Although the brightest minds in the world are still trying to find a way to make flying cars commercially viable or confirm the existence of alien-like species, there is some comfort in knowing that simple coughs and toothaches can now be treated with heroin and cocaine.
Technology has made it easier to treat ailments, injuries, or diseases in the healthcare industry. We'll be discussing three ways technology has affected the healthcare industry.
1. Greater Information Maneuverability
When you consider the number of paperwork doctors had to go through fifty years ago, it was clear that working as a doctor meant there was a constant risk of getting paper cut. Finding information about patients is now easy and not so tiring.
EHR (electronic medical records) has made it easy to look through thousands of files without having to go through them all. EHRs are responsible for consolidating the patient's medical records into digital documents. The professionals who care for the patient can access them in real-time.
Unlike the days when people had to travel to their doctor's offices in order to make an appointment, you can do this from your home. Patients and doctors can now access information from the internet that was unavailable fifty years ago. This has simplified communication within the scientific community.
2. Superior Patient Care
Not only are care practices more efficient, but the quality of medicine has improved tremendously. We didn't joke about the dubious treatment we mentioned earlier. Modern medicine has made it easier to diagnose and treat an illness and make it more effective.
Innovations in healthcare technology have made it possible to do what was previously impossible. The Fitbit can monitor oxygen levels and heart rate; professional sports games can be followed live through bras; cameras can safely be inserted into any orifice in the body to make sure everything is okay.
The result is that life expectancy has increased to a level not possible in a time when diarrhea or bronchitis could cause death or where a snake bite could lead to the loss of a limb.
3. Automated Tasks
This is a controversial topic in many industries. However, it is not hard to see how task automation (either through machine learning or any other form of artificial intelligence) has made a difference in many ways. This is also true in healthcare.
The facilitation of data extraction using EHRs has been mentioned before. Task automation allows medical staff to do more quickly and efficiently. Error margins have been greatly reduced in all areas. This is a great blessing in a field that can lose seconds.
This could be done by providing tools to diagnose injuries and ailments. This could mean reducing the amount of work required to bill patients. It could also be machine learning used to increase staff availability in hospitals that are overcrowded. Task automation has been a huge benefit to society.
Closing Thoughts
As technology and society advance, daily life will change. Healthcare and other industries will also change. Each new decade brings us a new brave world. However, technological innovation in healthcare has saved many lives. Perhaps progress at any cost isn't so bad after all.