Though the healthcare field is notoriously slow to adopt new technologies, IT innovation is making its way to the sector. Looking ahead, what does the future of technology in the medical world look like? One hospital executive weighed in.
Mark Zielazinski is the chief information and technology integration officer of Greenbrae, California-based Marin General Hospital. Prior to joining the organization in 2012, he served as CIO of Alameda County Medical Center.
In a phone interview earlier this month, Zielazinski said voice recognition will play a role in healthcare’s future.
“We all know that voice recognition … has penetrated incredibly quickly into the consumer space,” he said. “It has yet to have a real presence in healthcare. I think that’s coming.”
He noted that although voice recognition tools are being leveraged for physician dictation, the broader use of such tech in healthcare is still a number of years out. One of the main barriers to its widespread use is, of course, security.
“In healthcare, we’re much more sensitive to privacy and security needs than we are in our homes,” Zielazinski said.
However, solely relying on technology as a solution to healthcare’s problems isn’t the right approach. Zielazinski pointed out that “oftentimes, people are looking for a technological silver bullet. I don’t believe it exists.” Instead of implementing tech for tech’s sake, he recommended looking at how to improve processes and ensure people are safer before applying an IT tool.
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