We have come a long way from traditional care to a world of digitized care. Healthcare has taken on a different shape in its services, operations, and throughput with the help of advances in technologies, such as artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D-printing, robotics or nanotechnology.
The future of healthcare lies in working hand-in-hand with technology and healthcare workers have to embrace emerging healthcare technologies in order to stay relevant and deliver superior care.
Digital technology transforms unsustainable healthcare systems into sustainable ones, equalizes the relationship between medical professionals and patients, provides cheaper, faster, and more effective solutions for diseases; technologies could even win the battle for us against cancer and AIDS.
Technology has dramatically altered the way treatment is approached. Smart inhalers, robotic surgeries, wireless brain sensors, artificial organs, health wearables, precision medicines – healthcare technology has revolutionized the way we deliver care.
The Transformation
Digital transformation in healthcare is a building block of a patient-focused approach to healthcare. It’s key purpose is to help healthcare providers streamline operations, understand what the patient requires, build loyalty, trust, and offer a superior user experience with better outcomes. Let us discuss some of the ways in which technology has complemented healthcare in achieving quality of care.
1. Digitization of Electronic Health Records for coordinated care
A patient record held within a hospital in a paper format serves no purpose other than a one-to-one interaction between a patient and a doctor. EHRs are health information that are created and shared with other providers such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, etc. It helps to achieve a coordinated care for the patient as they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care. EHRs are a vital part of health IT and can:
- Contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results
- Allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care
2. Personalized Care
Individualizing patient treatment is a core objective of the medical field. Personalized healthcare technology targets patients at the individual level. It considers each patient’s genetic and biological profiles before developing treatment plans.
Personalized healthcare technology tools, such as wearable devices and DNA sequencing, help doctors identify which diseases they are prone to, diagnose diseases early, and minimize the effects of disease.
3. Telehealth/Telemedicine
Telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies to access health care services remotely and manage your health. It enables the remote delivery of healthcare services, including evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients. These are technologies you use from home or that your doctor uses to improve or support health care services – e.g., use of a mobile app to estimate how much insulin you need based on your diet and exercise level, use of online patient portal to see your test results, schedule appointments, request prescription refills, etc.
4. Surgical technology
Surgical technology has been advancing with astounding speed since the 1990s. The evolution of surgical technology is smaller, efficient, and powerful. It is a fantastic collaboration between humans and technology, which could elevate the level of precision and efficiency of surgeries to never before seen levels. A.I., surgical robots, 3D printing and new imaging methods are already used on a variety of procedures.
5. Artificial technology & augmented reality
AI is no more a science-fiction, it is transforming healthcare among other fields. The potential for both AI and robotics in healthcare is vast.
AI in healthcare is the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms and other cognitive technologies in medical setting. Using patient data and other information, AI can help doctors and medical providers deliver more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. Also, AI can help make healthcare more predictive and proactive by analyzing big data to develop preventive care recommendations for patients. AI helps healthcare providers to better understand patients to offer them the right care at the right time producing improved clinical outcomes.
To sum it all up, technology has entered healthcare and our homes, even before we could realize and acknowledge it! Advancements in the field of medicine through technology have certified numerous life-saving processes. It is evident that this is only the beginning of better care, wellness and quality of life that is in store for us. From streamlining patient care processes and cutting costs to developing groundbreaking medical capabilities and breakthrough treatment opportunities, our digital age has an array of possibilities that await within the medical world.
Let us embrace the healthtech future with courage; to turn to technologies with an open mind, and to prepare for the changing world with as much knowledge as possible.
References
- https://medicalfuturist.com/ten-ways-technology-changing-healthcare/
- https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/health-sciences/blog/technology-in-healthcare-transformation/
About the Author –
Rajeswari S
Rajeswari is part of the Presales team at GAVS. She has been involved in technical and creative content development for the past 13 years. She is passionate about music and writing and spends her free time watching movies or going for a highway drive.
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