Solving the problem of miscommunication in healthcare as it pertains to digital health

Abstract

If we took the current healthcare model and implemented it into the restaurant industry, customers would be paying multiple ways. At the end of the meal, the customer would receive a bill from the chef, the waitress, and greeter, and the owner of the restaurant. This as you could imagine, invites a lot of miscommunication. Now, this is the reality in healthcare just on a payment side of the spectrum. In February 2016, it was estimated that miscommunication in healthcare is worth $1.7 billion. Also, this miscommunication is responsible for nearly two-thousand deaths (Budryk, 2016). Healthcare is undergoing constant iterations of change, a new wave of delivery of care for patients emerged across many health institutions nationwide, which is digital health.

Digital health being a relatively new implementation in healthcare entreats major gaps of communication between clinical staff. As we look at any new technology solution, it usually has a great use and could solve problems that have existed in some cases for decades. Despite the potential problem solving ability that digital health solutions pose, there are still issues within the previous statement alone. The issue is that there is a false sense of reality in digital health solutions. We have this belief that the technology will solve the intended issue health systems are facing. The issue lies in the details, because the focus is typically on what the digital health solution will solve, opposed to looking at the how will this solution impact medical staff. Technology has captivated much of what we do on a daily basis. So, this topic is pertinent to explore, considering healthcare has been and is a hot topic today.

This field project will allow further articulation of the co-existence between healthcare and technology. The ways we define how these two worlds co-exist is by exploring the opportunities digital health possesses. To ensure we are too mitigating issues, we will examine the opportunities for growth within digital health. Healthcare has been and is a vital part of saving lives. Technology has been allowed the world to become smaller and more advanced. The secret lies in the ability to solve the issues that present themselves. Within the problem solving phase, problems solved will turn into another problem to solve. Since its inception in the 18th century, healthcare has implemented iterations with plans to “solve” healthcare issue. These iterations will and has continued to change. As we explore merging healthcare and technology, we must also acknowledge pain points of communication and how it impacts the digital health arena.