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
Marro, A., Bandukwala, T., & Mak, W. (2016). Three-Dimensional Printing and Medical Imaging: A Review of the Methods and Applications. Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, 45(1), 2–9. https://doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2015.07.009
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2018). Essentials of the U.S. health care system (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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