Advancements in Medical Technology

Introduction

The 21st Century has seen tremendous growth in technology in all industries, which has led to a myriad of benefits. A key area in which technology has led to tremendous growth and great advantages is in the area of medicine. Ortiz and Hsiang (2018) note that medical technology revolves around creating tools with the express purpose of improving the quality of life of patients. In the UK, there have been statutory changes that have been passed into low that ensure that the society changes its perspectives on the health and social care to those who are the end users and final beneficiaries. The end users tend to be most elderly people, those with physical and mental impairments, and young people and adults who have various complexities that may require the use of technology so that they can achieve independence. For those pursuing academic support, healthcare dissertation help can be invaluable in exploring these advancements. The essay shall be divided into three major portions. The purpose of the first portion of the essay will be to demonstrate an understanding of various technology assistive devices that can be employed to provide full support that will eventually lead to fully independent living. The second part will demonstrate an understanding of the implication of developments in technologies for use in health and social care. The third part will be to recommend technologies to support independent living for users of health and social care services. The overall role of the essay will be to demonstrate an understanding of assistive technologies and how they can improve the well being of end-users by helping them attain their full potential to supported living standards in the health and social care sector services.

Task 1: Understanding the Use of Technology to Support Independent Living

1.1 Use of Technology to Support Users of Health and Social Care Services in Living Independently

Technology has various great advantages and can offer support to users of health and social care services and enable them to live independently. According to the Independent Living Institute (2019), “independent living is a philosophy and a movement of people with disabilities who work for self-determination, equal opportunities, and self-respect.” Basically, independent living is the desire for individuals who may have disabilities of various kinds to have the same choices and control over their lives as able-bodied individuals. However, it is challenging for individuals with various disabilities to live on their own based on the severity of the disability. In Case Study 1, Mrs. Mary Johnson lives in her own home in Northamptonshire. She has been widowed for the past 5 years. Although she lives alone, she has early onset of dementia, which has led to cognitive decline. She tends to have difficulty finding her way home when she has been out locally. She does not want to move into a home for the aged or to live with her son or daughter. She desires to continue to maintain her independence. The desire for independence can only be facilitated by technology in the form of assistive devices/technology.

Assistive technology and devices allow the individual to continue to maintain their independence regardless of their disability. According to the World Health Organization (2019), assistive devices and technologies are basically items whose primary role is to maintain and enhance an individual’s functioning and help them maintain their overall well-being. Additionally, the devices may help to reduce any secondary impairment and protect the individual from any secondary health conditions that may occur. The most common example of an assistive device that many individuals may be aware of is a wheelchair. For Mrs. Mary Johnson, there are various assistive technologies that have been installed in her home. A gas sensor and cut off valve has been installed. Since Mrs. Johnson has memory issues, she may forget to turn off her gas; the assistive technologies ensure that even if she forgets the technologies will remind her to turn it off. There is a radio smoke detector, door alert for the back door, and a lifeline telecare alarm unit that is linked to the local community alarm service. The technologies are basically to remind her to do normal things within the house, such as closing the door, and if she has any trouble, the technologies are linked to call for help from the local community. Since she has problems with her memory, there is a calendar clock to remind her of the day and the time, a unique picture telephone that will help her in remembering the person who is calling, and an automatic pill dispenser to remind her to take her medication. Assistive technology allows her to live independently and safely.

1.2. Barriers to the Use of Technology to Support Users of Health and Social Care Services in Living Independently

While assistive technologies support the users of health and social care services in living independently, there are several barriers that limit their efficacy. A key barrier is physical environment as it pertains to learning to use the technology. According to Lersilp, Putthinoi, and Lersilp (2018), some assistive technologies are quite complicated to understand more so for individuals experiencing cognitive decline or ones that may have severe learning disabilities. For Mrs. Johnson, the technologies to be installed in her house seem to be fairly straightforward. She does not need to understand how they perform their function so long as they perform their function effectively. Moreover, it is possible that some of the end-users may reject assistive technologies because, for them, it may be an acceptance that they are infirm. This rejection may occur in individuals who may have once been able-bodied, but due to circumstances are experiencing disabilities of various kinds. Mrs. Johnson was disinclined to accept the assistive technologies that are being installed in her home. She accepted them because they allow her to maintain her independence. The other barrier will revolve around cost and time. Lersilp, Putthinoi, and Lersilp (2018) note that some of the assistive technologies are very niche products, and that means that their cost is relatively high. The cost of the technologies is a significant barrier because it may bar individuals that genuinely need the devices from accessing them. The follow-up costs of maintenance may also add to the already high costs pushing the devices further from the individuals that need them. Yusif, Soar, and Hafeez-Baig (2016) note that some serious concerns on the end user's end revolve around whether the device will be suitable for everyday use, stigma, fear of growing too dependent on the technologies, and a lack of training to use the technologies. These fears can be allayed through proper education so that the individuals can become aware of the purpose of the technologies. That the technologies are not there to replace their independence but to help them to continue living an independent life for as long as possible. For Mrs. Johnson, fears of cost, stigma, the suitability of everyday use, and the fear of growing too dependent on the technologies do not appear to be an issue.

1.3. Benefits of Assistive Technologies to Health and Social Care Organizations and their Users

There are various benefits of assistive technologies not only to the users but to health and social care organizations. For an organization, assistive technologies help the organization to redirect its resources in a more efficient manner. There are some individuals that will require the use of assistive technologies more than other individuals. Resources will be guided towards individuals that require more help since they are ones that are more prone to injury. It is important to note that regardless of assistive technologies, human carers are still needed. The purpose of assistive technologies is not to replace the human being but to increase the independence of the individual with disabilities. Since individuals that use assistive technologies will most likely be in their homes, health and social care organizations will have more time, personnel and finances to direct towards individuals whose independent living will not be safe regardless of the use of assistive devices. There are numerous benefits for users. In the area of Self-care, to service users, especially the older ones or elderly, these include bathing, skin care, oral hygiene, and dressing, most AT for self-care are affordable, easy to learn and maintain. Stocking aids for people recovering either an accident or knee or hip injury, for people with wheelchair users and limited use of hands, other devices like zippers assist aids; adaptive clothing for clients with limited mobility and wheelchair users, these give more choice, safety, independence and sense of control. Moreover, it leads to an improved quality of life, which gives the individual the freedom of movement within the confines of their own home and in the community at large.

Relating to Mrs. Mary Johnson in the case study, she has increasing levels of forgetfulness, disorientation, and finding difficulty back to her home. As such, the scheme that was preferred was titled Safe at Home, and it would enable her to live a more independent life. Various facets of more independent living mean that she will be able to look after her personal hygiene, oral hygiene, skin care, and dressing, hence improving her quality of life and giving her full control of her independence. There are also aspects of home safety and environmental control, and they include gas sensors, cut off valve, radio smoke detector, door alert for the back door and a lifeline telecare alarm unit that was linked to the local community. The above were installed for Mrs. Johnson to feel safer at home. Due to her memory loss and being forgetful the assistive technologies allow her to be more independent and give her full control in her own home in terms of the food she cooks and in case she forgets to switch the gas, the sensors will sound, and the valve will cut off the movement of gas. Thus, the assistive technologies installed helped Mrs. Johnson to stay at home and live more independently. Furthermore, it also made it easier to show areas in which she needs extra support and areas where more technologies can be installed. The other benefit or advantage of the assistive technologies to service users is reduced accidents and falls for people like Mrs. Johnson. AT Dementia (2007) notes that a major role of assistive technologies is that they inform set caretakers when the individual is in distress. For Mrs. Johnson, the installation of AT like telecare equipment involved a number of people and took around 3 hours to complete. If she ever feels that she is in distress, she can press a button and be picked up by her daughter in law, and that would help in reducing pressure or burden to the carers. Additionally, she will further benefit for her be taken out more around, for her wellbeing and confidence, live more independently within the community and other social amenities. Other technologies helped improve her quality of life too, and they include the calendar clock, the picture telephone, and an automatic pill dispenser these would give her more independence. Therefore, there are numerous benefits of assistive technologies, and the majority of them are experienced by the user.

Task 2: Understanding the Implications of Developments in Technologies for Use in Health and Social Care

2.1. Health and Safety Considerations in the Use of Technologies in Health and Social Care

It is important to understand the health and safety considerations in the use of assistive technologies. In relation to the assistive technologies, it is important to be aware of the issues that may arise when they are in use. According to GOV.UK (2018), there are various issues that may arise and they include but are not limited to: inadequate maintenance from the manufactures; inappropriate modifications; lack of proper maintenance; problems in storage and use; lack of compatibility with the use; device flaws such as intermittent failures, poor production, and poor design; lack of a user manuals and other proper documentation and many more issues. The number of issues that could go wrong with the device is innumerable. However, individuals operate on the good faith that the manufacturer did their due diligence and that they manufactured a device that will not easily fail. The other health and safety considerations revolve around the individual and not the device itself. According to Saint Elizabeth Health Career College (2019), the first health and safety consideration when it comes to the individual is to understand the reason why the individual needs the device. Understanding the reason why the individual needs the device will help in selecting a device that will meet all their needs. Moreover, while there may be broad characteristics that will guide the selection of the assistive devices, it is important to understand the individual circumstances so that one is able to provide top quality care. For example, an individual may be experiencing hearing impairment, which means that they need hearing aids. Giving them walking crutches while a bit far fetched will not help them. As such, it is important to understand the individual circumstances so that the proper devices may be selected for the individual.

Additionally, proper safety considerations must be considered in relation to the severity of the disability. According to Gagnon-Roy (2017), major safety concern is that the assistive technologies will not evolve with the disability. In the case of dementia, the technologies will not be “aware” that the individual has become worse and that they may not remember the role of the alarms and the beeps that are installed in the house. The lack of adaptability is major health and safety concern and speaks to the fact that assistive technologies cannot replace a human caregiver. Therefore, the health and safety considerations revolve around the individual and the devices. Regarding Mrs. Johnson, the health and safety considerations that should be taken into account revolve around her memory. If she forgets to do a pertinent thing such as shutting off the gas, it may result in her death, or she may become injured in a very terrible way. As such, the technologies have to be tactile and appeal to the senses so that they grab her attention. In this case, the tactile nature of the technologies is that they make noise whenever a particular thing such as shutting off the gas is not done, and that is important. Moreover, it is important to have a human carer look in on Mrs. Johnson from time to time to determine the degree of severity of her dementia. If the disease has become too severe, then more sophisticated technologies may need to be employed.

2.2. Ethical Considerations in the Use of Assistive Technologies

There are ethical considerations that must be taken into account in the use of technologies. Bennett et al. (2017) observe that one of the key ethical considerations that people have relates to privacy. It is feared that a number of assistive technologies may reveal too much information about the user. Some of those technologies usually revolve around devices that collect information about the user and send the data to a third party. It is feared that the data may be intercepted and used by other individuals for malicious reasons. Additionally, some of the technologies, such as those that have cameras may be hacked, and that data may be used for malicious reasons. There is also the issue of beneficence and non-maleficence. Beneficence is doing what is best for an individual, and non-maleficence involves avoiding doing something that may cause individual harm (Cook, 2009). The ethical consideration revolving around beneficence and non-maleficence as it pertains to assistive technologies is challenging because it might be challenging to determine what is best for the individual more so when they have issues such as dementia. In those moments, it is important to consider whether using assistive technologies is the best thing to do for the individual with the disability as it pertains to beneficence. In relation to non-maleficence, it is important that the application of assistive technologies does not lead to more harm than good for the individual. There is also the ethical consideration of autonomy. Autonomy is respecting the individual’s right to self-determination (Cook, 2009). In a nutshell, that means that one respects that the individual is in a position to determine what is the best thing for their person. The principle of autonomy becomes more challenging when the individual has reduced cognitive capacity, which, in a sense, reduces their ability to self-determination. In such instances, it is important that the primary caretaker makes decisions that will not compromise their right to self-determination.

Another ethical consideration revolves around the assessment of risk. It is important to remember that the purpose of assistive technologies is to improve the individual’s independence. That factor must be at the forefront of one’s mind when they are making decisions as to which technologies will be most efficacious in helping meet that goal. As such, it is important that assistive technology have a careful balance between increasing and improving the person’s quality of life, as well as improving independence and safety. Additionally, there is the issue of how assistive technologies should be distributed. Cook (2009) notes that the issue of distribution of assistive technology devices is very important because it is a determinant factor in whether the technology will be useful to the ones that are using it. A key failure of the device is seen when the individual stops using it not because it is faulty but because it does not meet their needs. Distribution should be done according to need not simply to meet a quota. Therefore, it is important to take ethical considerations in mind when making decisions concerning assistive technologies.

2.3. Impacts of Recent and Emerging Technological Developments on Health and Social Care Services, Organizations, and Care Workers.

Technological developments continue to improve the realm of assistive technologies, and that has an impact on health and social care services, organizations, and care workers. There has been the invention of lightweight, high-performance mobility devices that enable individuals with disabilities to play sports (NIH, 2019). This has had a really great impact since it has increased the autonomy of some individuals with disability. There have been great trends in assistive technologies that revolve around physical mobility. Cowan et al. (2012) note that mobility assistance technologies have grown in leaps and bounds to include powered wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, wearable exoskeletons, and electrical stimulation. Such growth has had an impact since it takes into account continued decline as in the case of the electric wheelchair which means that the carer does not to be there since the individual is able to achieve mobility on their own. Moreover, there has been the growth of responsive elements such as alarms that are connected to a specific database. When the individual is in distress, the alarm will take note, or they can manually press the alarm and health, and social care services will be informed that there is an issue. That has an impact because it means that individuals that work for the health and social care services do not need to be by the side of the individual every moment. The key impact of the growth in technologies is that it has given health and social care services, organizations, and care workers more versatility in how they work.

Task 3: Recommendations of Technologies to Support Independent Living for Users of Health and Social Care Services

3.1 Identifying the Specific Needs of the Individual Requiring Support to Live Independently

Joseph is a 62-year old man who has early onset dementia. He recently lost his wife. He is an extremely active individual, and he goes out a number of times each and every day. Joseph leaves his home and goes wandering out at night, which is a factor of him being disoriented to the day and time. There has been a time when his daughter came to visit him, and she found water flowing out the door, and it turns out that Joseph was not at home. At times, when homecare arrives early Joseph is not at home, which means that he can miss meals and his medication. It is clear that Joseph has needs for assistive technology to help in improving his quality of life. Joseph safety is paramount since he tends to leave the house at night and go wandering in the neighborhood. It is clear that he forgets to take his meals and medication too. He is disoriented as to what time of day or night it is. He forgets to do things such as shut off the water, which at the extreme may translate into him living things such as the gas open which would result in catastrophic outcomes. Additionally, there has to be a way to lock his door to keep him from wandering out at night. Given Joseph’s situation, there is a requirement for assistive devices.

3.2 Recommendations of the Technologies that Might Support Independent Living Arrangements

Since Joseph has a need for assistive devices, a number of recommendations will be made that will support independent living. First and foremost, there is a need for sensors that will beep when he leaves things such as the tap, or the gas on. Since it seems that flooding is more likely to happen because he has left the tap open before, it is important that a sensor is installed to prevent water flooding or to turn off the tap after a particular period of time has elapsed. Since there is a possibility of fire, smoke detectors and fire alarms should be fixed in the home to raise the alarm in case of a fire. A digital clock should be mounted to show the time. It is advised that the digital clock be mounted at the door so that when he tries to leave at night, he will see the clock and realize that it is nighttime. Since it seems he also wakes up at night to go walk in the neighborhood, there should be a sensor that notes when he wakes up and switches on the lights. Additionally, there should be a sensor that locks the door at night and will not open them unless it is morning or a specific code is keyed in.

3.3 Evaluation of the Usefulness of Technology for Users of Health and Social Care Services

It is expected that the technology will be useful and help meet Joseph’s needs. The smoke and fire detectors are useful. If and when smoke is detected, the smoke alarms will beep and inform Joseph that something is burning. If it is too late, the fire alarms will blare signaling that the situation is now more serious and Joseph should get out of the house and wait for the fire department. A gas detector is also useful since any leakage is detected the flow of gas will be stopped. The flood detector will be designed to detect the presence of water on the floor. The device will inform Joseph that there is a tap that is open and that he should check the taps to ensure that each one of them is shut. The digital clock mounted on the door will inform Joseph what time it is. When he tries to go out, he will notice the time and the fact that it is at night and he will choose to remain at home. However, if the digital clock will not be enough to deter him, there will be sensors that lock the door at night, and they will not open unless a particular code is keyed. In the morning, he has home care, so there is no fear of him going out during the day. The bed sensor will serve as a distress beacon of sorts. The sensor will be connected to a monitor that will send a distress signal if any issues, such as a heart attack are noted when Joseph is asleep.

Conclusion

Technology has grown in leaps and bounds, and it has led to the birth of assistive technologies. Assistive technologies allow individuals with various disabilities to continue living independent lifestyles regardless of their disabilities. The technologies have had a great impact not only on the users but on health and social organizations. It is much easier for an individual to continue to maintain their autonomy for as long as possible or until they become too infirm to live on their own. There are various health, safety, and ethical considerations that must be taken into consideration when selecting assistive technologies. It is also important to be aware of the specific needs of the individual so that the right technologies can be selected for them. As things, stand assistive technologies are getting better and more streamlined, and they will continue to have tremendous benefits for the users and health and social organizations.

References

Bennett, B., McDonald, F., Beattie, E., Carney, T., Freckelton, I., White, B. & Willmott, L., 2017. Assistive technologies for people with dementia: ethical consideration. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 95(11), pp. 749-755.

Cook M, A., 2009. Ethical issues related to the use/non-use of assistive technologies. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, vol. 37(2), pp. 127-152.

Gagnon-Roy, M., Bourget, A., Stocco, S., Courchesne A, L., Kuhne, N. & Provencher, V., 2017. Assistive technology addressing safety issues in dementia: A scoping review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, vol. 71(5), DOI:10.5014/ajot.2017.025817

Ortiz B, G. & Hsiang, W. (2018). Medical technology. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, vol. 91(3), pp. 203-205.

Yusif, S., Soar, J. & Hafeez-Baig, A., 2016. Older people, assistive technologies, and the barriers to adoption: A systematic review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, vol. 94, pp. 112-116.