Types Of Advanced Technology In The Health Care Industry

Featured article by Sarah Morris, Independent Technology Author

The reach of technological and digital innovations has become unprecedented and has changed all industries. It continues to grow as it evolves every year. The healthcare industry, for example, greatly benefited from increasing role of technology, which has changed almost all processes.

Smartphones and tablets are now used to replaced the old monitoring and recording system. There’s also the fact that people can now have full consultations with their doctor even though they’re at home. Because of advanced technologies, there are now healthcare services that are now available in user-friendly and easy-to-access devices.

The following are the types of advanced technologies that have brought changes to the healthcare industry:

1. AI or Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a promising advanced technology, though it is still in its early stages. The healthcare industry, however, considers AI as the future. With AI, patients will soon be able to schedule consultations and doctor appointments based on the symptoms they’re experiencing, help minimize staff problems, monitor a patient’s health status more efficiently, and alert humans immediately once something has gone out of control.

Artificial intelligence also aims to improve the wireless communication between medical professionals. COBS, for instance, is utilizing the power of AI to improve communication between doctors and nurses, which helps to save time when attending to patients.

2. Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery, as its name implies, is a series of surgical procedures that are done using robotic instruments or systems. They are designed to overcome the limitations of the minimally invasive procedures that medical professionals perform today, helping improve the control, flexibility, and precision of surgeons. With robotic surgery, surgeons are now able to perform complex surgical procedures that were impossible before.

3. 3-D Printing

3-D printers are one of the hottest technologies in the world right now. Numerous industries have implemented this technology, and the healthcare industry is no exception.

3-D printers are used to help with surgeries. They can create patient-specific replicas that surgeons can use to practice on before they perform the actual operations on their patients. 3-D printed models are also incredibly accurate down to the millimeter. This technology has helped improve the speed and success rate of complex surgeries unlike before.

4. Bioprinting

One of the revolutionary advanced technologies introduced to the healthcare industry is bioprinting. By taking 3-D printing up a notch, this technology can be used to create artificial organs.

At first, bioprinting was only used for printing tissues and organs to develop drugs and pills. But now, this emerging medical technology is used to create tissue-structures that emulate natural tissues to create artificial organs. So far, bioprinting has been used to create synthetic ovaries, blood vessels, and pancreas, and they grow inside the body to replace the faulty organs. Having this technology to create artificial organs that are not rejected by the human body helps save millions of patients who are dependent on transplants.

5. Precision Medicine

As the healthcare industry continues to advance, the medical technology becomes more and more personalized for each patient. Precision medicine has allowed doctors to select which medicines and therapies can treat diseases based on the patient’s genetics. This technology is considered to be more effective than other types of treatment since it treats the disease based on a patient’s specific genes.

6. Virtual Reality

With the most recent medical and technological advances, virtual reality has helped medical students experience what it feels like to be a real medical professional. Virtual reality has provided a good platform for them to have a good understanding of how the human anatomy works, as well as an avenue to study and rehearse medical procedures. Virtual reality also proves to be of great help to patients, aiding in diagnoses and creating treatment plans to help patients prepare for medical procedures.

7. Wearables

Wearables, particularly smartwatches, have seen its demand increase every year since the first time it was introduced. Smartwatches are capable of tracking everything, including a person’s steps, heart rate, and sleeping patterns. Now, these features are incredibly helpful these days since chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes are on the rise. These wearables help combat these diseases by helping individuals monitor and improve their fitness.

Conclusion

The advanced technologies introduced in the healthcare industry has by far saved millions of patients. Not only that, these technologies will continue to improve every year as more and more research are put into these advanced technologies so they will not only save patients, but also improve our way of life.

As you can see, people are now able to combat and treat diseases that are otherwise impossible to treat a couple of decades ago. There maybe some concerns about these advanced technologies, but the advantages they bring significantly outweigh their disadvantages. With this, people can look forward to more and more advancements in the healthcare industry in the coming years.