Reasons Why Teen Drug Use Is Increasing

The issue of teen drug use is no longer new. Regardless of where you live right now, it’s safe to assume that several teens are already exposed to drugs even at a young age. As a parent or guardian, teen drug use can be a serious issue. You would never want any teen in your family to experience the repercussions of drug abuse. Not only will drug use adversely affect a teen’s life, but it can also have adverse effects on its family members.

According to DrugAbuseStatistics.org, 86% of teenagers already use drugs during school days, and this number is increasing day by day.

Here are some of the reasons why teen drug abuse is increasing nowadays:

1.    Teens Want To Fit In.

Most teens think that in order for them to fit in, they have to follow any trend and practice what their peers are doing. If their friends are using an iPad, they think that they have the responsibility to convince their parents to buy them one. If all of their classmates have an Instagram account, they would likely sign up, too. This is one of the most obvious reasons why more and more teens are using drugs. They think that in order for them to fit in, they should do “what others are doing.”

Teens will not always think about the consequences of their actions. If they see that their peers are doing it, they may immediately jump in on the trend and do the same without having any second thoughts.

2.    Teens Want To Feel Good.

Using drugs in high doses and frequency can trigger a teen’s brain to “crave” for drugs. To paint a clearer picture of how drugs can rewire a teen’s brain, consider the points below:

• The brain is built on repeating experiences that make teens feel good. This is one of the reasons why teens are willing to wait in line and buy ice cream. The sensation of eating one will provide euphoria in their bodies. Because of this, teens will be motivated to save money and buy ice cream repeatedly. The same premise is applicable when it comes to teen drug use.


•  Once teens use drugs, the reward system of their brains will be triggered. As a response, their brain will produce a chemical called dopamine. This chemical provides a feeling of intense pleasure. So, in order for teens to experience the same pleasure over and over again, they keep on using drugs.  

• Over time, this behavior can program a teen’s brain to be accustomed to large amounts of dopamine. For teens to continually experience the same good feeling, they might need to take larger amounts of drugs.

3.    Teens Want To Feel Better.

Most teens will have a lot on their plate. Aside from maintaining good grades, teens are also pressured to balance their time and energy between home and extracurricular activities. This still doesn’t include the responsibilities they have as a sibling or family member.

Because teens are usually overwhelmed with the number of responsibilities they have, they may turn to drugs to help them feel better.

Teens suffer from different types of stress, anxiety, depression, and physical pain. Usually, they don’t have any outlets to release all of these pains. All of the struggles teens face every day are reasons enough for them to use drugs. For them, using drugs can lessen the feelings of pain and depression, allowing them to move forward in life easier.

4.    Teens Want To Do Better.

Teens are living in a competitive society. No matter what they do in life, there will always be competition. They’ll be pressured to graduate with high honors or earn a top position in a school organization.

The pressure from this competition can fuel teens to try out drugs. Some teens use drugs in order to perform better in their academic and athletic requirements. Some teens will even take high doses of illegal drugs as a preparation for a term exam or sports tryout because they think that doing this will improve their performance.

5.    Teens Want To Experiment.

Teens are usually curious. They have a lot of questions about the things happening around them. But instead of merely asking how drugs affect other people, they may opt to try the drug themselves.

For teens, experimenting will not only give them a better idea about a specific issue, but the activity will also be perceived as daring or thrilling.

Get Help

If you know someone in your family who’s currently overusing drugs, seek professional help fast. Several psychologists and treatments are available for teens to help them live a drug-free life.

Kerrie Walker 

Kerrie has been working in the healthcare industry for many years. She has learned a lot in her experience and hopes to help encourage those around her to live a healthier and fulfilling life. She enjoys keeping active.

How lenses protect your eyes?

The world is a beautiful place, but is that so without your eyes? Surely not. They say, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”, but what if the beholder lost their eyes?

It’s only when we look from a blind person’s perspective that we understand the actual value of having healthy eyes. Sadly, some people are born blind or with weak eyes, but for most, there are ways to maintain the quality of sight. To discuss this topic, firstly, let’s have a look at why it happens.

Why and when do the eyes weaken?
Oftentimes, older people have vision problems, and the situation is quite apparent. They might have macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataract, and/or various other issues.

But sometimes, especially in modern times, low vision issues are seen at a very young age. Technology has made our lives more comfortable, but on the other hand, it also has leveled up the setbacks as well. We might enjoy watching movies on our laptop or are stuck to games on a smartphone for long hours, but one thing we don’t notice often is it negatively impacts our eye health.

Moreover, UV rays coming out from the sun is another common reason behind the poor eye health these days.

But how do we tackle this? Well, read on to know.

What to exactly do to maintain the quality of your eyes?
Primarily, regular exercises and better nutrition are the ways to maintain the quality of one’s eyes. However, if that doesn’t work for someone, use of corrective lenses can.

How lenses protect our eyes?
Enhanced exposure of eyes to bright light and reflection makes it much more difficult to see outdoors. In that case, we need to make use of lenses to protect our eyes.

If one wants to understand how lenses protect our eyes, they first need to understand the basic functioning of our eyes. Our eyes include a retina that is a layer of cells that reacts to light. Whenever we watch anything, a reaction is performed, and the signals are sent to the brain, which further translates into the activities you are viewing.

These light rays ideally focus on the surface of the retina for perfectly visioned people, but when it finds any interruptions in between, the image starts altering-- It might shrink or blur somehow.

That’s where eyeglasses come in.

Eyeglass lenses are generally curved pieces of glass-like mermaid tears that work to bend light rays as they approach your eyes. These lenses only help the rays in focusing on your retina rather than behind or in front of it.

Based on where the rays fall, there are two types of lenses used to correct the position of the rays: convex and concave. In convex lenses, the curve is outward-facing, i.e., it’s for nearsighted people. In concave lenses, the curve is inwards-facing, i.e., it’s for farsighted individuals. That’s everything about the vision and lenses.

Wrap up:
Either concave, convex, on in some cases, bipolar, lenses help people maintain healthy vision. Of course, technology has given this to us, but healthy eating and exercise should still be one’s priority to maintain eye quality.


This is a guest blog entry.

How Modafinil Can Be Useful in the Treatment of Narcolepsy

A part of our lives that we frequently overlook and take for granted is our sleep. It is easy to underestimate how important our sleep is to how we feel and function in our everyday lives. Sleep is considered one of the basic needs of every human being that is needed for us to be physically and mentally healthy.

The average person sleeps for 7-8 hours a day. It is easy for us to overlook that if the average human being sleeps for 8 hours a day that this then turns out to be more than 30 percent of our life.
Any disturbance to the quality and amount of our sleep ends up having a very negative effect on our lives. This includes our mood and energy levels during the day, how well we work and play and our relationships with the people in our lives.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that affects both the quality and duration of sleep of approximately 1 out of every 2000 people. Men and women are equally affected by Narcolepsy. Unfortunately, despite being a common and one of the well-recognized sleep disorders, it is not diagnosed by physicians and other health care professionals as often as it should be. This means that many people who are currently suffering from the negative effects of Narcolepsy can go undiagnosed and untreated for many years before they are treated.

Once Narcolepsy is diagnosed, there are multiple approaches to treating it. The most effective way to treat Narcolepsy involves using a combination of behavioral techniques and medications. One category of medicine used to Narcolepsy is called Stimulants. A popular, safe and effective stimulant that is increasingly being used to treat Narcolepsy is Modafinil.

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that affects almost 1 out of every 2000 people. Men and women are equally affected by this condition. However, many people do not even know they are experiencing symptoms of Narcolepsy. They often struggle with and live with the difficulties that this condition can have on the quality of their personal and professional lives.

The typical person with Narcolepsy will describe feeling sleepy and tired much more than what is considered normal during the day and also have disturbed sleep at night. They also describe falling asleep very quickly and having little to no control of when and where they fall asleep. When they do fall asleep, they can experience very intense dreams, nightmares, vivid hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. In sleep paralysis, people experience a feeling of waking up from sleep but not being able to move.

These symptoms leave those with Narcolepsy feeling powerless and at a disadvantage. Due to limited awareness, people can often mistake people with Narcolepsy to be lazy, unproductive and uninterested. Narcolepsy comes at a very high social cost to those with the disease. To make it worse, they often don't understand their own condition.

At what age does Narcolepsy start?

A person can begin to experience symptoms of Narcolepsy at any age but it is known to start between the ages of 10-30.

What are the symptoms of Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleep disorder. People with Narcolepsy commonly start experiencing when they are adolescents or young adults.  Unfortunately, having a chronic condition often means that once a person starts experiencing the symptoms of Narcolepsy they will most likely experience them for the rest of their lives.

The symptoms experienced by those with Narcolepsy are:

Excessive daytime sleepiness:

Patients with Narcolepsy will frequently complain of falling asleep without any warning at a time when it is not appropriate for them to sleep. They also fall asleep in places that may not be appropriate places to sleep.

Disturbed nighttime sleep:

Even though having Narcolepsy means that a person may fall asleep frequently and at random throughout the day, it does not mean that they have a normal amount of restful sleep at night that matches their cycle of staying awake during the day and sleeping at night.

Cataplexy:

This is a partial or total loss of muscle tone. This can be a distressing symptom experienced by only some people with Narcolepsy in which they experience suddenly losing function of some or all muscles of their body. Cataplexy happens without warning.

This loss of control is not permanent and recovery usually happens slowly over the course of a day but because there is no knowing when it will happen or what will cause this to happen, it can be very concerning.

Intense dreaming:

The unexpected falling asleep in Narcolepsy is also experienced with intense and often very realistic dreams (including nightmares) that often begin immediately when a person falls asleep. Depending on the dream, it can be distressing for the person.

Sleep Paralysis and Hallucinations: 

Sleep paralysis is the experience of waking up but feeling like you are unable to move. It is common to experience this phenomenon in adolescents and sometimes in our lives. But people with

Narcolepsy may experience this regularly.

Hallucinations can also be experienced during sleep paralysis. These hallucinations usually occur either when the person is falling asleep or when they are waking up. They can be very realistic and frightening for the person experiencing them.

What causes Narcolepsy? 
 
The answer to this question is not straightforward. We do not currently know what causes Narcolepsy. There is more information today about what causes Narcolepsy than in the past but despite advances in the study of sleep and sleep disorders, our understanding about what the causes are and why it happens in only some people and not in others is limited.

How do we Diagnose Narcolepsy?

The diagnosis of Narcolepsy involves a doctor taking a detailed medical history and performing a physical examination. Patients suspected of having Narcolepsy are referred to doctors who are specialists in diagnosing, treating and managing sleep disorders and its complications. These doctors are often Neurologists, ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialists or Pulmonary specialists.

After the history and physical exam, a doctor will usually proceed to perform specialized tests that are usually performed in a sleep lab. Two important tests required for a diagnosis of Narcolepsy are:

1. Polysomnography: This is commonly called a sleep study. This is an overnight study in which multiple measurements are made while a person is asleep that help doctors learn more about the details of a person's sleep cycle.
    
2. Multiple Sleep Latency Test: This testing is performed during the day. It determines how often a person falls asleep during the day, how long it takes for them to fall asleep and if they dream during this sleep or not.

It is important to know and understand that once an accurate diagnosis of Narcolepsy is made,  then there are multiple treatment options that can be prescribed to a patient including new stimulants such Modafinil Now.

Treatment of Narcolepsy

For anyone diagnosed with Narcolepsy, it is important to understand that it is a sleep disorder that is life long and has no known cure. However, through modern medication it is still possible for

Narcoleptic patients to get quality sleep in their lives and overcome the challenges that come with having Narcolepsy.

Managing Narcolepsy involves using techniques to change a person's sleep behavior and medication. Medications like Modafinil can help manage Narcolepsy and other sleep disorder conditions with relatively few side effects resulting in healthier more quality sleep.

What medications are used to treat Narcolepsy?

There are different medications that can be used to treat the disabling symptoms of Narcolepsy. These include:

1. Stimulants  
2. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) or Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s) 
3. Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA) 
4. Sodium Oxybate (Commonly known by its commercial drug name, “Xyrem”)

SSRIs, SNRI and TCA are used to manage the symptoms of Cataplexy (sudden loss of control of muscle), Hallucinations and Sleep Paralysis that often coexists with Narcolepsy. Sodium Oxybate is also useful for managing the symptom of cataplexy and also helps improve sleep at night.

Stimulants such as Methylphenidate, better known as Ritalin and Amphetamines an example of which is “Adderall” work by releasing the same chemicals in our body that are released when we have an adrenaline rush. They have been effective at managing excessive sleepiness in Narcolepsy but are associated with many side effects such as heart palpitations, high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, stomach disorders and more.

Fortunately, new medications such as Modafinil have proven to be a game-changer for managing the symptoms of Narcolepsy with fewer side-effects.

What is Modafinil and how does it work?

As described at Modafinil Now, Modafinil is commonly known as “Provigil”, “Modavigil”, and Alertec" depending on the market. Modafinil works on the histamine chemical system to promote alertness and decrease the tendency for a person to fall asleep.

Modafinil does not have the same habit-forming and addiction potential as other stimulants. Many patients describe feeling awake and present without it having an effect on their moods.

Modafinil blocks the same system that is often activated when a person takes an allergy or cold medication and then feels drowsy. This is the histamine system. This system has a role to play in promoting our state of wakefulness.

By only targeting the main symptom responsible for triggering Narcolepsy, Modafinil is able to promote wakefulness, increase alertness and reduce excessive sleepiness during the day.

What are the side effects of Modafinil? 

The side effects with the use of Modafinil are fewer and less serious than with the use of other stimulants. The most common side effect noticed by patients is Headaches. This side effect goes away within a day. Other less common side effects with the use of Modafinil include, dry mouth, feeling dizzy and an upset stomach.

How Modafinil can be useful in the treatment of Narcolepsy?

The use of new stimulants like Modafinil and the use of behavioral techniques that promote healthy sleeping habits are proving to be very useful in helping those with Narcolepsy. Patients can now maintain wakefulness, feel less tired, experience fewer side effects and have a significantly better quality of life. 

This is a guest blog entry.

Lupus, the Mysterious Autoimmune Disease

Lupus is a mysterious condition with no known cure. It is an autoimmune disorder that affects more than 1.5 million people in America alone, and while its main outward symptom is psoriasis-like skin lesions and blisters, the disease can also affect your joints and organs, too. While the condition is chronic and incurable, people with the disease can still live a long and happy life with treatment.

What Is an Autoimmune Disease?

An autoimmune disease is a disease that affects your immune system. The immune system is a mysterious thing, and due to reasons we don’t always know of, sometimes it can become overactive or underactive. With Lupus, your immune system becomes overzealous, attacking tissues that are a natural part of your body in addition to foreign germs and invaders.

The Many Faces of Lupus

Lupus can come in several forms. The main type of Lupus, called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, is when your immune system attacks your skin, internal organs, and joints, damaging them and making them sore. Discoid Lupus Erythematosus is a related form of Lupus that only manifests as rashes on the skin. However, people with DLE are more likely to develop SLE over the course of their lifetime, meaning the two conditions may be related somehow. Lupus can also manifest as a rash that appears when exposed to the sun or as a side effect of certain drugs, but the symptoms tend to go away when the drug is no longer being taken. Lupus can also be passed from mother to child through a conditioned called Neonatal Lupus.

Lupus Treatment

Lupus’ many forms only make it more mysterious to us. Scientists and doctors still don’t know what exactly causes Lupus, but they suspect that it may have something to do with genetics. Currently, Lupus can be treated with lifestyle changes and medications. For example, someone who experiences severe skin lesions from Lupus might use skin lotions or medicated ointments to help control the symptoms.

The most effective treatment for Lupus is the use of immunosuppressants. Since Lupus is the result of an overactive immune system, suppressing the immune system is an excellent way to treat (but not cure) the symptoms. Lupus can also force patients to take medications for the parts of their body affected by Lupus, such as heart medicine for those who experience heart symptoms.

This is a post by Jess Walter.

Ongoing Education for Adolescents in Residential Bulimia Nervosa Treatment Centers

When taking time away from school to take part in treatment for disorders such as bulimia nervosa, eating disorder clients in adolescence and their families should consider how to ensure that their education does not stall out.  Treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, along with other common eating disorders, can require a relatively long stay in a residential bulimia nervosa treatment center or another focused facility.  At a crucial time for personal and educational development like the adolescent years, major pauses in education can have deleterious consequences, including:

• Being held back
• Falling behind in the coursework
• Being unprepared for tests
• Loss of extracurricular eligibility

Quality Bulimia Nervosa Treatment Centers Provide Education Options

Of course, the primary goal of any bulimia nervosa treatment program is to address the symptoms and underlying causes of the disease and help clients to become fully recovered. However, the best facilities which treat eating disorders like bulimia nervosa make a special effort to ensure the girls and young women in their care are able to not only become more comfortable with their bodies and their relationships with food and movement, but that they can learn valuable life skills that can be applied long after treatment for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa ends.  When an adolescent is removed from the high school experience, this can mean that an important point during her development is interrupted.

What Can Bulimia Nervosa Treatment Centers Do About It?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the average onset of eating disorders like bulimia nervosa is age 18, meaning that a significant amount of those who need treatment will begin to show symptoms while they are still in high school or even middle school.  During this time of crucial development in cognitive function, basic life skills, and even socialization growth, separation can throw a wrench in the works. 

For these reasons, at facilities that treat bulimia nervosa, eating disorder treatment programs for teens should include a variety of educational options.  More than self-guided study, there are a variety of programs which can help.

• Having certified educators on-site

Teaching is an art and a science.  The presence of qualified, professional educators with state and local certifications greatly increases the quality of the supplemental education clients can receive during a residential or outpatient bulimia nervosa treatment program.

• Availability of specialty tutors

Especially in the junior and senior years of high school, students are able to choose special coursework – for example, a teenager especially talented in the sciences may take a special physics course limited to four or five gifted students.  In these cases, the availability of specialty tutors, even for referral, can make all the difference in a talented student’s academic growth.

• Daily educational sessions

During residential treatment for eating disorders like bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, the majority of time will be spent, naturally, on treating the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the client.  However, during a crucial period of development such as late adolescence, education is a key as well.  Because of this, and to prevent the client from falling behind, it's recommended that there is a period of time set aside daily for ongoing education.  While a normal 8 hour day is, of course, impossible, it’s recommended that 2 – 3 hours a day are made available.

• A well-designed and implemented reentry plan

After having been away from school for an extended period of time, it can be difficult for an adolescent to reintegrate into daily school life.  Especially in cases where anxiety accompanies anorexia or bulimia nervosa eating disorders, the returning individual may struggle to get back into both the academic and social aspects of school life.  That’s why a well-designed reentry plan is so important.  A quality bulimia nervosa treatment center will coordinate with the school and parents to pave the way for a successful return to daily life.

Setting the Foundation for a Recovered Adulthood

The late teenage years are the time when children transition from being youths to being adults, and therefore are among the most critical periods in any person’s life. During this time, if eating disorder treatment is needed, it’s absolutely critical that their education is not neglected.  If your adolescent daughter has received a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or any other eating disorder, reach out to a quality treatment center today – and make sure to check out their educational programs.

This is a guest blog entry.

What Kind of Eating Disorder Counseling Can You Expect?

When first facing the prospect of entering an eating disorder treatment center, many patients are unsure what to expect.  They may even be nervous or resistant.  It’s natural to have some cold feet when it comes to entering an eating disorder treatment center, but a quality facility will have some characteristics that make the time spent pursuing eating disorder recovery much less intimidating.  Here, we will outline some of the eating disorder counseling programs and techniques commonly found in both day treatment and residential programs for eating disorder treatment and help to set aside some of the fears you or a loved one may be having about getting treatment.

A Safe, Comfortable Setting

Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, are classified and recognized at mental health disorders.  Unfortunately, many people have a skewed idea of what eating disorder treatment at a mental health facility is like.  Movies and TV have sometimes put forward an image of sterile, hospital-like hallways with linoleum floors and fluorescent lighting, where people sleep on cots, and so on.

A quality eating disorder treatment center couldn’t be more different.

The best facilities will be luxurious and well-appointed, often with a cozy and home-like feel to them.  Bedrooms will be well-appointed and comfortable, and the facility itself should include a community cooking and eating space which can normalize the rituals of cooking and eating together.  A stay at one of these centers won’t be a nightmare like those portrayed in the media.

Modern, Evidence-Based Talk Therapy

Mental health treatment in general and eating disorder treatment, in particular, have grown in leaps and bounds recently, with the embrace of modern, evidence-based therapeutic techniques. This means two things: first, the method used is based around empirical evidence – using the scientific method to design treatment for each client based on what has been proved to work time and time again – and second, a conscious push to match the treatment program to the client's specific needs.  Rather than a cookie-cutter methodology which applies identical techniques to every case, a quality eating disorder treatment center will tailor the program to each client's unique needs.

These evidence-based therapies are often geared towards specifically addressing disordered behaviors like the repeating purging associated with bulimia nervosa. One such therapeutic technique is known as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).  This technique consists of mindfulness training and emotional distress tolerance – which means, through training and discussion with the eating disorder counselor, the individual getting treatment learns to process the negative emotions which help to cause eating disorders.  These emotions can be processed in a way which doesn’t involve harmful behavior or self-harm, providing a grounded path to long-term eating disorder recovery.
Experiential Therapies

What is an experiential therapy? They are still a relatively unknown for many people, but they are proving effective at many of the best eating disorder treatment programs.  An experiential therapy goes outside the bounds of traditional talk therapy and even techniques like DBT.  They do not necessarily need to be directly associated with food, eating, or body image, but instead put the mindfulness techniques being taught to a real-world application. A common form of experiential therapy is art therapy, in which the client draws, paints, or sculpts under the guidance of a therapist.  It’s extremely useful in taking steps towards acknowledging and processing the previously mentioned negative emotions.

Art therapy is also known for surprising individuals.  Often, feelings and ideas which couldn’t be expressed through normal means come flowing out when applied to paper or canvas.

Other experiential therapies that are more food-centric should also be part of a good eating disorder recovery program.  A great example of this would be excursions to a grocery store to go shopping for a balanced diet.  This is so effective because it simultaneously teaches a valuable life skill (picking nutritious food in balanced amounts) and helps address fears or anxieties around food and eating, which are common in most eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa.  Experiential therapies like this and other, similar methods are the hallmark of a forward-thinking eating disorder treatment center.

Expect More from Your Eating Disorder Treatment

When you or a loved one has reached the point where you’re ready to seek out eating disorder counseling, remember that some anxiety about getting started is normal.  The portrayal of mental health treatment in the media has caused some confusion about what it’s really like.  You should expect the best from your eating disorder recovery program – including a safe, comfortable setting, evidence-based talk therapy, and a variety of different experiential methods to ensure the best chance at a long-term, recovered life.

This is a guest blog entry.

The Positive Effects Of Using Healthcare IT

In today’s world, innovation has influenced the lives of many people, especially those in the healthcare industry. At one point, healthcare information technology (HIT) has been one of the essential innovations for medical providers. After all, it’s composed of a wide range of technologies for storing, sharing, and analyzing relevant health information.

If you’re working in the healthcare industry, here are a few positive effects that you can get from using healthcare information technology:

1. Provides Patients Direct Access To Health Records

As patients are guaranteed with the right to access medical information, the introduction of healthcare IT can give them easy and direct access to their health records online while preserving security and privacy. Moreover, providers with healthcare IT support can keep track of their patients’ care, as well as communicate with them securely.

2. Reduce Unnecessary Repeat Medical Tests
Typically, physicians may have to order a repetition of medical tests due to the unavailability of the results. However, repeating procedures and tests can be inconvenient and costly on the part of the patients. Fortunately, with the advent of healthcare IT, medical providers may have access to test results all at once. Through the electronic transmission of medical test results, patients don’t have to repeat the procedures once again.

3. It’s Cost-Efficient

Without modern technology, more finances are more likely to be wasted due to inefficient processes in the healthcare industry. Thanks to the implementation of healthcare information technology, quality service can be achieved because electronic records are simplified.

4. It Has Fast Turnaround And Time Savings For Prescriptions

Medical facilities that implement a healthcare IT system are capable of auditing patient records in the fastest time possible. Compared to paper auditing systems, healthcare IT can streamline the processes while saving time in the long run.

Before, manual drug prescriptions by physicians are time-consuming. But by using a healthcare IT system, providers can make electronic prescriptions, thereby saving time and effort.

5. Minimizes Paperwork

There are several paperwork in the healthcare industry. From the laboratory results to different drug prescriptions, most care providers will have to deal with a lot of information to serve their patients efficiently. And with more data added each day, completing forms and encoding information becomes a hassle. Luckily, healthcare information technology in place can reduce paperwork. The data encoded in the system will be immediately available to the patient, doctor, and even the hospital.

If you want to streamline records and make everything paperless, look for service providers like Medicus IT that can establish efficient IT solutions according to those objectives.

6. Provides Utmost Security For Personal Health Information
Again, modern technology allows anyone to access electronic health records easily and quickly. Given these circumstances, the safety and security of all relevant information in the system are essential. This is where the healthcare information technology system comes into play: it provides secure and confidential portals that every patient can access. These platforms are equipped with updated security features that protect sensitive information from a data breach.

7. Lowers Cases Of Medical Malpractice
The use of electronic records reduces the number of medical malpractice cases involving kids and other patients in the healthcare industry. That’s because all processes, including communication among care providers, patients, and doctors, are digital and up-to-date. With technology, doctors can minimize the risk of errors in diagnoses, prescriptions, and more importantly, surgical procedures.

8. Helps Coordinate The Patient’s Care And Safeguards Their Well-Being
Sometimes, patients may have more than one attending physician. Each one of them has the ability to prescribe drugs, and these may be detrimental to your health. Using a healthcare information technology system can alert the medical providers in the event the doctor tries to prescribe a drug that can hurt the patient. Additionally, an HIT can help notify one of the doctors if the other one has prescribed medication that may not work for the patient. Consequently, it can save them from the risks and costs of having an ineffective prescription.

9. Helps Provide Information On The Best Healthcare Practices

In addition to accessible health records, healthcare information technology has decision support systems that provide physicians with valuable information regarding the best treatment options and medical practices to boost the quality of human care. Also, using a healthcare IT system allows providers and medical practitioners to use tablets and mobile devices in documenting records in real time and improving doctor-patient relationships.

Conclusion
Indeed, healthcare IT is a growing innovation in the field of medical science. After all, people are in a society where advancements in technology are bound to happen from time to time. Keep these positive effects in mind and use this innovative tool to improve healthcare services and boost the well-being of patients.

Kyle Fredricks

Kyle has been working in the IT industry for many years. When he's not helping businesses with their IT needs, he's tinkering with old computers at home. In his spare time he loves spending time traveling.