Thanks to technology, patients now have access to advanced diagnostic tools and minimally invasive surgical procedures and cutting-edge treatments. All of these have transformed the healthcare industry in a massive way.
Technology has enabled the healthcare industry in a big way with remote consultations, telemedicine and targeted treatments. Even healthcare mobile apps have taken the entire healthcare experience to a whole new level.
We will look at these 4 aspects to understand the impact of technology on healthcare –
Electronic records
From lab reports, hospital stay details to prescriptions, everything can be stored digitally now. A doctor looks at your digital records to get a better overview of your health and then make an accurate diagnosis.
This also means easy accessibility to information. Your digital medical records are stored in the cloud that you can access from anywhere. It also facilitates information sharing and collaboration between hospitals and labs. It can also allow healthcare professionals to access information related to patient allergies even if the patient is unconscious.
Mobile apps
Mobiles apps allow patients to keep track of their doctor’s appointments, food intake, heart rate and exercise. Health and fitness apps now offer customized solutions to people by tracking what they are eating and their level of activity.
Visiting the pharmacy too is no longer required. Apps like PharmEasy allow you to upload your prescription and then get you the medicines delivered right at your doorstep.
Through apps, doctors too can communicate directly with patients and keep track of their vital parameters.
Improvement in care of patients
Radiofrequency technology allows doctors to keep track of the real-time location of patients along with their vitals and temperature. This makes the patient accessible to a doctor in the case of emergencies.
Not just that, even 3D printing is used to create hearing aids, dental devices and prosthetics. There are virtual reality devices, which doctors use to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression in the elderly and mental illness patients.
Robotic surgical procedures like robotic knee transplants have minimized the chances of mistakes during surgeries.
Telemedicine
With telemedicine, a patient can consult with a specialist anywhere on the globe. This is a technology that has made distance redundant when it comes to medical consultations. It can also be a lifesaver in emergency situations where immediate critical care is required.
In this method, devices like video telephony are used to transmit biosignals, images and other related data between a doctor and a patient. The parties don’t even have to present at the same time for this exchange to happen. For patients, this means less waiting time and speedier recovery.
Conclusion
The rate of adaptation and implementation of technology in healthcare is largely uneven across the world. This is because while developed countries have made rapid strides in this regard, developing countries have yet to catch up. But the overall adaptation has picked up pace recently because everyone has realized the potential of the marriage between technology and healthcare.
