words Al Woods
There is no doubt that technology has overtaken every single field of industry in the 21st century. However, the most valuable impact of technology is within the healthcare industry. In this field, technology has the purpose of extending the human lifespan and providing us a quality life.
According to Our World in Data, life expectancy has doubled compared to 1900. Now the average lifespan is 70 years, and it’s all due to the innovative patterns and tech inventions happening in the healthcare industry. The changes in the diagnostic and therapeutic options are responsible for providing these results.
Photo by Owen Beard on Unsplash
Nevertheless, some of the inventions and innovations aren’t really known by people. So, the best thing is to spread the word out. This way everyone can get familiar with these novelties that can be used to their advantage. Therefore, in this article, we share with you a list of 7 technology inventions that are reshaping medicine.
1. Telehealth
Did you know that 60% of Americans would like to get a digital service in every industry, including healthcare?
Obtaining digitized medicine services is called telehealth or telemedicine. Telehealth includes diagnosis, online prescription services, and medical advice given by physicians online through digital devices. This way the waiting line to get an appointment with your doctor is easily skipped. Getting to your doctor online will solve your problem faster. This way you can avoid any complications that might happen if you wait.
Telemedicine is an innovation that we should use to our advantage. For instance, we can avoid taking over the counter medicine and get a prescription medicine by a licensed physician. Also, telemedicine is an amazing option for patients with disabilities or chronic conditions. This way they can reach out to their doctor anytime and get the needed medicine on time.
2. Virtual Reality
Through Virtual Reality (VR) medical students can get a grip on medical practices within their studies. This way students can rehearse certain procedures and get a better understanding of human anatomy. Other than that, VR has shown significant results in helping patients with mental health issues. By using this technology they can cope better with anxiety and certain phobias. The step-by-step exposure is enabled by VR.
3. Health Wearable
Due to the launch of Bluetooth in 2000, the idea about health wearable devices was initiated. Now, these innovations are available on most of our mobile devices. We can measure our steps, sleeping patterns, heartbeat and stress on our phones. Other than helping us in these routine measurements, health wearable devices can help patients with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Such a wearable device (a watch) was recently launched by Apple in 2018. It’s used to measure the heart rhythm of the person wearing it, with an integrated ECG. Health wearables can have life-saving potential, jotting down any early indications of an underlying problem.
4. Smart Inhalers
Regular inhalers have the predisposition to help around 90% of the asthma cases. However, studies show that the inhalers aren’t used right by 94% of the patients and therefore, only 50% of asthma patients have their condition under control. So, in order to help patients use their inhalers right, Bluetooth smart inhalers were developed in 2018. The Bluetooth-enabled inhalers have a device that records the time and date of the dose the patient got. Also, it’s recorded whether or not it was done properly. All of this valuable data is transferred to the patient’s mobile device and this way the patient can have a better insight into their condition.
5. 3D Printing
If you think that 3D printing is just a fad to create cool and fun stuff, you’re wrong. 3D printing finds its use in the healthcare industry as well. In fact, it has the ability to create implants and joints used during surgeries. For instance, 3D printed prosthetics are such a valuable innovation that matches the needs of the individual. Compared to regular prosthetics, 3D prosthetics provide a higher level of mobility.
Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash
6. Artificial Organs
When 3D printing and bioprinting are combined, there is a space for the emergence of life-saving creations – artificial organs. First of all, the recreation of skin cells has been a breakthrough for burn victims. Later on, synthetic ovaries and pancreas were the first artificial organs. When these artificial organs replace the damaged ones, without being rejected by the immune system, many lives could be saved. However, this field is yet to be explored and further developed.
7. Precision Medicine
Years of research have confirmed that we are all different! Therefore, what may work for one patient, may bring failure to another. In addition, technology helps us take a more personalized and individual approach to provide better results.
Patient care that is based on selecting several different treatments in accordance with the patient’s genes and predispositions is called precision medicine. It’s done by getting to the core of the disease, with the help of the unique genetic setting of the patient.
Conclusion
As can be seen, the advance in technology goes hand in hand with the advance in medicine. The revolutionary health innovations that have recently happened within the health industry have the purpose of extending our life span. Despite the 7 most important technological inventions above, there are also other technologies that are being explored further.
This type of growth is yet about to be experienced, by being applied in practice in every hospital. We all hope that with technology we can overcome or make certain conditions easier to cope with. And as we can see the overtaking of technology is already happening.
