How Humans’ Average Life is Improving with Healthcare Technology?

By Aashi Jain May 31 2021 9:12PM
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Healthcare sector is continuously working to provide better medical conditions to humans and increase their average life span. Healthcare technology has a big role in it.

Can Humans become Immortals? Rise of Healthcare Technology

Technology has had a significant influence on improving and simplifying our lives, and it's impossible to imagine a world without it. Technology includes everything from the phone we use to communicate with others to the washing machine we use to clean our clothes. The healthcare industry, including all other industries, has evolved its technology to a new level and is heavily reliant on it.

According to WHO,
"Healthcare Technology is the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve the quality of life."

Healthcare Technology: Concept

Any IT tools or software meant to increase hospital and administrative productivity, bring new insights into medications and treatments, or improve the overall quality of care offered is referred to as healthcare technology. To combat quality and efficiency issues, tech-infused solutions are incorporated into every stage of our healthcare experience. With the aid of technology, not only is the quality of the staff increasing, but surgical procedures and healing durations are also being minimized.

Healthcare Technology & Different Areas

  • Administration Technology has greatly aided in the management of the expanding workload in medical settings. Healthcare Technology has created a plethora of software, tools, and apps that assist employees in streamlining patient flows and maintaining patient records. It has also enabled hospitals to plan appointments using apps, allowing doctors to better use their time.
  • Surgery Surgical settings have improved significantly during the previous decade, thanks to advances in healthcare technology. With the use of robots aiding surgeons with a range of operations, from simple non-invasive treatments to open-heart surgery, surgeries have become more efficient and faster. Virtual and augmented reality, in addition to robots, are assisting doctors and surgeons in duties such as rehearsing new surgical methods and better explaining operations to patients.
  • Fitness Nowadays, the world has suddenly shifted to being health-conscious, and technology, without a doubt, has played a significant role in keeping us fit. From tools that help us to track our workouts and calorie intake to the devices which allow tracking our sleeping patterns, technology is reducing preventable costs to the healthcare system.
  • Drug Development To power a new generation of medication research and development, the pharmaceutical sector is entirely reliant on technology. The technology is assisting the industry in various ways, including the creation of chemical combinations that may aid in the development of the ideal medicine and the identification of patients who might benefit most from a specific medication trial.
  • Diagnostics and Error Reduction The healthcare sector has combated inaccurate and delayed diagnosis by incorporating technology into genetics, pathology, and other essential diagnostic domains. With technology, the medical profession can diagnose lethal diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and other diseases with more precision than depending just on people.
  • Mental Health Mental health is as important as physical health and is a growing area of healthcare. Virtual reality is being hailed as a promising tool in the battle against depression, PTSD, and Alzheimer's disease. Patients eventually educate their brains to build up a tolerance to prior traumas through exposure treatment until those ideas no longer negatively influence them. In addition, telemedicine applications have made access to counselors and healthcare experts simpler by allowing for more contact and assistance, as well as minimizing the need to wait for an in-person appointment during times of crisis.

Healthcare Technology: Advantages

  • Communication systems in healthcare hospitals For both patients and physicians, this is one of the most significant benefits of healthcare technology. Many types of equipment are available for patients to contact doctors or nurses from their particular wards or rooms. For emergency scenarios, there are unique arrangements where the patient can simply push a button, and the staff will be alerted.
  • Technology improving healthcare in hospitals Technology essentially makes it easier for people to receive the high-quality therapy they seek. Patients' healthcare or treatment has improved thanks to technologies and gadgets.
  • Electronic Health records of patients in hospitals A patient's health records and other data are safely saved in a computer. So, the next time the same patient visits the doctor, they just need to enter the name, and the whole record is in front of him. Keeping records in the computerized system is faster than paperwork and takes less time than paperwork.

Healthcare Technology: Disadvantages

  • Increasing the expense of therapy for patients The most significant drawback that technology has brought is a rise in treatment costs. Robotic surgeries and other types of technological equipment procedures are extremely expensive, and the majority of patients, particularly in India, come from rural regions and come from low-income families. It is practically hard for them to afford expensive operations and therapies.
  • Showing the incorrect result of the patient's condition to error is to humans, but we cannot expect machines to be perfect either. It is conceivable that medical technology does not display the proper outcome to clinicians, resulting in improper therapy. Errors and bugs can enter the machinery, causing it to malfunction and produce incorrect results.
  • Patients' lack of information and cybercrime While the security of a patient's data is critical, with cybercrime on the rise, keeping patient records in a digital format is hazardous. With the use of technology, patients' treatments may be modified, and numerous illegal acts may be carried out.
  • Damaging cells and organs of the patients' body Nowadays, machinery and equipment employ a lot of hazardous radiation, such as lasers, which are extremely hazardous to the human body. The rays have the potential to harm the body's cells and have long-term consequences.
  • Patients' online therapy using technology can go wrong If the patient is not adequately assessed and treated; doctors offering treatments online might be lethal. Online medical treatment will never be able to match the precision of physical medical treatment.
  • Automatic Machine treatment This type of medical therapy involves introducing a machine into the patient's body, releasing drugs and treating the body according to the patient's ailments. Although this procedure is pretty powerful, it can be quite harmful if the machine provides incorrect therapy.

Examples of Healthcare Technologies

Some examples of healthcare technologies are:

  • Telemedicine
  • Wireless communication
  • Sensor and wearable technology
  • The electronic health records
  • Remote monitoring tools
  • Pharmacogenomics

Healthcare: Improving Lives

Machines can be a source of convenience, but they can also be a cause of the disaster. Technology has made significant advances in the healthcare field, yet anything that benefits also has a drawback. Technology, like anything else, has a positive and negative side, but all that has to be done is to use it wisely, and we can make the best out of it.

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