Web Usage

CURRENT WEB USAGE

The company's current use of the web is somewhat minimal. Presently, the company has the majority of its therapists using an iTouch as a medical PDA, and about 100 therapists were assigned iPad's about a month ago, as a pilot, to see if the iPad's would be more useful and efficient than the iTouch. The iTouch and iPad's are used for documentation after treating each patient as well as tracking the therapist's time and billing. The information from these devices is then uploaded every day to a software program that tracks the patients.

Currently, the company doesn't have a "user friendly" website that its patients and therapists can benefit from. The corporate office gets the most use out of the web. They use the web for recruiting, employee tracking, ordering supplies and uniforms with vendors, running background checks and license verification on therapists, and scheduling training and conferences for the therapists.

BENEFITS OF UTILIZING THE WEB

Incorporating the web and handheld devices in the medical field can be advantageous to both patient and therapist, whether it's patient tracking, patient confidentiality, or even research, says Fischer, Stewart, Sanjeeta, Wax and Lapinsky (2005) Handheld devices can also allow for faster communication between patient and therapist, especially since patients are getting more involved with their health and becoming more educated about their medical decisions. The web can especially be useful to therapists that are working in conjunction with other therapist, nurses or even doctors. They can all feel confident about the data they're sharing, and the fact that it will be accessible for multiple users to review. Therefore, images and other information can be exchanged and messages can be sent instantly.

There are an increasing number of consumers who manage their own healthcare through the web along with other health information technology activities, which include "communicating over e-mail, refilling a prescription, and scheduling appointments." Stussman (2009)

Using handheld devices along with the web can offer flexibility and easy access to patient information, and allows the medical provider more time to focus on patient care. Handheld devices are also beneficial as they provide access to medical literature, patient tracking applications, and other resources. (Murray 2003) These devices can be useful in rehabilitation because they allow the physician to assess and document a patient's progress at the time of treatment. The physician would also have access to the patient's previous therapy sessions.

ETHICAL QUESTIONS

Ethical questions that might be raised by this vision would include: is there going to be an issue with patient confidentiality? Are the handhelds secure enough to protect sensitive patient information? What methods are being used to protect their identity and block anyone from hacking into the facilities server? Will there be an issue training the physicians on these devices? Younger therapists may feel comfortable with the technology, but a seasoned therapist may not feel as comfortable with it due to a lack of computer expertise. The facility would have to implement training sessions so everyone is up to speed, and they're aren't varying levels of comfort with operating the devices.

Another concern which may arise would be the implementation of software and the maintenance of the devices. The patients might be concerned about how often the software is being upgraded or replaced, and if the therapist is receiving their most up to date and accurate medical records.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Patients could potentially check themselves in or book an appointment through the website. The website could also be used to create PDF pamphlets for patients in reference to the center they stayed at or even their condition. They could also take a tour of the centers and view the new equipment that's used during therapy via YouTube on the website. 44% of American web users look online for information about doctors or other health professionals. Junto (2012) By utilizing the web, it would allow Premier to puts its best foot forward and make a good first impression to potential patients, as well as, potential employees. Twitter and Facebook can also be useful to the facility by getting information out to patients, or using them in recruiting efforts to inform therapist which positions are open at a location near them. More than 3.5 billion pieces of content is shared each week on Facebook. Although 60% of this content consists of sharing between friends and peers, four out of ten consumers use social media to find reviews