The Intensive Care Unit(ICU) is a critical wing of the hospital that majorly handles surgeries and other critical patient procedures. The ICU is said to be demi autonomous because of its independence in providing the patient with the best care availability in a safe manner and achieve the best medical; care. Technology is slowly taking over all the industries in the economic sector of any particular country and the health sector has not been left behind. There has been an irresistible urge and demand for advanced technology in the health sector in order to improve delivery of health care services in hospitals and clinics all over the world.
Healthcare sector is a field that demands diligence and accuracy in disease diagnosis. Real time results that are accurate are there for necessary in order for the medical practitioners to combat disease and save lives (Lee 2012). Without these milestone advancement in technology little would be achieved and hospitals would be losing patients in hospitals due to negligence and lack of accuracy. Although some of these technologies are slowly replacing the overwhelming human resource, labor has to be compromised in order to save lives and improve healthcare in general. In analytical video provided showing the how these technologies have been utilized in order to provide quality services in these facilities, it is undeniable that these technological advancements have salvaged a lot of lives and restored the public on the competence of hospitals to deliver the best treatment with efficiency and with due diligence. One of the areas in hospitals that have benefitted much is the intensive care unit and the maternal unit.
Various elements of technology has been put in place and actually run the show in the ICU, some of these technologies include the E-glass, infusion pumps, communication systems, electronic management record, mechanical ventilators physiologic monitor and medical utility system. E-glass has been used I hospitals to secure the patient privacy. Privacy of surgical procedures is highly regarded by hospitals in order to make the patients comfortable. Patients tend to feel comfortable and secure when they are isolated from the external environment. Privacy is there for an essential factor in hospital care and patience deserve to be protected from public scrutiny-glasses have helped play great role in securing the privacy of the patients in wards and operating rooms by creating a barrier that separates the two sides(Lee 2012). Traditional methods of patient privacy like curtains are considered to be cheaper but do not assure the patient of their privacy therefor curtains and other traditional means do not guarantee the said privacy and does not give the patient the good experience they deserve. Mechanical ventilation system is another major technology that plays a major role in ICU.
This kind of technology is the artificial ventilation that uses mechanical energy to ensure proper air circulation and flow of clean air in the intensive care units. The major kind of machine used here is the ventilator whereby some tubes are used to drive air in and out through the trachea for patience with a failed breathing system. Mechanical ventilation is available in two types, the positive reassure ventilation and the negative pressure ventilation. Positive ventilation involves pushing air into the lungs or trachea while negative ventilation is whereby air is forced into the lungs by triggering the chest to move. Mechanical ventilation is used to save lives of patients whose breathing systems have failed to pump air and support life (Alex 2014). Although this kind of action does not cure the disease being hailed by the patient, it is important that the doctor issues an immediate intervention in order to cure the disease completely. It is also necessary that all hospitals install proper communication systems in their facilities.
In the era of advanced technology, communication between people and machines has become necessary for hospitals to adopt the systems in their facilities. Communication can be in various forms for example use of mobile phones or the use integrated service digital network. The intercom system has enabled efficient communication between various departments working in the hospital. A nurse for instance can make a call to a doctor in case the patience condition has become critical and requires immediate medical attention therefore saving a lot of lives and guaranteeing patient safety by giving immediate medication.
The Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) is another crucial player in achieving proper communication and sharing of information between various departments in the facility. For instance, ISDN has for a long time been used in sharing patients’ data for instance the patience files and reports or even x-ray images for further examination (Lee 2012). The physiologic monitoring system is another important technology that aims to provide effective patient treatment. This system helps provide valuable information to the doctor or nurse so as to observe the progress of the patient and how they respond to medication. This system usually has a digital display that relays the information to the medical expert who can interpret it better. These bedside monitors provide crucial data about the patient, which include blood pressure, rate of respiration, body temperature, and body output among many others.
All these technologies have proven to provide quality healthcare by enabling medical practitioners like physicians and nurses address critical patient conditions in real-time so as to provide effective diagnosis and cure. The benefits that these innovations have brought to place are numerous and cannot be replaced with traditional methods of treatment and disease control.(Alex 2014). The ICU as we have seen is a sector that demands critical care and professionalism of the highest order. Proper medical care cannot be provided without the aid of these technologies. Hospitals have to stretch within and beyond their financial abilities to provide sensible patient to staff ratio and procure devices and machines that can help monitor and provide real time results and give quality services to patients.