Essay Sample on Technology in Healthcare

Rapid technological advancements have made it increasingly difficult for the geriatric population to comprehend their health care needs. Cognitive impairments and other ailments also contribute to the decreased ability to process health information. Health professionals should consider the gap in generational technology and how that affects the older population and their ability to understand their health needs. 

Technology has been a game-changer for the health care system. Thanks to technological advancements, patients can now easily access their medical files, receive lab reports faster, and access their doctors from the comfort of their homes using modern health communication technology. Despite these advancements, a vast amount of the geriatric population is disproportionately affected by technology concerning their health information due to the information not being in a consumable form. There are many options to explore when seeking health information. Patients can use different forms of technology such as iPhones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This poses a challenge to the older population. The use of modern technology is very complex that it limits certain groups, such as geriatric patients, from being able to effectively utilize these systems. It is important to understand older adults ' perceptions of technology to help introduce technology tailored to this population and maximize its potential to increase health literacy (Vaportzis et al., 2017) 

Barriers that the geriatric population faces with technology changes are the lack of instruction and guidance, knowledge and confidence, and cognitive impairments. There isn't much instruction or guidance when using technology to access and understand health information. Instead of teaching an older person how to utilize the system, health professionals are more likely to just do it for them diminishing the fact that they just need help and patience to learn a system unfamiliar to them. This takes away the opportunity for them to better understand their health information. Many older people feel inadequate and less confident in using modern technology because they don't know how to use it. Often, they may feel defeated because they do not understand as quickly as the younger generation. With this in mind, health professionals should meet the patient where they are and support them through their journey of increasing their health literacy. Lastly, cognitive impairments can contribute to decreased health literacy. Various impairments could contribute to a decreased ability to process health information (Cornett, 2006; Speors, 2009). Due to these barriers, the geriatric population might find it more challenging to utilize the devices effectively to be able to even read their health information. Alvseike and Brønnick (2012) reported that cognitive deficits and low self-efficacy associated with older age significantly reduced participants' ability to use technology. 

Modern technology is constantly evolving and transforming the healthcare system. Healthcare providers will need to be mindful of these changes and how they will affect the geriatric population and be ready to help tailor information to meet the need of this population.