The future of healthcare is in a safe and secured position, thanks to the current waves of ideas and innovations; because of the advancement of computer-based technologies. The evolution of technology isn’t only helping human progress but also teaching us how to be humans. Disturbingly, it is now becoming a norm that the field of medicine is quite sluggish in adopting new technologies that will aid a great deal in the healthcare system — it is slow in the acceptance and incorporation of systematic changes.
Regardless, the healthcare system has welcomed and employed the use of technology in changing its modus operandi in recent decades, which has brought a whole lot of improvement and has curbed numerous challenges in saving lives. There is a constant demand for technology-based ideas in the healthcare system. There have been technological inventions in the custom healthcare solution and the FDA is yet to approve many of these inventions. Although it may take long years to get their approval, it hasn’t stopped retarded researchers from developing new technologies. Here are five technologies that are changing the future of healthcare:
#1. HEALTH INFORMATICS
A recent study in the University of Michigan cites that of more than half of the US hospitals that apply the use of some electronics record system, only 6% meet all of the Federal requirements. About half of the money put into the healthcare system are wastefully spent on ineffective record keeping processes. The use of electronic recording has shown to be very effective and have saved large healthcare systems a huge amount of money. Health informatics (electronic recording system) has helped reduce malpractice claims, inefficiency and inadequate record keeping.
#2. DIGITAL THERAPY
Patients who cannot afford to go to a clinic, who need to be taken care of at home, or have no means by which the can get to a clinic for therapy, can harness the effectiveness of digital therapy. There are platforms which mix mobile technology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in caregiving for patients after they have been discharged from the hospital or return from the Doctor’s office. An example of such is Wellframe. This platform provides a to-do list for the patient on a daily basis as well as a tracker for exercise and diet.
#3. HACKATHONS
Hackathon is also known as a codefest. It is a coding “festival” which brings computer programmers and other tech experts from all over the world together to enhance or develop a new software program. Hacking is fast becoming a very vital tool in solving world problems, especially in the healthcare sector. The slow evolution of the healthcare system has seen a rapid rise in recent years due to most of the ideas borne out of Hackathons
#4. ULTRA-FAST SCANS
Ultra-fast scanners which can capture a still image of a heart in one beat are now available. This was showcased by General Electric Co. (GE) in their breakthrough exhibition in 2014. With this new invention, Doctors can now see vital parts of the heart that is unseen before.
#5. WEARABLES
Technological devices that are capable of being worn are going to play major roles in the healthcare system in the not too far future. According to Statista, sales of wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers are rising exponentially. And by the end of 2019, revenue from wearable device sales may amount to over 27 billion US dollars. For the developers of wearable devices, using wearables to monitor fitness only projects their use at its basic stage. Soon wearables would be used to track and find certain features of some diseases. For example, a team of experts At Intel joined forces with the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2014, to use wearable devices to track certain attributes of Parkinson’s disease.