By Shira Sagal / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Medical technology is clearly on the rise. The U.S. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, encourages the increased use of health IT.  

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed the next year, includes provisions to dedicate billions of dollars toward the use of electronic health records and other ways to use health information technology.  Still, the U.S. lags behind other industrialized countries in its use of medical computers and other forms of health information technology (HIT).

The largest hospital systems most likely will be taking the most advantage of the benefits promised by HIT, but independent hospitals may find the initial investment difficult to swallow. Another barrier to implementing a computer technology solution may be lack of knowledge, particularly if the hospital is too small to have a dedicated HIT department. If your hospital hasn’t yet gone fully electronic, it’s time to learn about the benefits of using medical computers so you can make an informed decision about moving your hospital forward in the digital age.

Built for the job

Medical computers are specifically designed for clinical settings. They’re cable-free so that they are not a tripping hazard and so that they can be easily moved from room to room as necessary. With their touchscreens, they are easy to operate and do not require a mouse. They have thin monitors and are quiet because they are fanless, so they are not distracting to the patient and provider.

Hygiene is a primary consideration in a hospital, since the smallest breach of protocol can lead to dangerous patient infections. Medical computers are intentionally built to be easy to clean. A fanless design allows medical computers to be completely enclosed when sanitizing the entire computer housing is necessary.   Many touchscreen computers also have an antibacterial coating on them that prevents the spread of MRSA and other bacterial infections.

Lower operating costs

Patient care is the top priority, but operating costs are a constant strain because hospitals can continue to provide quality patient care only when costs are kept under control. The use of HIT is one promising strategy to save money, according to a 2005 article published by the RAND Corporation. In the article, researchers estimated that the U.S. could potentially save $77 billion each year through increased use of HIT.

How could your hospital get its share of these savings? Medical computers can reduce costs by eliminating certain redundant tests, since currently about 30 percent of medical care in the U.S. is wasteful. Medical computers help prevent physicians from double-ordering tests because the information is visible to them at the time they are ordering tests, so they’re less likely to order them again. Furthermore, about a third of relevant information is missing during office visits when healthcare providers rely on paper records and lab reports. With electronic health records (EHR) backed up in the cloud or on a secure server, and medical computers in examine rooms, physicians’ offices and nurses’ workstations, this is not a concern.

Better patient care

Medical computers can help your hospital save money, but most importantly, they can lead to better patient care. With the advent of medical computers can come lower mortality rates, likely because they facilitate faster diagnosis, communication and initiation of treatment. These are some of the ways that patient care can be improved if your hospital uses medical computers.

• Faster diagnosis. Diagnostic imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) scans and X-rays, provide valuable information, but only when images can be viewed accurately. Medical computers in various locations in the hospital with appropriate software, such as a DICOM viewer, allow physicians to make the diagnosis more quickly than if they needed to go to the radiology department to use the specific computer used to guide the diagnostic procedure.

• More accurate diagnosis and treatment protocols. When physicians have access to patients’ EHRs and a medical computer in the exam room, they can more easily see all of a patient’s relevant information. They can also check to see which additional symptoms to look for, which tests to order, and which conditions to look for in their patients. There is less chance of missing an important aspect of the patient’s condition when they are not relying simply on paper charts without additional information.

• More coordinated care. Medical computers let doctors, nurses and other providers view the treatment plan and which treatment has been provided. As soon as one provider enters the information, other providers will be able to see the update and proceed from there. This saves time and money, and improves patient safety; for example, drug interactions are much less likely.

Most hospitals could benefit from increasing their reliance on medical computers. These systems can reduce costs while improving patient care. If you haven’t already looked into medical computers, it may be about time to see how they can facilitate an increased standard of care at your hospital.

Shira Sagal is the content manager for Teguar Computers.