Technology has always had a mutually beneficial relationship with science and health, from developing online medical courses such as a Masters in School Counseling to creating new equipment and research methods. While the developing technology has allowed for greater advancements in healthcare and our scientific understanding, the needs of health and science have allowed for greater attention to be paid to new and developing technologies. This relationship has not even come close to floundering in recent years, and the past year has seen technology been called on more than ever before to meet the needs of science and health. This article will cover some of the top ways that technology is currently helping the health and science sector.
Learning and Education
Although you might instantly think about the development of new procedures and equipment when you consider the impact that technology has had on science and healthcare, technology has also aided science and healthcare in that it has increased the quality and accessibility of qualifications, such as a Masters in School Counseling, in the sector. Rather than having to spend multiple years of their life in medical school, or taking a science degree on-campus, students can now study toward health and science qualifications, such as a Masters in School Counseling or Marine Biology, from the comfort of their home.
Technology has allowed courses such as a Masters in School Counseling to come to fruition as the internet, and file-sharing portals now allow students to watch lectures from anywhere in the world, as long as they have a Wi-Fi connection. The internet has also helped students by enabling them to download resources and submit assessments to a digital portal and communicate with their lecturer and even other students who are taking a Masters in School Counseling online. The ability to complete courses in this manner has broken down many of the barriers that have previously prevented people from taking courses like a Masters in School Counseling, such as the cost and other familial commitments. This means that anyone can now improve their skills and gain the knowledge that they need to meet certain job roles requirements in their sector and apply to their research programs. This has helped the health and science sectors upskill their employees and broach an aging workforce's problems.
Technology aided health and science education in terms of online courses like a Masters in School Counseling, but it also changed how staff are trained within these sectors. For instance, VR and AR technology can better prepare trainees taking courses like a Masters in School Counseling for the workplace by allowing them to get experience, virtual or not, in a real working environment, and of all of the pressures that are evident within these. These technologies can also recreate certain medical conditions and scientific ideas which trainees can then work on. Not only can they propel students into a real medical or lab environment, but they can help medical and science students to understand the needs of their clients by allowing them to experience what it is like to be their patients through realistic simulations.
New Equipment
However, as well as helping students' complete courses such as a Masters in School Counseling, one of the most important developments in health and science is creating new equipment. Where once we were celebrating the creation of the telescope and the microscope, which have both greatly aided scientific research, now technology has allowed for more sophisticated and accurate x-ray machines through the use of an imaging technique that uses color to identify microfractures that previously went unseen within the bone.
Not only this, but 3D printing has also started to be used frequently within the healthcare and science sector. Although you might relate 3D printers solely for use within manufacturing and offices, 3D printing can bring ideas and prototypes for machinery to life in the lab and beyond, allowing scientists to test their ideas. This includes the making of surgical tools. They can also be used in the healthcare sector to create custom limbs for amputees, which can provide a better fit than standardized alternatives. As well as limbs, 3D printing can help to create entire artificial organs when necessary, bypassing the need for a donor and reducing the threat of rejection through their ability to grow within the body and replace the damaged organ.
The creation of Bluetooth and smart devices may be associated with your home security and appliances, yet they can also positively impact patients within the healthcare industry. This is through the introduction of smart inhalers and devices, which can help to ensure that medication is correctly given to patients in the right dose, and regularly. This can help people to better manage their conditions from the comfort of their own home. Smart devices are not only for medical professionals, though, and health wearables have allowed people to track their health at home. This information, such as heart rate, can then be quickly and easily passed onto their medical professional and scientists- to allow them to get better control of their health and the condition that they suffer from.
Ease of Research
In both the worlds of health and science, research is one of the most important aspects of the individual sectors, as this is what nurtures progression and allows the industries to provide their clients with the best solutions possible. Not only this, but research technology is also key to a range of health and science qualifications, such as a Masters in School Counseling, as colleges and universities are often the hub of new developments and ideas.
Technology has drastically helped advance the way research is conducted in both labs and university settings, with courses like a Masters in School Counseling focusing on practical and research applications. Rather than having to swelter all day over a musty library book, scientists can now use the internet to access scientific journals and to read other scientists' findings from across the globe. Not only this, but different software, such as productivity tools, can help researchers to gather their thoughts, to meet deadlines, and to organize their ideas effectively that they can easily collaboratively share with others.
Not only has technology advanced how researchers can create and read papers, but it can also actively help them with their physical experiments. For instance, technology has allowed people from across the globe to participate in research by filling out surveys online and participating in digital activities. For example, scientists have previously used video games, mobile phone apps, and scientific web portals to allow the general public to easily participate in their research if they are willing to do so. For instance, scientists have used these apps and games to analyze brain activity and patterns that they would not have monitored in the past.
Mobile Technology
Mobile technology may be more useful for the health and science world than you know. In terms of healthcare, mobile technology can allow patients to test themselves at home through the use of thermometer apps. Not only this, but mobiles can be connected to blood tests and diagnostic equipment to check for certain conditions. Patients can also monitor and track their nutrition levels to prevent disease, remind them to exercise, and eat healthily.
This mobile connectivity can also be of great use to scientists as there are now numerous apps that are increasingly tailored toward their needs. For instance, some mobile apps allow scientists to search online journals and to prepare solutions. They can also use apps to convert units and measurements and check the guidelines and rules for certain experiments. Not only this, but there is now an increasing number of ways in which civilians can use apps to contribute toward research, such as tracking the populations of certain animals in their area.
AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning, both incredibly new and blossoming developments in technology, are changing healthcare and science beyond recognition. In both the health and science sectors, artificial intelligence has allowed for the greater and more accurate analysis of live data. Not only can this save time and allow discoveries to be made much more quickly within the scientific world, allowing researchers to understand the workings and impact of their developments in no time at all, but it can also help healthcare professionals by allowing them to access better diagnostic information. Artificial intelligence can be used to skim scientific papers, previous cases of a disease, guidelines, and patient stats to find the best treatment for patients and help professionals come to the right conclusions about their patient's condition by comparing their data and scans to others.
Genomics
Genomics can also help both healthcare and science. For instance, in terms of health, genomics can allow professionals to recognize how certain diseases will impact people differently and understand how their patient's condition may develop over time, rather than simply treating them in a reactionary way. On a scientific level, genomics has allowed scientists to get a better grasp of genetic variability and how this might impact population demographics in the future, as well as the genetic markers that may influence the likelihood of contracting certain conditions, such as diabetes.
Telehealth
Telehealth has completely revolutionized how patients can access the healthcare that they desperately need, enabling them to receive care without having to visit a surgery in person. For instance, video technologies can allow doctors to host appointments online, with some even offering text appointments where patients can share screenshots of their condition with a professional. This can then help to free appointments for serious illness and ensure that people with limited mobility can access the same healthcare level as everyone else. This is particularly useful during the coronavirus pandemic when appointments are limited, and doctors are under a lot of strain to catch up with demand.
Electronic health records have also started to replace paper alternatives. These electronic options can ensure that patient details can be easily shared between hospitals and doctor's surgeries, meaning that patient notes can be accessed at all times. This can then allow clients to get the best care possible with their medical history, such as allergies, taken into account, whatever surgery they decide to seek care at. A lot of these telehealth systems are controlled with cloud technology that can allow doctors to control aspects of their everyday operations, such as patient appointments, to a much higher standard.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology has helped healthcare by allowing professionals to give their patients smaller drugs and be more precise with how certain conditions are targeted. For instance, with cancers, nanotechnology can allow chemotherapy treatments to be focused on tumors, rather than impacting the entire body. This can help them be more effective and reduce the patient's negative side effects in question. This type of tech can also help create better imaging to diagnose conditions and see the human body's intricacies. Nanotechnology might also one day allow scientists to grow organs for transplants.
Nanotechnology is constantly developing and can also be used in science to detect chemicals in both water and the air, providing a cleaner environment for everybody and increasing the efficiency of fuel production and usage. They can also be used to convert certain materials, such as wood chips into ethanol, which can be used for fuel purposes and create smart materials that can have health monitoring and energy capturing applications.
Robotics
Robotics may sound futuristic, but this technology has started to infiltrate science and healthcare already. Robotics is currently improving surgical procedures. For instance, miniature cameras and robotic arms are attached to machinery controlled by a surgeon or a medical professional, enabling procedures to be carried out without the risk of human error, and without additional discomfort for the patient in question. This can then make surgery less invasive.
Robotics can also be used in science for research purposes, as they can develop a theory with the information they are privy to and then test this theory without intervention by human scientists. They can also help repeat experiments within the exact same conditions, without the worry of human error impacting this research's outcomes.
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