Few things are as intertwined as technology and healthcare in the modern economy. The intersection of these two fields involves everything from routine diagnosis to medical imaging, cutting-edge cancer treatments, and even online patient records. Ensuring good health is easier than ever in the 21st century, thanks in no small part to the Internet, tablet devices, and the ability to process “big data” when analyzing patient symptoms. Given these great successes and advancements in patient care, it’s likely that technology and healthcare will continue to converge and rapidly change the future of human health and wellness.
Impacts of Technology on Healthcare
The adoption of technology in healthcare over the years has led to better diagnosis and treatment of patients. The healthcare industry is undoubtedly the most significant of all the sectors that have benefited from technological adoption. Healthcare changes dramatically because of technological developments, from anesthetics and antibiotics to magnetic resonance imaging scanners and radiotherapy. As a result, it eventually raised the standard of living and contributed to several lifesavings. What are some advantages of technology in healthcare, though? What novel medical innovations are now being used in healthcare?
In recent years there have been many groundbreaking advancements in technology in healthcare:
- 3-D printing: 3-D printing has been around for some years in many fields. When it comes to medicine, it creates implants or even joints for surgery. It is also prevalent in prosthetics as it can create perfect matching limbs allowing extra comfort and mobility.
- Artificial organs: Like 3-D printing, but for actual and operational organs, the patient’s immune system will not be rejected. Else called bio-printing is an up-and-coming area in technology in healthcare that could save millions of patients every year.
- Robotic surgery: Adds control, precision, and flexibility to a surgeon’s hands to operate as non-invasively as possible to a patient. It has allowed making certain operations easier or even possible.
- Health wearables: They Began as a fitness tracker to track heart rate and pace, and they highlighted healthcare potential. Health wearables can detect cardiovascular anomalies earlier and prevent severe conditions.
- Virtual reality (VR): VR is being used heavily in recent years but mainly for entertainment purposes. However, virtual reality can help medical students have “real life” experiences in procedures and a visual understanding of human anatomy.
- Telehealth: It is a very up-and-coming market that allows patients receive medical care through digital devices. Patients can easily have access to their doctor while they can receive a diagnosis and medical advice. You’ll need the right platforms for this; such as a website builder and CRM
The transformative power of technology could not obviously be missing from the healthcare sector. Even though it is a sector requiring highly skilled individuals with many years of studies, it is also a very demanding one in infrastructure and tools. The rise of life expectancy worldwide and the aging of populations create a very demanding area for innovation and technology in healthcare. However, it seems that innovation in the field is very robust, thus changing the landscape every year.
References: Importance of Technology in Healthcare. (2020, November 17). Institute of Entrepreneurship Development. https://ied.eu/blog/importance-of-technology-in-healthcare/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20medical%20technology
NCBI – WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4147743/
Writers, S. (2022, July 19). How is Technology Used in Healthcare? –. BestColleges.com. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.bestcolleges.com/healthcare/how-is-technology-used-in-healthcare/
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