Technology seems to be changing the future of healthcare right before our eyes. For the most part, this is a win-win for everyone involved. Digital technologies are expected to transform unsustainable healthcare systems into sustainable ones. Equalizing the relationship between patients and healthcare practitioners is another gain.
Most importantly, technology is expected to provide better, faster, and more affordable healthcare. Whether you are in holistic healthcare, surgery, dental sciences, or aged care services, gear up for some exciting times ahead.
Here, read up on several technologies that are transforming the industry.
1. Artificial Intelligence
The strides in AI have made it clear that it holds the potential to change healthcare completely. These algorithms are able to design treatment plans, create drugs, and mine patient records faster than any other players have so far.
An example of this is Google's DeepMind. This AI for breast cancer analysis has so far outperformed radiologists by 11.5% in identifying breast cancer. Atomwise is yet another technology using AI to try and find a drug concoction to tackle Ebola effectively.
These two examples give a glimpse of what technology can and is doing in healthcare. Interesting times indeed!
2. Virtual Reality
As virtual reality takes hold in entertainment, the healthcare industry has claimed its piece of the pie as well. This promises to revolutionize the lives of both patients and physicians. A patient will be able to travel home-or anywhere in the world using VR from their hospital beds. With the looks, feels, and sounds of home being known to aid recovery and ease pain, this is indeed an incredible invention.
Physicians will not be left behind. Surgeons can use VR to practice upcoming surgeries, spot problem areas, and find solutions around them before taking on a human patient. This feature can also be used by training surgeons to improve precision and increase their skills for a better outcome with human patients. According to a Harvard study, VR training boosts a surgeon's performance by up to 230%. This is no mean feat by any standards.
3. Telehealth
People will use the internet to aid their health by doing more than just Googling symptoms, medication, and reading wellness articles. Telehealth allows people to use mobile devices and computers to access health services remotely. Patients can use these from home, and doctors can use them from the hospital to support patient care.
Think about a patient contacting and consulting their doctors through an app as opposed to going in for a physical consultation. For people in remote areas or countries that experience instability every so often, this technology will ensure residents still get the health services required. Besides virtual access, telehealth allows for remote patient monitoring, health record management, and doctor to doctor communication.
4. 3D Printing
3D printing has enormous potential in many industries, key among them the health sector. It's currently possible to print bones, blood vessels, small organs, synthetic skin, and tissues. It has also made it possible to print high-quality prosthetics and implants. What once seemed like an almost impossible feat is now possible.
This will have multiple benefits. The main ones are the ability to make more personalized, highly functional parts for patients. The other is that this technology is relatively low cost. This technology will revolutionize medical training, as well. Medical training institutions can now invest in realistic models to aid in training the next crop of surgeons.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, healthcare in the next decade will look vastly different than it does today. This is all exciting, but any medical practitioner that doesn't familiarize themselves with these technologies will be left behind. If this means taking a short course, by all means, take it. Ultimately, these changes will be a win for everyone involved.
