Question

Read the article, "Increasing the Capacity of Primary Care Through Enabling Technologies" and discuss the different types of technologies that could improve access and the care provided in the primary care setting. Discuss the challenges to achieving improved technology and logistical issues for the primary care setting.

Answer 1

Types of technologies that would improve primary care include:

The foremost point is knowing the population which you would commit and getting an idea about their basic health needs.

The technology consists of :

1. Apps

Apps are a very well-known example of eHealth; most people have tried out an app to improve their mental or physical health at least once. Some apps can teach you relaxation skills, help in monitoring and sticking to diets, or they support you in getting enough exercise. Apps can be used by healthcare workers as well, for example to assist nurses in administering the right medication.

2. Electronic health records capture information about an individual’s health, medical conditions, medications and key events, which can be shared for referrals and timely clinical decision-making. Digital technologies can help improve the patient journey and improve communication between health care providers and reduce unplanned visits to hosptials.

3. Innovative digital technologies, such as hand-held ultrasound and pulse oximeters, can provide effective diagnosis at the primary care level and improve the health and well-being of those in low-resource settings

Challanges to improve health care technology

1. Literacy- Low literacy rate is a primary barrier to primary health development. A lot of studies have shown a clear relationship between literacy, family planning, and falling infant mortality. It is important for the primary health care providers to cater to the needs of such population and convince them to improve their overall health.

2. Inequalities in health and healthcare between different ethnic, gender, social, and occupational groups remain a serious problem. More attention is requrired to occupational health safety is also needed to mitigate the risk of diseases and injuries in the vulnerable and high-risk groups.

3. Resource allocation remains another challenge to improve primary health setting.  A large portion of health budget with few exceptions goes to staff salaries, very little money remaining for medicine and operating costs. The role of health personnel needs to be more precisely defined. There are limited funding, limited capacity and capability of healthcare providers ultimately leading to inadequate services. Training, incentive, motivation, improved remuneration demand necessary attention. More attention to teamwork, collaboration, and appropriate manpower mix can bring higher achievement.

In conclusion, improvement in health technology will address the issues mentioned and will help to improve health care technology.

Logistic issues for primary care setting.

1. Skills- It is difficult to find a specialist who will cater to all the needs of the population in primary care setting. An invasive procedure might be required for which the skill set is inadequate or an obstreticain might be needed for maternal care. It is very difficult for a single practioner to provide all these level of skill sets. A solution to this could be for a role of the advanced nurse practitioner, either with a specific diagnostic function (e.g. ultrasound or spirometry) or to bring a specialist in for sessions or on particular days.

2. Telemedicine which is being used as a tool to improve health in remote settings. However, there is always going be a lack of satisfaction on the patient's part as there is no way to do any physical examination and then there is always an issue regarding diagnostic tests. Generally the diagnostic tests administered are much more than the patient actually required. So although a tool has been developed to improve health care but the issues still persist.

3.  Variable Quality

The quality of primary care varies considerably between different practitioners and regions. This can be an issue in some areas where the level of primary care is lacking, and patients may not receive the full benefits. Additionally, different models and types of primary care practices, including public and private based models, highlight the disparity to a greater extent.

4. Another point to be noted is the ease with patients can operate the technology. It is new and difficult for everyone to have complete access to it.