The rise of technology is evident in the contemporary world. Today, no single domain of life can thrive, let alone work, without technological assistance. From as simple as ordering food for dinner to complex medical surgery, technology has expanded its footprint everywhere. Healthcare has always utilized technology to its benefit. However, the association has exponentially strengthened over the last few years.

The widespread digitization and advancements have stormed the healthcare sector. Modern-day medical infrastructure greatly depends on technology. According to a survey, the digital health market size has reached $142 billion globally and will grow at a 17.4% CAGR. Organizations worldwide are investing millions in robotics and its application in healthcare. According to a report by MedTech Dive, robots assisted in 15.1% of all the general surgeries in 2018.

Technology will further change the outlook of healthcare, and we must match pace with it to ensure we milk the most out of it. For this purpose, we must have a comprehensive idea about the healthcare aspects technology will evolve and impact the most. This article provides a thorough insight into it. It mentions five areas of healthcare affected by technological advancements.

Medical Record Keeping

Information technology and data systems have gained wide popularity in healthcare. Almost every healthcare organization uses healthcare systems engineering applications to store medical records structurally. This trend has exponentially increased the demand for healthcare systems engineers.

One of the biggest issues in the healthcare sector is managing hefty patient records, leading to a heightened need for healthcare systems engineers. Globally several patients face mistreatment and medical blunders just because their records aren’t dealt with properly.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are precise storage of a patient’s health record in electronic version. They keep close track of patient history over a strict chronological pattern, including demographics, health problems, medications, and progress notes. EHRs have transformed the entire patient handling and treatment mechanism.

Diagnosis

Defining the problem well solves half of it. You can never provide effective treatment to a patient until you have diagnosed the problem precisely. Diagnosis of the disease offers great help in its appropriate treatment. Fortunately, technology has turned tables for diagnostic services. Now we have technology that can diagnose diseases that were previously almost impossible to identify. MassSpec Pen can diagnose cancer in 10 seconds during surgery with an astonishing 96% accuracy.

Now there are Self Power Electrochemical Diagnostics (SPEDs) that have made the diagnosis of several diseases easy. They provide a proper diagnosis of numerous diseases. It has made diagnosis affordable and accessible in remote parts of the world. Moreover, all the smart devices, smartwatches, and smartphones we use are also little diagnostic machines on their own. They can accurately track different health factors and help us recognize areas that need our attention.

Doctor Consultation

Nowadays, you don’t have to wait in line for your turn in a doctor’s clinic. You can now consult a doctor on your smartphone. Worldwide, people are now preferring online health services. The concept of telehealth is rapidly evolving and gaining traction in the current healthcare market. According to research by Statista, there were a total of 2.27 billion electronic prescriptions in the United States in 2020.

The global telehealth market will reach a staggering $636 billion while growing at a CAGR of 32.1% by 2028. More than half of all American hospitals now have a telehealth program that offers quality healthcare services over electronic media to far and wide areas.

It has largely expanded the scope of healthcare and brought quality healthcare in people’s reach who reside miles away from such healthcare sources.

Surgeries

Surgical treatment is always risky and entails a long list of possible complexities. It always needs accurate assistance and technological input. From cutting-edge modern-day surgical equipment to the latest surgical methods, technology has produced mind-boggling possibilities in the world of medical science. Different surgical processes exist today only due to the exceptional contribution of technology in this field.

Virtual 3D reconstructions, especially for trauma patients, help surgeons precisely identify where to incise. These models help surgeons plan their entire surgeries without making a single actual incision. Telesurgery is also a widely popular technological application in the healthcare sector. Surgeons now perform surgeries from miles away using robots. It is a unique combination of robotics, information technology, and medical science.

Drug Innovation

The world of medicine does not always receive particular attention when talking about healthcare. People usually consider it embedded within the healthcare sector. However, it is a universe of its own and serves as the backbone of the healthcare industry.

The world needs more advanced drugs to fight ever-evolving diseases and pathogens. And technology is helping there too. It offers great assistance in making the drug development process easier and more innovative to speed up new product development.

In-silico clinical trials and virtual simulation of drug effect has been providing great help in drug innovation. Artificial intelligence and augmented reality are helping in creating novel drugs and modern treatments. They’re allowing medical professionals to devise new drugs and drug development processes. These technological advancements have reduced months’ work.

Final thoughts

Technology will continue to disrupt different aspects of life and for the better. We must use it to our maximum benefit. Healthcare serves as the most critical sector for every country. Therefore, we must utilize technological advancements the most in healthcare. There are already several technological applications penetrating healthcare, from 3D printing to robotics, AI, and whatnot. All we need to do is adopt and incorporate them in the right manner.