NUR 701 Journal Entry 5 With Update

Siu Bong Wan

Module 5 Nur 701

Community Health Workers and Mobile Technology: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Rebecca Braun, Caricia Catalani, Julian Wimbush, Dennis Israelski

Public Health Nursing

Braun, R., Catalani, C., Wimbush, J., & Israelski, D. (2013). Community Health Workers and Mobile Technology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Plos ONE, 8(6), 1-6. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065772

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

            This article was chosen because it represented a purpose of explaining how community health workers (CHWs) affect healthcare as a whole and what their purpose is in the development of health systems in the community.  This article presents the CHWs with technology and how it is used in the community to effectively treat individuals.

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

            The article is interesting because it reflects on the ability of technology as a health care tool to aid those in need and help healthcare workers become more accessible to their clients.  This is due to the reduced time of travel, reduced expense of travel, and providing that bridge to individuals who feel discriminated or too poor to seek healthcare.  The article is also appropriate because it explains some reasons why mobile technology is changing the healthcare landscape, which is only going to increase in the near future.

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

             This is a research study of literature.  This article examines 25 different articles that reports on 28 studies.  These articles are global and expand throughout rural and urban areas.  There is a significantly broad range of health issues addressed.

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

             The trend being addressed is how effective can mobile technology is in the environment of community health care.  The problem is how to get access to medical care to people who are so poor or far from others that it proves nearly impossible for medical personnel to access them and medical facilities to be established.  Mobile technology is the tool communities are using to gain access to these communities and provide them with basic or advanced medical care.

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

             The solution is to assess effectiveness, gain insight, and record program that are used in the community that the literature collected.  This is important to understand that studies are being performed everyday on how mobile technology is changing the healthcare landscape.

What implications might this have in healthcare delivery?

             Healthcare delivery will be expanded into communities in need.  This is made possible by healthcare workers that may be less trained than professional hospital staff, but have access to medical resources and personnel through mobile technology.  This is important to realize that community health care is meant to assess, treat, and record effectiveness of feasible medical care.  Surgeries, or several diagnostic imaging studies will not be available but basic human health like medications, education, and physical therapy may be available to the communities that are unable to access adequate medical care.

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

             This article has enlightened me to the reasons why CHWs are so vital in the future.  This has also explained the reasoning behind why these workers are not as professionally trained and may not be paid as much to provide the care they do.  This is all designed to give communities the access they need to treat specific conditions and still have some resonance of medical care in the community.

What I Learned

             I learned that CHWs are workers that are utilized to provide care to communities that medical establishments choose not to or unable to build facilities near.  This leads me to believe that CHWs are positions that enable medical care to the citizens unable to access it.  Medical corporations have millions of dollars to open a medical facility but do not see the actual people who need it.  The need to give medical care to millions of individuals does not seem appropriate enough to establish a medical fund to build facilities.  People need eye doctors, dentists, medical doctors, and imaging studies.  CHWs will not be enough in the coming future unless strides in medical treatment are made in diagnosis, treatment, and access by even lesser expensive means.