In a 5-7 page written assessment, determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined

In a 5-7 page written assessment, determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined

Part 1

Impact of Health Care Technology

Healthcare technology impacts the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Telemedicine is an example of healthcare technology used in the management of DM. This is accomplished via various strategies. Firstly, telemedicine facilitates continuous patient monitoring. For instance, continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) allow perpetual monitoring of plasma glucose levels (Aberer et al., 2021). These systems have sensors that measure and display plasma glucose values (Aberer et al., 2021). Thereafter, patients transmit these values to their clinicians. CGMS optimizes the management of DM by allowing patients and their clinicians to monitor glucose levels continuously (Aberer et al., 2021). This enables them to determine their response to treatment and the necessity for modifying the plans to improve glycemic control. Also, tele-retinal screening facilitates remote screening of diabetic retinopathy (Aberer et al., 2021). This is beneficial because it enables patients to complete their annual screening and eliminates the need for in-person visits (Aberer et al., 2021). Based on the results, clinicians make timely referrals to an ophthalmologist for specialized care.

Secondly, telemedicine optimizes medication adherence and documentation. For instance, smart pens record insulin dose and dosing frequency (Aberer et al., 2021). This information is transmitted to mobile applications to allow continuous monitoring (Aberer et al., 2021). Patients and their families can monitor this data to determine their adherence to the treatment plan. Also, this data can be recorded in glucose diaries and transmitted to clinicians. By so doing, clinicians can monitor patients’ adherence to treatment plans (Aberer et al., 2021). Furthermore, mobile reminders and alarms optimize adherence to the treatment plan by allowing patients to receive predetermined notifications (Wong et al., 2021). Glucose diaries enable patients to record their activities. These entail aspects such as dietary habits and medication intake. The diaries promote accountability and improve adherence to treatment plans.

Thirdly, telemedicine enables clinicians to make timely interventions. This is accomplished via technologies such as video conferencing and audio calls (Wong et al., 2021). Video conferencing and audio calls facilitate real-time interactions between patients and their clinicians (Wong et al., 2021). As such, patients can make real-time specialty consultations remotely. For instance, videoconferencing can enable a clinician to provide feedback obtained from remote patient monitoring and modify the patient’s treatment plan (Wong et al., 2021). In addition, telemedicine facilitates lifestyle modification. This can be accomplished via periodic audio and video calls. For instance, physical exercise training sessions can be offered virtually.

These findings are consistent with the healthcare technology used at my workplace. My workplace has embraced telemedicine in the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. We use mobile health technology, such as reminders, to optimize adherence to the treatment plan. Furthermore, we use video conferencing to provide real-time feedback on patients’ concerns. In addition, high-risk patients have wearable devices to facilitate continuous remote patient monitoring.

Potential Barriers and Costs

The use of telemedicine is impeded by various factors. To begin with, limited digital literacy among healthcare providers, patients, and their families reduces the acceptability of telemedicine (Drees, 2020). This can be addressed by training and education sessions aimed at improving stakeholders’ digital knowledge and skills. The second barrier is the lack of affordable quality broadband (Appuswamy & Desimone, 2020). This hinders connectivity between patients and healthcare providers. The third barrier is the lack of multistate licensure (Drees, 2020). This is likely to impede connectivity for patients and clinicians from different states. The fourth barrier is patients’ preferences for face-to-face interactions (Appuswamy & Desimone, 2020). Some patients are unwilling to embrace telemedicine because they believe that in-perso