Technology in Healthcare Communication

Effective and efficient communication in the healthcare field is crucial for providing quality care to patients. Medical professionals rely on innovative technology to abet communication so that they may work collaboratively as a team.

Electronic Medical Records

• Electronic medical record systems let medical professionals access, update and share patient information easily, so that patients may receive optimal services. With electronic medical records (EMR), doctors can email sections of a patient's medical chart to specialists for quick referrals or to hospitals so that inpatient physicians know what kind of medications the patient is currently taking.

Prescription Technology

• Prescription communication technology lets doctors and pharmacies communicate with each other virtually. A doctor can transmit a prescription to a patient's pharmacy right from the computer. This alleviates the patient from having to drop the prescription off in person. According to the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative website, electronic prescription systems reduce medication errors caused by things like poor penmanship.

Telemedicine

• According to the American Telemedicine Association, "telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients' health status." With telemedicine, videoconferencing equipment is used so that the doctor and patient can see one another. Doctors perform assessments, visual observations and can take remote vitals. Telemedicine offers a solution to geographic barriers and lets communication to patients be more efficient.