Samantha Taylor
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR360: Information Systems in Healthcare
September 2013
We Can, But Should We? Imagine someone accessing another person’s medical information by scanning a bar code square with his or her smartphone? Would you participate if it could possibly mean the difference between life and death? Well, a company called Lifesquare is piloting the program and states this program can save your life by saving time in critical situation (Rich, 2012). Quick Response (QR) Codes are amongst the growing technology in healthcare. This system is designed to list pertinent medical information such as allergies, medications and conditions. The QR is basically placed in various places …show more content…
They system relies on data input my humans and as we all know we are not perfect and we make mistakes. Medication entered (whether it’s the patient or providers) may be wrong or it may not be updated. Computer data entry mistakes can simply be clicking the wrong box (which could be the wrong medication). Another disadvantage would be potential violation of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). HIPPA ensures only personnel that need to provide care access your medical information (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2013). With any information systems there is a risk for a breech in security from outside sources. There will always be a potential for hackers to get information and organizations must stay on top of these potential threats. A deterrent for accessing information when not allowed is a 10-year prison …show more content…
I believe this QR system is a great way to triage patients in emergency situation like hurricanes and earthquakes. Every system has its disadvantages and only time can help improve a system and determine flaws. If this system could help save a loved ones life I would definitely take advantage of it. Every system is at risk to get hacked into preventative measure need to be in place before use. I think this will be a valuable way to treat a person in a timely matter in situations where it is critical. You will never know when something happens so why not be prepared for the