Excellent 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)

Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.

Supported by at least three current, credible sources.Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.Good 40 (40%) – 44 (44%)

Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.Supported by at least three credible sources.Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.Fair 35 (35%) – 39 (39%)

Responds to some of the discussion question(s).

One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.Post is cited with two credible sources.Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.Contains some APA formatting errors.Poor 0 (0%) – 34 (34%)

Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.

Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.Contains only one or no credible sources.Not written clearly or concisely.Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION:

Discussion: Review of current healthcare issues

Technology is one of the most critical issues in the healthcare sector. Over the past few decades, the healthcare sector has emerged intense pressure to embrace new communication, information processing, and treatment technologies. While this revolution has been gradual, the changes in information management practices have occurred swiftly. According to Agha (2014), information management technologies such as electronic health/medical records (EHR/EMR) have taken the healthcare sector by storm due to their potential to improve service delivery, quality of care, output, and overall reliability in the healthcare sector. Others, such as communication, have led to the emergence of telemedicine/telehealth that allows clinicians to assess, diagnose, prescribe, and monitor their patients remotely. While technology has created numerous opportunities in the healthcare sector, it has also raised multiple issues that need to be addressed for patients and hospitals to realize the optimum benefits.

The opportunities that arise from technology include quality improvement, cost reduction, increased productivity, and enhanced workflow, and improved patient safety. Technology not only allows clinicians to serve multiple patients simultaneously, but it also lowers the costs that patients incur as they visit hospitals, and the time that is wasted before service delivery (Agha, 2014; Mitchell & Kan, 2019). Healthcare services have thus become more efficient and reliable.

Unfortunately, technology threatens to worsen the existing healthcare disparities since new technologies and the necessary infrastructure are only available to the already privileged communities (Lee, 2015). For instance, patients with no access to computers, smartphones, and internet connectivity cannot access telemedicine. Further, the high implementation costs have limited the adoption of technology by hospitals by inadequately funded hospitals. However, the most significant concern is the effect of technology on the quality of care and patient safety. As cyber threats continue to threaten the safety of patient records and the integrity of healthcare services, some experts are concerned that ill-trained clinicians, faulty equipment, inaccurate data, and obsolete technologies, among others, could affect the quality of care (Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea, Chiumente & Dauben, 2017). The threat is worsened by the fast pace in which technologies become obsolete and the sharing of data across an entire healthcare facility or system. At the same time, a minor glitch could disrupt all essential healthcare services.

A lot needs to be done to address the issues above. First, the government and other stakeholders should invest heavily in providing basic services such as internet connectivity to the people and reducing the gap that already exists in this area. Additionally, the government, hospitals, learning institutions, and other stakeholders should invest heavily in research and development to raise the reliability of healthcare technologies and their relevance to the needs of the patients. This commitment should also focus on identifying and developing solutions to threats. Hospitals should be prepared to incur considerable costs in implementing healthcare technologies. While it is costly to invest in healthcare technologies, the long-term operating costs, increased productivity, and other saved costs raise the sustainability of technologies and their return on investment (Mitchell & Kan, 2019). Finally, healthcare professionals should be trained before they are introduced to new technologies, while they should also be required to update their knowledge and skills on a frequent basis. Discussion: Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues