The importance of technology in healthcare is a topic that continues to expand as you elaborate on it because technology’s importance in modern healthcare cannot be overemphasized.
A good number of the revolutions and innovations currently witnessed in the healthcare sector are a result of tech and digitalization.
From hospital management to patient care and medical studies, technology has ushered in a new wave of disruption in modern medicine all around the world.
The efficiency of Clinical trials, Drug approvals, and breakthroughs in research have all benefited from innovations made possible with technology.
Robotic artificial intelligence (AI) is now an integral part of the modern healthcare system. Emergency responses and access to patient health history can now be done with just a screen click all courtesy of health-tech apps and platforms.
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The Importance of Technology in Healthcare
The importance of technology in modern healthcare is very vast. With the help of some health experts, we have listed how technology has contributed to modern medicine and healthcare.
Data for Healthcare
One of the best things that happened to healthcare is the ease of access to data. It has helped in formulating better health policies and making informed choices when it comes to health care.
Below are some areas data helped in healthcare
See below;
- Hospital Staffing
Information and data collated from admissions and patient care can help the hospital make decisions on the number of staff to employ which eliminates under-staffing or over-staffing of the hospital.
When the hospital is properly staffed it improves overall patient care and efficiency of services.
- Reduced Medical Errors
When healthcare workers have easy access to the patient’s medical history, it helps them make informed decisions, especially in a case of emergency.
With the big data analysis made possible by technology, healthcare workers can be able to easily access what the patient is allergic to, remote causes, and medical history thereby making informed medical decisions from it.
Additionally, data analysis also fosters preventive care. Medical information obtained about a patient can help offer a solution that can keep them from frequenting the hospital.
The Boom of Wearable Medical Gadgets and Devices
Before now what we usually have was damage control as patients only check in when the situation has become unbearable.
But, thanks to technology many new ways of preventive reoccurrences have been invented.
With the new gadgets developed for different health needs, patients can be updated on their health as well as preventive measures to take.
These wearable devices have proven efficient enough that it has cut down the cost of regular health check-ups and provide more data for patient treatment. Some of them include.
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Exercise Trackers – For fitness ( E.g Amazonfitbag, Fitbit Sense, e.t.c)
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Heart rate sensors – For Cardio-related issues ( Polar H9, Garmin HRM, e.t.c)
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Calorie Trackers – Helps to keep up-date on the level of calories in the body.
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Sweat meters – used mostly in checking and managing diabetic patients.
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Oximeters – Oximeters gained prominence during the heat of the pandemic as they became the most recommended for people with respiratory illnesses.
Information and data collated from these wearable health devices make it easier to predict the risk of illness and start early treatment or preventive measures. All these remain pivotal parts of the importance of technology in healthcare services.
Virtual Reality in Healthcare
Who would have ever taught that one day, one can receive healthcare in a way similar to playing video games? That is what technology made possible in healthcare through Virtual Reality.
VR has presented a new improved dimension in pain management, especially during intense surgeries. With VR, patients are made to engage in gaming activities that take their mind off the surgery thereby giving the surgeon a less complicated approach to the whole situation.
Unlike when painkillers were handed out to patients, VR seems to have helped override that process, especially for patients that are allergic to painkillers.
What VR does is submerge the perception of the person of what is currently going on as doctors perform their work on him/her.
Talking about the importance of technology in healthcare is not yet complete if we fail to mention Virtual Reality. It has made complicated surgeries easier for doctors to plan.
Rise of Telehealth Apps and Platforms
It wasn’t until the Covid-19 Pandemic that telehealth apps and websites started showing how important they are in modern healthcare.
Even before the pandemic virtual healthcare has been helping improve the ease of access to health services remotely.
It helped contain the spread of highly contagious diseases as high-risk patients can engage health professionals through video conferencing on the platforms or have their check-ups done in the comfort of their homes and also have their drugs delivered.
The process also assists in the collection of data that helps authorities make national health policies and improve the quality of healthcare in society. With data from Telehealth platforms, authorities can arrive at the number of patients with highly contagious diseases, remote areas that need more health provisions as well as the number of people covered with health insurance.
Examples of Telehealth platforms include.
SimplePractice
Teladoc
Doximity
3-D Printing
3-D printing is one of the technological breakthroughs that have given amputees a reason to smile despite losing a limb.
With 3-D printing, new implants or joints for surgery can be created like-wise prosthetic arms and legs that sutures perfectly with the nerves and other organs of the patient.
Though this process has been around for quite some time it still remains one of the best innovations whenever we talk about the importance of technology to healthcare.
Robotic Surgery
With recorded successful trials, robotic surgery is another arm of health technology that has come to stay. Many operations deemed impossible has been made possible with robotic surgery.
Here the doctor is less invasively involved but guides the robot with precision as it cuts through areas his/her hands can’t reach or is highly sensitive to human touch.
Artificial Organs
This area is still being researched but is believed will be a groundbreaking innovation when we finally find a way to develop organs for parts of the body damaged beyond repair.
Conclusion on the importance of technology in healthcare
The health sector cannot miss out on the tech boom. Despite requiring highly skilled professionals, it is equally a sector that needs advanced tools and infrastructure to function optimally.
The rise in many health challenges continues to create demand for innovation, tools, and platforms for advanced and improved healthcare.
Efforts to continue making patients more aware of their health and giving them more control have improved tremendously with technological innovations.
The near future will also witness more breakthroughs because the importance of technology to healthcare cannot be over-emphasized.
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Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.
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