Technology has brought about massive changes in every aspect of human life and healthcare is no exception. With the penetration of technology in the healthcare industry, there has been significant reduction in barriers to health care access and allowed major improvement in the understanding of disease patterns.
Imagine standing for hours in a queue to fix an appointment with a doctor or waiting for weeks to get your medical test results. While this was the commonly followed norm till a few years ago, the advancement of technology has led to a major breakthrough in terms of treatments, medicines and research. From lab tests to patient registration to data monitoring and self-care tools, technology has transformed healthcare through several innovative solutions.
Technology has not only changed the face of healthcare, it has also transformed the way both doctors and patients approach the healthcare system. Patients are easily able to access information on several diseases or medicines with the help of the Internet. They are likely to read up on medical conditions and available treatments before they visit a physician. As it may be risky to treat a symptom with the information available on the Internet blindly, it is highly advisable for patients to visit doctors and get proper and timely cure. With an increased number of patients heavily dependent on different online platforms to find solutions on health conditions, doctors, too, are keeping themselves updated with newer technologies in place to cure a disease, advanced medicines and more.
Healthcare professionals are looking at several ubiquitous models of continuous medical education, where they can stay connected with the ever-evolving medical research and keep a tab on the work of their peers. The future of continuous medical education will, in this scenario, be more virtual than real with the help of several healthcare apps that assist doctors to stay connected with their patients, access and share medical content with collaboration opportunities.
Mobile technology has made it easier for both providers and patients to keep a check on healthcare processes on-the-go. It has led to the free and smooth access of information. As more and more systems turn to be technology-driven, objectifying patient outcomes and measuring efficacy of different approaches is becoming easier by the day for doctors. In terms of cure and diagnosis, doctors are heavily dependent on technology as success rate of surgeries have increased with improved medical devices and in-built technology. Technological advancement has led to the increased use of minimally invasive surgery for certain common procedures. This has also helped to reduce post-operative complications. The procedure is touted to be highly efficient and safe with minimal side-effects. Such treatments are increasing the success rates of procedures and decreasing hospital stays for patients. In the future, instead of cancer treatments like chemotherapy, nano-agents will replace radiation therapy and other invasive procedures, leaving healthy cells untouched.
The benefits of technology don’t end here. It has made doctors shift from a general to a more specific approach, where each patient can be treated with more evidence. Now, a patient no longer needs to carry huge files of past treatment record as all the data can be digitised and collected online. Patient record systems can store all the information in a highly secure format. Big data and cloud computing have been a boon that has led to speedy retrieval and accuracy of medical-related information. While cloud computing is about providing services over the network, big data analyses a lot of data to gain insights and find new trends. This mechanism is also gradually improving the scope of clinical studies as healthcare professionals are able to sift through the data from every hospital and look for trends in healthcare. They will increasingly be able to discuss important cases and share medical test results with other doctors and specialists as and when required.
Technological innovation continues to expand enhancing every aspect of healthcare. Devices such as smartphones and tablets have already replaced conventional touch points of healthcare to a large degree and are encouraging people with busy and hectic schedules to undergo a full consultation in the privacy of their own homes. In this way, technology seems to have the potential to transform the future of healthcare tremendously, making it easier and more comfortable to be healthier for patients and making the job of doctors and medical practitioners more productive.
