In the last 15 years, the healthcare industry has experienced dramatic change due to technological advancements that extend beyond medical equipment. Groundbreaking technologies, combined with regulations requiring electronic health records, are transforming how doctors and patients interact. By embracing these innovative technologies, doctors improve patient care, satisfaction, and outcomes.
Here are five specific technologies that can help the industry continue progressing.
1. Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records, also known as EHRs, are programs that collect and track health records for individual patients. Laws passed in 2009 required doctors to switch to electronic health records. This technology has significantly improved the quality of care most patients receive.
There are several ways EHRs have upended and improved the medical field, including:
- Giving patients easy access to their own medical records.
- Standardizing coding and billing practices.
- Centralizing data to more easily share it among practitioners.
- Providing checks and balances to prevent allergic reactions or drug interactions.
- Streamlining communication, both between providers and between providers and patients.
- Protecting continuity of care when patients need to move or change providers.
- Centralizing patient data so all providers, patients, and loved ones have the same information.
These changes improve patient satisfaction and improve treatment plans and implementation. In many ways, the rise of EHRs has paved the way for increased use of technology in patient care.
2. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
AI is weaving its way into nearly every aspect of healthcare. In administration, AI, in combination with electronic health records, can more quickly find and retrieve records and other documents. AI can produce results from testing and screening faster than human lab technicians. It can also work alongside doctors to develop treatment protocols and medications.
This has two benefits for healthcare providers. First, it improves patients' outcomes. Patients get more accurate diagnoses with less risk of human error. It also improves the chances of proper diagnosis using all potential facts. And since AI doesn't have to sleep, it can speed up the timeline for a diagnosis.
Second, it frees up time for doctors to spend with patients, allowing a more personalized, attentive approach to healthcare. When the AI is running searches and analyzing scans, doctors can be in the office talking to their patients about potential treatment plans.
3. Machine Learning Technology
Machine learning is a subset of technology that uses the study of algorithms to improve computer programs through experience. In the medical world, machine learning technology can create software that can more precisely diagnose medical conditions. For example, the National Institutes of Health indicates that computer programs can use labeled X-ray images of tumors to identify tumors in additional images. Because this process eliminates the risk of human error, outcomes improve once the computer has "learned" what it needs to know.
Radiology is just one field where machine learning is showing promise. In another test, a deep-learning algorithm accurately predicted diabetic retinopathy progress in a series of individual patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, machine learning programs were designed to predict the strains of the virus to use in vaccines. Because computers can shift data at intensely fast speeds, machine learning may revolutionize both medical research and individual patient care.
4. Wearable Health Devices
Wearable health trackers give patients more control and understanding of their health. These devices track steps, but they can also track heart rate, blood pressure, signs of stress, and sleep patterns. All of these data points are vital to understanding your current health. Patients can use that data to make better health decisions, take charge of their own health, and make improvements when needed.
Today's wearable devices can track with EHRs to provide real-time data to doctors. For patients with complex conditions, such as high-risk cardiac patients, this real-time data can help doctors make decisions when a health crisis occurs. The doctor can log into the patient's electronic record, see their heart readings, and decide if they need immediate assistance.
While there are concerns about privacy regarding wearable health devices, their potential benefits are extensive. The healthcare world will have to decide how best to use that potential while protecting patients' rights. Still, the future of wearable tech and its connection to medicine is promising.
5. Telemedicine Services
With electronic health records, data about a patient is readily available, even if that patient isn't in the office. The addition of videoconferencing technology and improved camera quality means many patients don't need to be seen in person for a doctor to diagnose and treat them accurately. Thus, many practices and insurance providers are opting for telemedicine services for mild health concerns.
Telemedicine is convenient for the patient and the practitioner. Both log onto their computer or phone at the designated time. The doctor can see the patient and diagnose the condition, and the patient can get medicine or other help more quickly. Telemedicine also means patients who are sick with contagious illnesses can stay home and avoid spreading germs.
The technological future of medicine is bright.
These five are the most promising current technologies in the healthcare industry that don't involve direct patient care. Yet many more are on the horizon. Technology is improving the patient experience in the operating room and medical office.
Current technologies are setting the stage for a connected medical world with clear communication and accurate diagnosis. This healthcare ecosystem will operate efficiently, providing a high standard of care with minimal delays. It's a sustainable model backed by the power of technology.
