Technologies that are Set to Redefine Healthcare
The healthcare sector is being fundamentally transformed by technology.
Technology’s impact on healthcare has transformed our understanding of patient care, hospital administration, drug discovery and development, and data-driven prognosis of treatment outcomes.
Technology’s significance in the medical field cannot be overstated. The Internet of Medical Technology (IoMT), AI, and deep learning are opening the path for faster care management and fewer patient deaths during medical emergencies by giving doctors instantaneous access to detailed patient records.
The focus is now squarely on new developments in the field of innovation. Any new piece of technology should be designed with one overarching purpose: to reduce the likelihood of medical mistakes while simultaneously improving efficiency and care. Here are some technologies that are set to redefine the healthcare sector.
Doctors may now overlay live X-ray, MRI, or ultrasound pictures over a patient’s body, thanks to augmented reality devices like Microsoft HoloLens and Google Glass.
In addition to facilitating complex surgeries like brain mapping, this technology, along with others like nanotechnology cellular therapies developed by Scorpion, can simplify the process of obtaining input on how to treat a certain condition. The use of augmented or virtual reality headsets to observe anatomical detail may also one day enable surgeons to do operations without physically being present in the operating room.
EHRs, which are digital copies of a patient’s health data, benefit patients by assuring that their doctors are making diagnoses and prescribing treatments based on a complete picture of the patient’s health at any given time. EHRs have also facilitated better provider-to-provider communication, decreased healthcare inequities, and simplified procedures like e-prescribing and telemedicine.
There was a time when an annual checkup was sufficient. Only when anything was wrong would a patient visit a doctor. However, patients in today’s information and technology-driven era are more interested in preventative care and regular checkups than in reactive care and repairs.
They want more regular and more up-to-date reports on their health status. From an estimated $7.8 billion in 2017, the global wearable medical device market is projected to be worth $27.2 billion by 2023.
Need encourages creativity. Companies in the healthcare industry are now investing in wearable technology that can constantly monitor a patient’s vitals and issue advanced warnings in the event of a serious medical emergency. Among them are some of the following: Exercise trackers; calorie trackers; heart rate sensors; sweat meters that use sweat to track blood sugar levels; and oximeters to measure the oxygen level in the blood. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, this was quite helpful. People who have problems breathing use it frequently.
Robots are increasingly used in care management and building maintenance because of artificial intelligence and machine learning advancements. Artificial intelligence-enhanced robots are already being used as surgical helpers, delivery, and transportation aids.
In medicine and healthcare, digital technology can make inefficient systems more efficient, improve communication between doctors and patients, help us defeat deadly diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola, and make people and their communities healthier.