Introduction
Contemporary trends and policies emerging in healthcare transform this industry and, as a rule, aim to optimize its fields. The activities of Trinity Community Hospital with its professional specialists and high development prospects are dynamic. However, in the context of digitalization and the introduction of information technology in all areas, including medicine, new trends may be useful approaches to enhance the quality of work. In particular, in the hospital, a new service line is planned to be launched – a cardiovascular center that will provide screening and treatment services to targeted patients. To ensure the sustainable operation of the center and follow modern standards of medical care, the introduction of specific modern trends is a valuable prospect. The work of the future cardiovascular center will be evaluated in terms of the use of remote interaction with patients by using 5G technology and artificial intelligence (AI) computing as innovative approaches to diagnostics and treatment.
Trends Description: The Cause of Changes
One of the trends that may be applied to the development of a new cardiology service line at Trinity Community Hospital is the use of remote interaction with patients through the introduction of 5G technology. Zhang et al. (2020) describe the specifics of this trend and explain how it works. According to the authors, interaction with the target audience is carried out remotely, and due to the innovative generation of mobile services, communication is stable (Zhang et al., 2020). Patients’ cardiovascular data are stored in the cloud, and physicians can access the necessary information when needed. Treatment planning can also take place remotely, which is particularly essential during the COVID-19 pandemic when the principles of social distancing have become a mandatory aspect of interpersonal communication.
Establishing remote access via a 5G network can go in different ways. Elgendi et al. (2018) propose a connection scheme in which users’ and providers’ devices are connected through the same channel, and any information transmitted by either party is stored in a single cloud. Moreover, as the researchers argue, due to innovative technology, special programs allow setting specific parameters, for instance, the heart rate level (Elgendi et al., 2018). In case of deviations from the norm, the program notifies a provider about the deterioration of a patient’s condition. By creating a new service line, Trinity Community Hospital specialists can develop the basic principles of the program specifics themselves. To establish communication and notification algorithms, the involvement of IT specialists is essential. Such a trend is modern and can be implemented as a tool to optimize the interaction between physicians and patients.
Another trend that has also developed recently and can be used at Trinity Community Hospital to introduce a new cardiovascular center is AI computing. According to Romiti et al. (2020), this technology allows diagnosing abnormalities in screening tests, for instance, electrocardiograms, and informing about deviations from the norm. In the context of the transition to digital screening instruments, this algorithm is useful and can be utilized in a normal clinical environment along with traditional diagnostic and treatment methods. Ouyang et al. (2020) also consider AI computing with the use of video testing and provide an algorithm that detects cardiac abnormalities in conditions of real-time observation. Both these trends can change the traditional principles of diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Healthcare Delivery: The Impact of Changes
Bringing these healthcare trends into Trinity Community Hospital’s clinical environment and, in particular, its new cardiovascular center could have an impact on the delivery of care. First, there may be too many people willing to participate in digital diagnostics and communication programs. The employees of the center will have to work in an enhanced mode or set a limit on these services. These measures, however, contradict the principles of free access to healthcare services and are not objective solutions to the problem. Remote screening and AI computing technologies are designed to simplify and, at the same time, improve the quality of treatment and care for cardiovascular patients. Nevertheless, the lack of proper monitoring over the use of these algorithms can slow down the communication process and make remote interaction meaningless. Therefore, adequate control over the mode of implementation and patient access to these technologies requires scheduling the use of these computer tools.
Secondly, the introduction of technological healthcare trends in the cardiovascular center may require the training of personnel for qualified delivery of care. Working with high-precision computer equipment requires preliminary preparation. Therefore, Trinity Community Hospital management may need to arrange special training courses for the staff of the new service center. This measure, in turn, entails additional financial and time costs. Despite the potential convenience of remote interaction with patients via 5G and video broadcasting with AI computing, not all employees may have the necessary skills to operate with digital devices. Therefore, organizing educational sessions is one of the inevitable impacts of the implementation of the considered trends in the cardiovascular center.
Possible Legislation to Remedy the Issues: The Effect of Changes
To remedy the aforementioned challenges with the introduction of computer technology into the operation of the cardiovascular center at Trinity Community Hospital, the institution can expect possible changes in the legislation. According to Albahri et al. (2018), today, “telemedicine is hardly included in legislation” (p. 80). However, with the development of the digital sphere, denying innovation is pointless, and the need to regulate issues related to the control of remote care is imperative to ensure safe care delivery. In this regard, one of the initiatives may be the development of a draft law defining the categories of citizens in need of remote interaction and AI computing services. This may be in addition to the existing Medicare act, but the regulation will be individual. Such an initiative will help coordinate the number of people who want to undergo screening tests remotely and allow those in need to receive help timely.
Another future law is the introduction of training courses for medical personnel through federal funding. The trend of introducing digital methods of treatment and care is increasing in healthcare, and as an incentive for clinics and individual centers, financial assistance from the state can be allocated to train specialists in working with computer equipment. Administrators will need to coordinate the timing of these sessions, with the government covering all equipment costs and overtime pay. This step will be relevant to addressing the issue of high costs on the part of healthcare providers and stimulate the implementation of innovative treatment and care algorithms.
Conclusion
Remote communication via the 5G network and AI computing are contemporary healthcare trends, but their implementation in the cardiovascular center of Trinity Community Hospital may be accompanied by some challenges. To overcome the surplus of those wishing to undergo screening tests on new equipment and the high costs of training personnel, the adoption of future relevant laws may be relevant. Adjusting the number of patients following their needs and federal funding are valuable initiatives that will enable innovative trends in the cardiovascular center.
References
Albahri, O. S., Albahri, A. S., Mohammed, K. I., Zaidan, A. A., Zaidan, B. B., Hashim, M., & Salman, O. H. (2018). Systematic review of real-time remote health monitoring system in triage and priority-based sensor technology: Taxonomy, open challenges, motivation and recommendations.Journal of Medical Systems, 42(5), 80. Web.
Elgendi, M., Al-Ali, A., Mohamed, A., & Ward, R. (2018). Improving remote health monitoring: A low-complexity ECG compression approach.Diagnostics, 8(1), 10. Web.
Ouyang, D., He, B., Ghorbani, A., Yuan, N., Ebinger, J., Langlotz, C. P., Heidenreich, P. A., Harrington, R. A., Liang, D. H., Ashley, E. A., & Zou, J. Y. (2020). Video-based AI for beat-to-beat assessment of cardiac function.Nature, 580(7802), 252-256. Web.
Romiti, S., Vinciguerra, M., Saade, W., Anso Cortajarena, I., & Greco, E. (2020). Artificial intelligence (AI) and cardiovascular diseases: An unexpected alliance.Cardiology Research and Practice, 2020(4972346), 1-8. Web.
Zhang, Y., Chen, G., Du, H., Yuan, X., Kadoch, M., & Cheriet, M. (2020). Real-time remote health monitoring system driven by 5G MEC-IoT.Electronics, 9(11), 1753. Web.