Technology has been playing a crucial role in healthcare for the past century, and its effects are getting more pronounced. New innovations have caused major changes in several fields, including diagnostics, surgery, and rehabilitation. Due to the constant march of progress, things that were considered science fiction before are already here today. Knowing about these is important because the information allows you to have a good appreciation of what to look forward to.
Aside from that, these health technologies are expected to shape the landscape of the entire medical industry in the future. For better or worse, the various innovations that exist right now will become the norm, resulting in large scale shifts. On top of the actual practices that will be put in place, technology itself could have major impacts on human involvement. It’s a real possibility that health professionals will play diminished roles while machines will do most of the work. Below is a close look on how health tech is changing the medical history:
Medical Diagnostics
These days, doctors and high-end medical facilities are using advanced technology to diagnose illnesses in a wide variety of ways. A lot of them tend to intersect, using different tools to assess the same patient and identify targeted diseases. They can even use different body parts such as the eyes and blood samples to test for something like cancer. These tests tend to come with a high degree of accuracy, as well and it’s getting even better.
In the future, it’s even expected that all medical results can be accumulated in one app, which the patient can access. This would then help alert them to any potential illness that could occur, which would allow them to take action. The hope is that something like cancer can be detected in its initial stages so that it can be cured. In the case of genetic diseases, the earlier they can be found, the better they can be managed or treated.
Robotic Surgeons
Robots are more precise, more controlled, and are less prone to emotions than their human counterparts, no matter how experienced. Even veteran doctors can panic, slip up, or have a bad day, which could then result in errors during surgery. A machine will not have those flaws, even if they do come with its own imperfections and issues. Even now, hospitals and special facilities are using robotic arms and high-powered cameras to conduct surgery on patients.
This is only the beginning, however, since current generation robot surgeons are still reliant on the human operators themselves. Right now, there are no machines that are equipped with the level of sophisticated intelligence to operate on their own. This is expected to change in a few decades thanks to the increasing presence of machine learning and artificial intelligence. If there are self-driving cars that are much safer on the road than human drivers, robot surgeons are considered inevitable.
Personalized Healthcare
One of the most sensitive issues with regard to healthcare is how different people’s bodies and health conditions can be. For instance, one heart is never the same as another, and the same goes for every other organ. Even those who suffer from the same disease don’t suffer from it the same way, which can make treatment complicated. A good solution to this is creating personalized treatments and cures that stem from individualized diagnosis and information.
This can be done by collecting unique data via various medical devices such as a home-use bp monitor, a glucometer, etc. Using the details and readings from these gadgets and existing information via hospital databases, it can be possible to create custom treatments. This type of practice already exists today to some extent, but not with the same level of accuracy as an algorithm. Through machine learning and programs specific to diagnosis and treatment, it’s possible to eliminate trial and error from the equation.
Ease of Information Sharing
When it comes to treatment, information is as important as the actual medical skills necessary to apply the information. Knowing about a patient’s history, allergies, genetic conditions, medications, and the like can be a matter of life and death. It’s even more important when taking critical cases into consideration where time is of the essence due to unexpected incidents. Doctors can’t afford to go in blind since even something as simple as antibiotics can cause patients to go into shock.
To that end, sharing information or access to sensitive medical data is a major part of healthcare. Advancing technologies with regard to digital ledgers for secure information sharing can solve this problem. The concept revolves around the ability of hospitals to pull up patient information in an instant and without delay. When every second counts, shaving minutes from getting a person’s medical history can make all the difference.
More Secure Healthcare Logistics
While it may not be at the forefront of people’s minds, logistical problems are a major issue in the industry. Theft, misappropriation, corruption, and smuggling can have a huge impact on the operations of delivery and distribution. Aside from that, there is also the problem of fake or substandard medication that is masquerading as the real deal. This can lead to injury or death if prescribed to patients who need those medications in order to function.
Using blockchain and the various distributed ledger technologies that already exist, this problem can be mitigated. This is done by making the shipping, transport, clearance, and storage much more transparent for everyone involved in the operation. Products can be tracked, checked, and confirmed without data tampering or unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
Technology has changed the face of the medical industry forever. In the future, there will be more technical wonders in curing and treating diseases. The machines, AIs, and tools the exist today are what will shape healthcare tomorrow.