The technological advances in the healthcare industry has revolutionized the industry in terms of patient care, hospital management and creating better drugs and treatment options.
The Use of Technology for Healthcare
The main aim of any technological advancement in healthcare is to improve patient care, ease the load off the physician and reduce human error.
Healthcare, being one of the most important industries, has the need for ever evolving technological advances to offer better treatments and care.
Important Technologies in the Healthcare Industry
Here are some of the important technologies that have revolutionized the healthcare industry.
Wearable Medical Devices and Advanced Equipment
Before this technology, caring and treatment for patients was difficult as monitoring the health would require physical examination of the patient only after the symptoms get significant.
Wearable medical devices have made it easier for at-risk patients and patients suffering from chronic diseases to keep a check on their vitals. Some of the wearables can not only be used by patients but also by people who are conscious about their health and believe in prevention.
The most common wearable medical devices are:
- Calorie trackers
- Heart rate sensors
- Exercise trackers
- Oximeters -used to monitor the oxygen level in the blood. This can be used by patients with respiratory diseases and proved to be significantly useful during the covid-19 pandemic.
These wearables give patients a sense of control and can help them monitor their health at home. And consult the doctor earlier, even before experiencing major symptoms, thereby getting early treatment.
Use of Big Data in Healthcare
Big data is the set of large and complex data that can be analyzed to retrieve information beneficial for streamlining processes.
In the healthcare industry, big data can help in following ways:
- Reducing medication-related errors:
Using big data for patient records can help identify errors and reduce the chances of incorrect diagnosis and prescriptions. It can help doctors in identifying any medical errors and potential risks the patient may face.
- Starting with preventive care:
A large number of recurring patients often come to the emergency room. Big data can be used to identify them which can help the doctors make preventive plans for these patients.
- Better hospital staffing:
Big data can also be used to manage better staffing at the hospital. By analyzing the past records, it can be used to predict which facility may need more staffing at what times so the hospital can be prepared to accommodate.
Offering Virtual Consultation and Care
Virtual consultations reduce the load of the doctor by a significant amount. During the times of pandemic, this technology has also been used extensively by the healthcare industry.
Technology for healthcare is of utmost importance. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Medical Technology (IoMT), Virtual Reality (VR) and deep learning are being extensively used to provide better patient care. These technologies can help in conducting quicker diagnosis, improving the efficiency of treatments and surgeries, thereby reducing casualties.
Various new technologies are being tested in the healthcare industry to improve the overall efficiency and accuracy in healthcare.
