Post #5 - Computers in the Workplace

    In the current healthcare environment, technology and computers play an essential role by increasing efficiency, accuracy, and exchange in patient care. Computers streamline the entire healthcare process from procedures to clinical decision making, and results to billing. One main area where computers are crucial is the use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) software, which allows healthcare providers like hospitals, clinics, and family practice doctors to store, manage, and share patient information digitally. EHRs improve the continuity of care for patients, reduce medical errors, and simplify documentation.

    Another electronic system that has been a part of healthcare for a while is the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), which allows for the storage, retrieval, remote viewing, and sharing of medical images such as X-rays, CT scans, Ultrasounds, and MRIs. PACS has removed the need for physical film, reduced the time to diagnosis, and allows for remote consultations when a patient needs to be transferred to a higher level of care.

    Computer literacy among healthcare workers is necessary to function with these technologies. Staff must be able to navigate computers, email, word processors, spreadsheets, and EHR systems, as well as manage data in a secure way to protect patient confidentiality. Another area where computers are vital is Interoperability, or the ability of different systems and devices to exchange, ingest, and interpret shared data. This allows for better communication across departments and facilities, reducing the need for duplicate tests.

    Looking ahead over the next decade, advances in computer hardware will make it possible for improved Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to integrate into all aspects of healthcare workflows. AI algorithms are already being used to detect abnormalities in imaging, predict patient outcomes, and personalize treatment plans. The intent is that as AI becomes more powerful, its integration with EHR and PACS systems will improve accuracy and automate basic tasks, allowing providers to focus more on patient care.

    In some places, AI is already helping providers and medical staff improve patient care.  One example of artificial intelligence (AI)–based triage of pneumothorax at chest radiography. A frontal chest radiograph in a 39-year-old male patient obtained in an outpatient clinic for regular follow-up after lung cancer surgery shows a large amount of right pneumothorax. An AI tool identified the pneumothorax immediately after the chest radiograph acquisition, and a notification was automatically sent to a radiologist for immediate interpretation. The radiologist read the chest radiograph 39 minutes after the acquisition and notified the referring thoracic surgeon of the result. The patient was referred to the emergency department, and chest tube drainage was inserted 172 minutes after the frontal chest radiograph acquisition. 

The next ten years should be pretty exciting in healthcare!

References:

Hwang, E. J., Goo, J. M., & Park, C. M. (2025). AI Applications for Thoracic Imaging: Considerations for Best Practice. Radiology, 314(2). https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.240650