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Techno-Innovation and its Impact on Provision

of Health and Social Care

Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, Tutorsindia info@ tutorsindia.com

I. INTRODUCTION

The scope for technological

innovation for transforming the provision

of health and social care has been widely

recognized across a large spectrum of

domains and this , also comprise of

services relating to mental health [1], cases

of substance abuse [2] and to extend

support to people who are categorized as

differently abled [3]. While the use of

technology is a good thing, a contrasting

aspect that has emerged would refer to the

concerns related to privacy, ethics and

ramifications in terms of social justice with

regards to the use of such innovative

technology. Technological developments

over the years, especially those involving

mobile digital information and

communication technology is consistently

developing at a rate which is highly

exponential. Thus facilitating

communication, information

acquisition in highly innovative ways. It

has been observed that during 2013 around

36 million adults within the UK (73%)

were regularly accessing internet on a

daily basis while 72% amongst all adults

purchased goods and services online [4].

The number of people who accessed the

internet using smart phones literally

doubled in the period between 2010 –

2013 to 53%. On the whole, the number of

adults within the UK who owned a

smartphone was found to be around 51%

(double of what it was in 2011) and at the

same time, around 24% of adults are also

known to have a tablet. It has also been

reported that around 43% from all adults in

the UK were now utilizing the internet to

gain information pertaining to health. This

trend has witnessed an increase by 18%

since 2007.

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Figure 1: Health related Queries using

Smartphones – Keywords used

Source: Bach and Wenz [5]

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The purpose of this paper is to

investigate the challenges as well as

opportunities associated with a growing

use of technology within this context. At

the outset, some specific challenges would

be presented and this would be followed

by an attempt to consider technology that

would revolutionize several areas in terms

of delivery of social and healthcare.

II. CHALLENGES WITH

TECHNOLOGY USE

The foremost challenge associated

with the introduction of techno-driven

innovation in the domain of social and

healthcare would pertain to the capability

of staff, their motivation and training [6].

The provision of social and healthcare has

conventionally depended on interactions

that were largely face-to-face as a mode of

practice. Thus, any change in the

interpersonal nature of interactions has

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scope to be confronted as a challenge on

account of the status quo, and

professionals who are worried that the

skills they possess would not be applicable

to such changing settings [7]. Therefore, it

would not come across as a surprise when

the sector of social care and health have

been found to be comparatively slow in

adopting and embracing such novel

techno-developments, especially in

comparison with organizations that are

operating in the private sector [8]. Apart

from such practical challenges, issues

pertaining to ethics have also during the

use of innovative technology has emerged

as a challenge. One key challenge being

that technology is exacerbating certain

critical issues that have to be dealt by

health and social care professionals on a

daily basis. For instance, it has been

indicated through research that excessive

use of technology is causing depression

[9].

III. OPPORTUNITIES

Irrespective of the challenges

presented by technological innovation, it is

a matter of much significance that the

concerns above mentioned would not

result in an illogical tendency towards a

scepticism for technology at the cost of

the advantages or opportunities presented

through innovative technologies. As a m

tter of fact, it has been observed that

innovative technology on its own is largely

neutral and issues related to ethics only

arise with regards to how it has been or is

being used. This viewpoint has been

projected by Patricia M. Greenfield [10],

who deliberates that the influence of any

kind of technological development would

hinge on the manner in which it is used,

and further emphasizes that it would be

naïve to deem technology of any kind to be

essentially negative or positive. For

instance, though it has been acknowledged

younger people are exposed to certain risks

from technology, it would be necessary to

understand that technology offers a

medium that allows the scope for creating

engagement with younger people,

specifically young men, a category that

social care and health agencies have been

struggling to engage. It has also been

revealed that certain conventional

interpersonal interventions like person-

centric counselling, could be provided in

an effective manner with the help of new

mediums of technology.

IV. CONCLUSION

This brief essay has clearly

revealed certain specific challenges and

opportunities that are in existence for

technological innovation within the

context of delivering social and health

care. However, what is to be understood is

that it is the onus of managers,

practitioners and policy makers within the

domain who have the power to mould the

influence that such kind of technological

innovations could make. Some commonly

observed challenges of technology have

been covered through this essay, while

taking into account the opportunities that

are also in existence along with the

challenges. Tutors India offers the best

healthcare thesis and essay writing project

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REFERENCES

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pp. 263–265, Apr. 2015, doi:

10.1192/bjp.bp.113.142612.

[2] M. Bandawar, V. L. Narasimha, and P. Chand,

“Use of digital technology in addiction

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disabilities,” Disabil. Rehabil. Assist. Technol.,

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[4] Ofcom, “The Communications Market 2013,”

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