Technology has impacted many lives and industries as we see it, including the healthcare industry. While it hasn’t cured everything yet, technological advances have seen improvements on the quality of life and has saved many lives.

With all the digital developments, it’s fair to say that they have had a positive impact on helping healthcare professionals work more efficiently and effectively.

Technology has given better treatments for patients in need. It has created innovative machines, medicines and treatments that could potentially save lives and give billions of people a chance for recovery. As well as helping patients heal and recover efficiently, it has also given researchers the assistance to make healthcare even more effective.

Internet, computers and mobile devices have also had a massive impact on the way we communicate with healthcare professionals. For example, with companies such as Push Doctor. Patients can now book video appointments through apps and choose a GP that is convenient for them along with an appropriate time slot.

In surgeries, doctors can perform operations that were not possible before. Because of new inventions like skype, healthcare workers can also meet with other specialists around the world to share their expertise, while patients from rural areas can have access to superior treatment and surgeries from the other side of the world.

It has also given patients easy access to information. Before advanced technology, patients were limited to reading a book about their condition or just seeking advice from a professional. Now free information is readily available via the internet where they can find out about diagnosis, conditions, and treatments. Similarly, medical practitioners only relied on formal education and experience. They also have access to curated resources and databases. Although, this access can be beneficial, it can also be very unsafe if used inappropriately.

On the contrary, digital healthcare has had an impact commercially. This comes with the recent release of the new apple watch. What was once a fashionable gadget is now a lifesaving function for some people.

It has health tracking powers that monitors heart rate, tracks sleep and even helps detect early signs of serious health issues such as atrial fibrillation, hypertension, sleep apnoea and goes as far as detecting diabetes. Although it cannot detect serious health problems with 100% accuracy Macworld suggest that this will be possible in the future.

This is just the beginning of technology’s promise to reform healthcare. Whether it be a watch’s ability to predict diabetes or as simple as a doctor’s visit via an app, technology will continue to mould the healthcare industry in the foreseeable future.

References

• Tech-New. How Technology Has Changed Healthcare. (http://tech-new.org/how-technology-has-changed-healthcare)Powered by Northrop Grunman. September 5, 2018. Albert McKeon. Technological Advances in Healthcare Enhance Medical Care and Treatment.
• (http://now.northropgrumman.com/technological-advances-in-healthcare-enhance-medical-care-and-treatment/)31 August 2018. Nicola Merrifield.
• How Technology is changing the GP consultation. (http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/gp-topics/it/how-technology-is-changing-the-gp-consultation/20037389.article)
• Bustle. April 19, 2018. James Loke Hale. How Does Apple Watch Health Work? Here’s Everything The Device Can Do For Your Well-Being. (https://www.bustle.com/p/how-does-apple-watch-health-work-heres-everything-the-device-can-do-for-your-well-being-8834832)