The importance of technology in Medicine cannot be overlooked. After all, the more technological resources advance, the better the quality of diagnosis and treatment that can be offered to people. With this, the longer the life expectancy and the happier people will be able to live. On a smaller scale, the more technology, the more productive a clinic is and the better results it has.
Just look at, for example, the “father of Medicine”, Hipocrates . Despite having inestimable historical importance for Medicine, including developing the first clinical descriptions of diseases we know today as pneumonia, malaria and tuberculosis, many of the theories and treatments thought by Hippocrates were simply wrong. Technological advances have, over the ages, allowed Medicine to deepen and become more effective.
Do you want to see some examples of technology in Medicine that we currently have and that we may have in the near future? So, keep reading!
Technology in Medicine: 5 examples
Much is said about the presence of artificial intelligence in our society. Books, movies and other cultural works have already imagined what life would be like when humanity is able to create beings with intelligence that surpasses (and far!) ours. However, the use of artificial intelligence in society is far from science fiction. You may have used an example of this technology yourself to get to this article. After all, you must be responsible for one of the 100+ billion searches that Google receives every month, right? The most popular search engine in the world is full of artificial intelligence.
Algorithms used everywhere today are examples of Artificial Intelligence. In medicine, this type of technology is already used to make much more accurate diagnoses based on imaging tests and the patient's clinical condition. An example is the pandemic of the new coronavirus, in which image analysis resources of people's lungs made it possible to diagnose Covid-19 much more quickly .
The pandemic also highlighted another technology widely used in medicine today: Telemedicine . In other words, the possibility of using telecommunications to provide care to patients. Currently, face-to- face medical consultations are still at risk because of the high rate of contamination of the new coronavirus in society. While values do not fall, the most recommended thing for patients and doctors is to keep digital appointments to avoid risks of contamination. Nowadays, you can even make an electronic prescription to buy medicines more easily.
If the other two examples are realities, this one is still in its infancy. However, the outlook is for 3D printing to be a huge shift in the healthcare industry standard. After all, with the tool it would theoretically be possible to print complete organs to put in the body. These organs could shorten the queue of people waiting for transplants, in addition to radically changing some aspects of society. Nowadays, the possibility of prostheses made via 3D printing is already being studied. How far can this technology go? It's hard to know.
Do you know someone who uses a pacemaker? So you know an example of wearable technology in medicine. Basically, this type of resource must be “worn” by the user or attached to their body in some way. A classic example is smartwatches, which constantly monitor people's vital signs and can save lives. In addition to them, there are many other resources that can already be used and that may still be used in the future. They will allow certain diseases to be prevented, always using data analysis to run diagnoses in real time.
Speaking of data analytics, it's important to mention business intelligence on this list. Yes: administrative and information technologies are also worth mentioning in this article. After all, the management of a clinic or is vital to ensure health performance. Think, for example, if a clinic had problems managing the day's appointments. That could be the difference between someone being seen today or not until tomorrow. There are other more serious cases, such as the loss of medicine and other items in stock, and so on.
Therefore, it is essential that business intelligence begins to be used more and more in the medical field. It could help generate better managed clinics with better patient outcomes. As you can see, technology in Medicine is not only restricted to the treatment of patients, but also includes the complete management of clinics and medical offices. Many may see this issue as of minor importance within the health context, but this is not so. After all, poor management of the clinic can result in a lack of supplies for care, financial confusion and other problems that prevent the doctor from doing his care in the right way.
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