It can be hard to keep up with technology. One minute you’re buying the latest item and next week the item has already been made obsolete or was a dud.
The way technology has impacted our personal lives will continue to grow and change the longer that people live. One minute everyone is being hip and cool using an app to rapidly age themselves then all of a sudden you’re being told the app is sending the pictures to Russia.
Just like your life is being impacted by cool apps, phones, and Russian hackers, so is the medical field. It’s amazing to look at the advancements over the past decade and wonder where we may be going within the next ten years.
Here are some examples of how technology has changed medical practices all around the world and it’s more than just WebMD telling you that you have cancer from your stuffy nose.
Collecting Data
With every passing year, scientists and doctors collect more and more data from patients and treatments. They take this data and input their findings to computers to have a more comprehensive picture of the medical field.
With this, supercomputers are able to make suggestions for treatments while assisting in diagnosis. We’re still a long way from a computer being able to come into a room and tell you exactly what is wrong with you, but they are already helping doctors comb through millions of data entries to give you the best diagnosis possible.
A lot of this goes into big data, as collecting large amounts of data through various healthcare points is now common and widely used.
Remote Work
While you might think that remote work is reserved for those who don’t need constant human contact like IT personnel or journalists, more and more people in the medical field are turning to remote work for patient interaction.
The majority of this is home monitoring, where doctors can monitor their patients from far distances and see how they are doing. This saves both time and money, as patients won’t have to constantly come to the doctor for what could be a routine visit and doctors don’t have to be tied up with the same patient on a regular basis.
Patients are able to “meet” and consult with physicians from anywhere in the world with the push of a button. With the help of other technologies, patients can send in their vitals or health reports virtually instead of waiting to be in the presence of a doctor. It’s even possible to have an appointment without both the doctor and patient being online at the same time.
While it’s not recommended for all patients, it’s best for those that have chronic conditions. You shouldn’t be Facetiming your doctor is you’ve got a 2X4 sticking out of your side.
In addition, more and more doctors are working remote, offering virtual appointments with patients. Those jobs may be hard to find, but they are becoming more and more common.
Apps
You no doubt have tons of different apps on your phone, everything from games to a calculator to your email. Many of those remote monitoring pieces of software are apps you can download today onto your phone.
They help monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns and count your caloric intake. Having comprehensive data is something that helps doctors make better diagnoses and decisions about your overall health.
Many hospitals and clinics have developed their own apps for tracking your health. Others have made their own portal apps that will allow you to check on your own medical records with rapid ease. You can have a more transparent health report if you’re able to check on past results and what happened during your last visits.
The Cloud and Communication
No doubt you have heard of or used the cloud in your personal life. You probably have some of the software on your phone that helps you to backup important photos and videos from your latest vacation.
Many hospitals and clinics are using cloud based technology, also referred to as Electronic Health Records, to collect and distribute patient data between various clinics and hospitals. No longer will you have to remember your entire medical history when visiting the doctor. Instead, they can simply pull your information off the cloud and have everything there in front of you.