Recent studies have shown that while technology for diagnosing and treating medical problems is getting better, better technology in the health care industry does not necessarily mean better health care. One of the largest problems seems to stem from technology being inputted into computers. While the information can never be lost or deleted, the information could be entered incorrectly. Think of all the times that you are in hurry and have incorrectly entered something into your computer when you are in a hurry. It happens all the time. If you pause to think about how often people are running around the hospital trying to treat people it is likely that they will input something wrong. Studies have shown that when people write something rather than typing it into a computer they are less likely to make a mistake. Following that, they are less likely to catch a mistake if one is entered. When someone makes a mistake inputting data, the mistake could be fatal.
Studies have also shown that even though medical technology is higher and people are able to be diagnosed easier, people are also more likely to undergo unnecessarytests. A recent study showed that more people who enter the hospital are getting MRIs and CT scans. While these new technologies are able to detect and treat everything from kidney stones to cancer, they also deliver high amounts of radiation. So much radiation in fact that it is 500 times more radiation than the average x-ray. Often these tests are performed as a way of preventative, caution care. Rather than the tests being necessary, doctors are looking at them for diagnoses rather than relying on their medical knowledge.
Over the past decade the technology to develop more medication to treat a variety of illnesses. However, studies have shown that people are more likely to take at least one prescription drug. Often medications are prescribed as a way to mask a problem rather than treat it.