Technology is widely used in day to day life. Medical sector is also in the line. Technology is the need of the hour in modern medicine from making healthcare services more accessible to improving patient care. Nowadays most of ( or we can say ) all the medical health issues can get consulted using various technology.
Introduction
Hospitals are now holding patients’ personal health profiles on computers. Technology is the need of the hour in modern medicine from making healthcare services more accessible to improving patient care. Let us discuss some of the technologies that exist in the healthcare sector, the benefits, with some real world examples.
Types of Technology in Healthcare
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
- Telemedicine
- Wearable Devices
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Robotics
- Mobile Health Apps
- 3D Printing
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Blockchain
1. Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
What are EHRs?
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are digital representations of the time when a patient’s paper chart was kept. Patient data, such as medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory test results are stored together in them.
Benefits:
- Improved Patient Care: EHRs give us accurate, up-to-date, complete information on one or more patients at the point of care.
- Enhanced Coordination: They help better coordinate healthcare providers by allowing easy information sharing about patients.
- Efficiency: Healthcare providers are time saver, as EHRs reduce paperwork and make administrative tasks easier.
Example:
The information on the history of the patient’s medical history can be quickly accessed by a doctor through such an electronic health record system and a complete medical history of the patient can be obtained for making the decision on a patient’s treatment.
2. Telemedicine
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication technology to deliver health care at a distance. The projects include video consultations, remote monitoring and the transmission of medical information via digital channels.
Benefits:
- Accessibility: The provision of healthcare services to people living in remote, or other hard to reach areas of the country do not have to travel long distances to be seen by healthcare professionals.
- Convenience: Doctors can help patients from their homes.
- Cost-Effective: It saves time and money for patients, and healthcare providers.
Example:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was commonly used to minimize the risk of virus transmission.
3. Wearable Devices
What are Wearable Devices?
Wearable devices like fitness trackers, smartwatches, are wearable devices that track different health metrics, like heart rate, physical activity, sleep patterns, and many more.
Benefits:
- Continuous Monitoring: It provides real time data on health metrics to help detect early signs of any health problem.
- Patient Engagement: It encourages people to play an active role when they are managing their health.
- Data Collection: Gathers valuable information for research and improving health services.
Example:
In emergencies a smartwatch can alert a user when their heart rate has risen out of the normal range or fallen.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
What is AI?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science pertaining to the simulation of human intelligence by machines, especially intelligent robots.
Benefits:
- Diagnosis and Treatment: Medical images and data can be analyzed by AI to help diagnose disease and to recommend treatment plan.
- Predictive Analytics: It helps predict patient’s outcome and identify highest risk patients.
- Efficiency: It automates the routine tasks in order to let the healthcare providers working on other more complex cases.
Example:
By analyzing X-rays and MRIs, AI powered systems can detect tumours (among other abnormalities) with great accuracy — helping radiologists make diagnoses.
What are some successful examples of AI implementation?
5. Robotics
What are Robotics?
Applications of robotics in healthcare include these robots that take up medicine and cure patients, make them do rehab and all sorts of things.
Benefits:
- Precision: Of course, it reduces the risk of complications and also permits robots to perform delicate surgeries with high precision.
- Consistency: It offers consistent and reliable performance, especially in repetitive tasks.
- Assistance: Helps healthcare providers do things like avoid injury while lifting a patient.
Example:
The advantage of robotic assisted procedures is that they give the surgeons a better accuracy of inserting and removing things in surgery, which is minimally invasive, meaning the patients recover faster after the surgery.
6. Mobile Health Apps
What are Mobile Health Apps?
Mobile health apps are just mobile applications that aid in managing health and wellness.
Benefits:
- Self-Management: Users can track their health metric, set reminders for medications and access health information.
- Accessibility: There is easy access to the resources and assistance for health.
- Engagement: Increases the involvement of the user in his or her own health.
Example:
A diabetes management app can include reminders to take medication, monitoring of blood sugar levels as well as tracking diet.
7. 3D Printing
What is 3D Printing?
Healthcare 3D printing is the process of creating 3D objects, such as prosthetic, implants, etc through digital design.
Benefits:
- Customization: It empowers the creation of very, very specific medical devices tailored for each single patient.
- Cost-Effective: It lowers the cost of the production of complex medical devices.
- Innovation: It will help new medical solutions and treatment develop.
Example:
Custom fit, quality of life improving prosthetic limbs can be achieved from custom prostheses 3D printed.
8. Virtual Reality (VR)
What is VR?
Virtual Reality or VR is the use of computer generated simulations to immerse users into simulated environments to train, diagnose or treat patients in these scenarios.
Benefits:
- Training: It mimics real training medical students and professionals get.
- Therapy: It is used in rehabilitation and mental health therapy, controlled environment for treatment of the patient.
- Patient Education: Interactive simulation is an aid that assists the patients to understand about their diseases and treatments.
Example:
Similar can be said of VR when medical students can practice and sharpen their skills in a safe space, replicating surgical procedures.
9. Blockchain
What is Blockchain?
Blockchain, in general, is a distributed and digital ledger of any type of transactions performed from different computers.
Benefits:
- Security: It allows you to store and share medical records securely and tamper proof.
- Transparency: It gives the medical data the openness and traceability.
- Efficiency: It reduces the administrative process and reduces the errors.
Example:
By securely connecting healthcare facility to healthcare facility, patient records can be transferred and the information is correct and current.
Conclusion
Healthcare has been changed by many technologies, making it more effective and easier to use. These advancements in patient care – electronic health records, wearable devices, and AI – are all making patient care and outcomes better. However, as technology advances we can anticipate even more advanced solutions which will enrich the healthcare industry.
References:
To learn more about example you can visit the references: link.springer.com forbes.com
