By Amber Walker, Grants Development Associate (Healthcare)
Grant writing is a very rewarding career path, but it is not without challenges.
Staying up to date and knowledgeable about current funding opportunities, the needs of your communities, and the needs and capacity of your organization are just a few of the things to stay current with. Healthcare grant writers are also increasingly tasked with familiarizing themselves with new and innovative technology being utilized by the healthcare workforce.
Many resources exist to understand the funding opportunity landscape, such as grants.gov, state websites, listservs, and sites that track foundation opportunities. The needs of your community and hospital should be well documented through census and population data, trends in your region, and other community-level information. However, keeping up with trends in healthcare technology can require a whole other set of skills that grant writers, even in the healthcare systems, are not always targeted for.
Healthcare delivery is advancing, and the role technology assumes in this space is evolving and integrating at a rapid pace. Technology integration is a wonderful thing that will improve patient experiences, improve population health, reduce cost, and advance health equity, to name a few of the benefits. These concepts are well understood by the grant writer in and out of the health care space but understanding the correlation between technology and the result will be hugely beneficial to developing proposal narratives.
This resource is intended to elaborate on commonly used technologies in healthcare and hospital space. It is intended to help the average grant writer better understand how technology is being integrated into grant fundable projects.
Telehealth projects are increasingly popular, and grant opportunities to fund telehealth projects are common at the foundation, state, and federal levels. To better understand the technology supporting a telehealth project, it is beneficial to look at both ends of the relationship.
End users (where the patient is receiving care) will utilize devices like smartphones, tablets, or home monitoring devices like a pulse oximeter. They will also utilize apps like Mychart or Teladoc, an internet connection, and security tools such as authenticators and a firewall.
Providers (where the doctor works ) will utilize medical devices, software and electronic health records, internet connection and software, as well as security tools.
Other examples of home monitoring devices that could be utilized by a telehealth program include, but are not limited to, blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, ECG+ stethoscope, wearables (activity tracker), Bluetooth thermometer, or scale.
Other commonly misinterpreted technologies in health care are Clinical Decision Support (CDS) and AI Technology, although both could be used to elevate efficiency.
CDS uses specific parameters (such as diagnoses, laboratory results, medication choices, or complex combinations of clinical data) to provide information or recommendations directly relevant to a patient encounter at the point of care.
AI in Healthcare refers to the use of computer algorithms and models, especially those that mimic human learning and decision-making, analyze complex medical data, assist in clinical decisions, automate tasks, and improve patient outcomes.
Internet of Medical Things is a collection of connected devices that communicate patient data in real time to healthcare providers. These can include remote monitoring wearables, in-hospital connected devices, health IT platforms and Infrastructure, and security and communications technology.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are an extremely common element to a health care delivery project or initiative. EHRs are health information stored on servers or in the cloud. Digital version of patients’ paper charts that makes information available instantly wherever it is needed. These are increasingly connected to some of the technology above, including AI virtual assistance to improve patient participation and an active role in healthcare.
These are just a few of the technologies that healthcare delivery is utilizing. As a grant writer for a health system, being able to narrate to funders why this tech is necessary will be extremely helpful as you craft your proposals. Learning about the technology that impacts patient care is an ongoing endeavor. For further reading, check out Healthcare IT Today