Hollywood has long enjoyed imagining the impact that technology will have in store for future humans. Popular TV shows, movies, and books all imagine how technology will make our daily lives easier. In healthcare, advancements in technology have improved the clinical experience for patients and providers alike. Here are some exciting technologies that are being developed and implemented in healthcare facilities in 2018.
1. Faster-Paced Data and Analysis
Information is crucial to providing patients with the best care. Healthcare providers ask various questions to determine a patient’s needs. Using applications like MD Cloud, doctors will be able to access medical records quickly.
Instead of filling out oldfangled and time-consuming questionnaires, patients can simply input their data into applications transferring directly to their doctor’s device. From those records, offices will be able to view both logistical and medical needs—enabling physicians to have important medical information at their fingertips. Most importantly, improved medical data will increase the speed of making an accurate prognosis, improving the workflow and efficiency of an organization.
2. Connecting with Doctors at Home
Not only can patients save time at a doctor’s office through technology, but for some medical situations, they can avoid going altogether. For non-emergency healthcare, patients can video call their provider for services. Providers can simply treat, diagnose, and prescribe over a device.
Also, if a patient who received treatment needs to be monitored closely, there are wearable devices that can share a patient’s heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels conveniently from home. Doctors will receive real-time data, so they can call when alerted to any red flags.
3. Smart Technology
New technology can make patients who visit the hospital feel right at home and comfortable. Hospital administrators say a completely smart hospital can be achieved before the end of the decade. After interpreting each patient’s data, smart technology will be able to adjust room conditions to the patient liking–such as changing the firmness of a hospital bed or temperature of the room.
Soon, voice-activated devices that are trending in homes might be assisting nurses and doctors with patients.
4. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality for Training
Virtual reality and augmented reality have long been impressive from a technological standpoint, but the challenge has been to find the industry-specific applications for the tech. In healthcare, surgical training is showing to be the most powerful application.
VR and AR are being used to improve mapping and diagnostic data in clinics but its efficacy in surgical training is especially promising. With the high-stakes nature of the surgery, having virtual simulations gives physicians a tremendous resource.
In the Baltimore-Washington area, a health care provider is using VR an AR to train surgeons and is finding the training very effective. Next, they’re looking to apply the technology for case-based training and for complex emergency situations.
5. Surgical Robotics
Due to rapid technological advancements in recent years, the surgical robotics industry is exploding. Robots have enabled procedures to be less invasive, cheaper, and more precise than ever before. What types of surgeries are robots assisting surgeons with?
Not too long ago, gallbladder surgery was considered a major operation that would leave patients with a 4-6-inch scar. With surgical robotics, the operation only requires a single incision and is virtually scarless.
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