Internet trends in healthcare

The new generations are looking more and more at self-directed care and self-managed care. Often, when people are not feeling well, they will go to the internet to research on their symptoms or diagnoses. Here is one website to go to for information about your health.
www.webmd.com

Trends in healthcare- end of life choices

Today, more than ever, people are facing their mortality head on. People diagnosed with a life limiting illness have many options available. Hospice is designed to support the choice of people who have decided to manage end of life for themselves. Hospice allows patients to experience the disease in its normal course while managing symptoms as they arise, rather than pursuing curative treatment. I have worked as a hospice nurse in my career and I have definitely seen the benefits of having a hospice program available to the community. It gives people another avenue of choice when dealing with their healthcare. Many people want to die in their own homes and a hospice program may help a person to meet this objective.

Home health

Home health is a health care service that works with client's in their homes, where ever that may be. Skilled homecare can provide skilled nursing, aide, or therapy services. The patient must be home bound to receive these services. This service is short term, intermittant care. The focus is to treat and educate patients so that they recover quickly and are able to self manage their care. Home health also has a couple other programs. This is personal care and supportive care. You do not need to be home bound for these services. The focus on these programs is to assist patient's to keep them in their own homes. Personal care workers assist with things such a bathing, dressing, light transfers, meal preparation , medication reminders, etc. Supportive care workers do not do any "hands on care". They do meal prep., house cleaning, run errands, shop for clients, take people out in the community, etc. The trends in health care are really supporting "in the home care".

Trends in healthcare

Telehealth is the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. One aspect of telehealth is remote monitoring. Many home health agencies are using "technology" to help serve their clients. The nurse may set up monitoring equipment in the home of the client in which the client can take their blood pressure, pulse, weight, etc. in the home independently or with the assist of someone and then the results are immediately transmitted to the computer at the home health agency. The agency can put in indicators that may flag for need for an intervention; example: blood pressure range or weight gain/loss. The staff can use this information for medication monitoring or help to increase a clients abilities to self-manage their healthcare. They have found that this has helped to reduce hospitalizations. This technology is very beneficial to home health agencies in rural areas where distance between clients can be a lot. Some monitoring equipment can have video cameras on them so the nurse can also get a visual on the client without actually going to the home.

Happy Fourth of July!

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The aging of boomers

Product failure

I saw on the news this AM a newscast on Starbucks Coffee is closing 600 stores in the near future. This company did have very rapid growth in the past and now they are seeing a decline. Their stocks have shown a drop. They are trying to recover from their rapid growth. They foresee that they will open different stores in 2009, but will be searching out a more lucrative market.