With the passage of time, the incorporation and use of technology in healthcare have resulted in positive and improved patient diagnosis and treatment.
Healthcare is undoubtedly the most important and essential of all the areas that have benefitted from technological adoption. As a result, the quality of life and life expectancy has improved over time. And many lives have been spared and snatched from the cruel twist of fate.
But in terms of healthcare, what are some of the advantages of technology? What are some of the most cutting-edge medical technologies in use today in healthcare?
Many people’s lives have been improved by using technology in medical businesses all across the world. Technology has increased our life expectancy rates by making us healthier, from the introduction of X-ray machines to breakthroughs in surgical treatments.
How technology has embraced the health care system?
1. Health records have been digitalized to much extent
The replacement of outmoded paper records with electronic health records (EHRs) has been a game-changer and time saver for everyone in the medical field is it, patients or providers.
This industry-wide deployment has touched a variety of positions at each and every level, from medical assistants to medical coding experts to registered nurses.
Nurses and technicians who used to spend the maximum of their time in paperwork are now in charge of entering patient information into a centralized, computerized system.
Medical billers and coders update patient records with diagnostic codes and submit medical claims to insurance companies at their scheduled appointments. Patients may now access their information at the touch of a button, which ensures that mistakes are identified sooner.
2. Improved communication between the patient and healthcare provider
Healthcare technological advancements have made communication among healthcare organisations much easier. Medical practitioners can now communicate and improve the transmission of knowledge in the field by using media such as video, online discussion forums, and real-time meeting capabilities that saves time as well and is easily accessible even at the time of emergency.
All relevant departments and care providers have access to electronic medical records stored on site. As a result, case management, treatments, and patient recovery are all enhanced.
Communication between medical and non-medical staff members, especially those who work in distant locations, has also benefitted greatly from the technologies stated earlier.
3. Wearable Technology
Wearable medical devices have been introduced by technology, and they are quickly gaining attraction in the medical sector. These are electrically powered devices that can be implanted in the user’s body, worn as accessories, tattooed on the skin, or incorporated into clothing.
They don’t require any manual operation, are microprocessor driven, and can receive and transmit data via the internet, allowing users to keep track of their health.
Doctors will need to assess and regulate the wearer’s health using wearable gadgets to collect data that will help them. These devices are designed to alert authorities in the event of a medical emergency.
4. Easy and real-time patient data
Patient care has always been and will continue to be, at the heart of healthcare and all of its technological advances.
In most situations, advances in healthcare science and technology have improved patient care by introducing new tools such as MRIs, medicines, and therapies that save lives and enhance the chances of recovery for many.
Medical workers can now use tablets and mobile devices to record real-time patient data, which is one of the main benefits of health IT.
You can, for example, immediately update a patient’s chart and then share it with their most recent medical history. Important patient details, such as lab results, vital sign records, and other crucial patient data, can now be centralized and quickly accessed.
5. Information and big data available at ease
Data accessibility, as well as the ability to store and analyse information, is a milestone feature of the technology age. The use of the Internet, data capturing systems, search features, and healthcare professionals and their capacity to quickly communicate information have all improved data synthesis and analysis.
In healthcare, “big data” enables research studies to benefit the entire field of healthcare. They may now reach a bigger and more diversified audience than ever before. They can also use pre-existing research to do detailed meta-analyses.
Disadvantages of tech in the healthcare sector
1. The extremely increased cost of treatment
One of the downsides of medical technology is the higher cost of therapy. Almost all technological treatments and operations, such as robotic surgery and other types of technological machinery surgeries, are quite expensive.
The majority of the patients are from rural areas and is poor. It is impossible for poor patients to afford expensive operations.
Technology has improved health care, but it has also increased its expense. Patients are unable to pay because of this.
2. Lack of empathy in doctor and patient
Working with dashboards on connected medical equipment and computers takes away the human touch from therapy, leading to a lack of empathy for patient care.
Using technology as the interface of care or to say using technology as the mirror of better and time-saving treatment, especially for the elderly and the most vulnerable patients, can lead to confusion and irritation for the sufferer and healthcare provider, as well as misinterpretation of treatment plans and patient non-compliance.
3. Money-making source
Technology, no doubt have reduced the time for treatment but unfortunately for many, it has become the money-making source.
Large hospitals and clinics charge high on the name of diagnosis that includes high use of technology and advanced tools. People with low income and illiteracy have also been in loss due to such systems resulting in bad recovery or even no recovery of health for such people.
4. Frustration accompanied by poor implementation
In order for technology to enhance healthcare, systems must be accurate, accessible, and simple to use, and ultimately improve on current patient care approaches without pressurizing pockets of patients.
It is vital for physicians and doctors to ensure that the technology they use is simple to manage and understand rather than a burden. Healthcare providers who spend more time battling technology and learning about the technology than caring for patients are more prone to dismiss technology and its future versions.
Even for healthcare professionals that support the use and implementation of technology, it is important to satisfy that the technology-assisted results are more accurate or better at diagnosing. As artificial intelligence and machine learning become more common, care must be taken to ensure that healthcare workers are aware of these technologies’ limitations.
Conclusion
This is an excellent moment to see and participate in all of the advancements in healthcare scientific technologies.
Better, more easily accessible treatments are now available, and technological advancements have made it possible to investigate and develop newer, more effective ways to provide patient care.
Thanks to health IT, the general environment of healthcare is far more fast-paced and patient-friendly than it has ever been. It will be fascinating to see what new developments and discoveries in healthcare science and technology await us.
