More final project thoughts

The telehealth conflict definitely is an example of accelerationism, in my opinion. Health and medicine need to stay caught up with the modern technology like the rest of the world, but there are so many factors preventing this from happening. That's the reason why some people are coming up with ideas like the National Academic Center for Telehealth. The company's vision is to "create a seamless clinical, research, and educational enterprise by connecting patients, providers, investigators, and educators in order to improve health care qualities and outcomes." This vision almost reminds me of ;our conversations in class about The Circle and social media in general and how they try to be all-encompassing. One example we mentioned was a universal social media, like Facebook, where we could have every ounce of information in our lives stored. In the context of telemedicine, the ultimate goal (or what it seems to be based on this vision) is to connect everyone to everything in medicine. This is wonderful because it gives ease of access to those who may not have access, and it allows for easier provider access to information no matter who else the patient has seen. However, when I imagine connecting everyone to everything in healthcare, I become extremely concerned with the confidentiality of this idea. One of the largest rules in medicine is remaining confidential and keeping patient information confidential. I feel that if access to medical information is made easier, even for the purpose of the provider, it would be easier for anyone to access it. I mean, a paper filing system isn't perfect, but people would have to work a heck of a lot harder to break into a filing room that probably has surveillance on it than they would to hack a system from the comfort of their home. Or maybe I'm wrong? It just seems risky to me until it's perfected (and yet again I am coming back to accelerationism).
Another important mission of this institute is to provide the evidence necessary to convince people that telehealth is actually beneficial. This is honestly, in my opinion, the first thing that needs to be done with any new emerging technology in order for enough people to follow through with it so the program can be supported. With medicine especially, people need to have it proved to them that a certain technique works, or no one will support it. If a restaurant doesn't have good food or service, people talk about it on yelp and I choose my dinners based on others' opinions. Consumer opinions are crucial, and evidence of benefits must be provided for this reason. Their final mission point is to be a resource for telehealth education, which ties in with this also. Being willing to not only provide evidence, but also educate people on something makes it have more value and worth, because people have to work to obtain that knowledge. Also, people can feel like a company is more honest and trustworthy if they understand how they work. I definitely think this institute was smart in doing this! This is where NACT combats those who are fighting technology in this accelerationism war. they have no choice but to believe the institute and see its benefits when it not only proves them to you, but offers to teach you their ways. Even the veteran health professionals can learn now! Everybody can come out on the same level with the same knowledge.