Mari-Len De Guzman 2016-12-06 05:00:57
High-tech world
Whenever one of our devices or software programs run into issues and prevent us from seamlessly carrying out our tasks, it’s very easy to aim our frustration on the technology.
For all its bugs and hiccups – and the occasional crashes – however, technology has significantly transformed the way we conduct business and go about our daily lives. Processes that took hours to complete before now only take minutes, even seconds.
In health-care practices, technology has allowed for better patient management and more efficient record keeping. Digital imaging has enabled faster turnaround and quicker diagnosis and treatment. Online appointment booking has given patients more flexibility and convenience.
And technology just continues to evolve and offer more advances that promise to make business and life a little easier. Our year-end trends and outlook feature (page 22) offers a glimpse of what we can expect in the realm of the digital world as it relates to health-care practices.
One of the most interesting digital trends is the increasing use of wearable devices. These tiny gadgets that allow users to track their activity and measure quality of sleep, among other things, are empowering an increasingly health-conscious population. Analysts are seeing these activity tracking devices as a potential tool for patients and health-care practitioners to get real-time snapshots of patient health data. It also encourages patients to take a more active role in improving their own health.
Chiropractic organizations are also taking advantage of technology to engage the profession. The Canadian Chiropractic Association has launched a social media campaign, by way of a video, promoting chiropractic as pain experts. The Canadian Chiropractic Guideline Initiative is taking advantage of social media and other technology platforms to inform clinicians and patients about clinical practice guidelines and best practices available to date to help promote evidence-informed practice (more on this on page 26).
There is no doubt technology is enhancing chiropractic practices in many different ways. However, one thing technology can never replace is the value of patient interaction and clinical outcomes. That’s all on you.
“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” – Elbert Hubbard Have a wonderful and peaceful holiday season. See you in 2017!
MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN, Editor
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