We all know that technology has had a significant impact on our lives in a number of different ways. Of course, it may be easy to look at the social landscape of the world and see technology’s impact. Look to the changing landscape of remote work and you’ll also note that technology plays a major role. But the healthcare sector has also undergone some enormous changes as a result of modern technology. Here are just a few key ways that technology is changing the healthcare sector.
Telemedicine Solutions Make Appointments Easier Than Ever Before
In the old world, you used to have to schedule an appointment with your doctor’s office any time you noticed a health issue either with yourself or with a member of your family. Often this meant you would have to make phone calls days or even weeks in advance. In some cases, you would even need to wait in order to be seen by a doctor. But now thanks to modern video technology, you can hold an appointment with your primary care physician right from the comfort of your own home.
Telemedicine has made some significant impacts on the healthcare sector in a few ways. First and foremost, you have to look at the convenience factor. With a remote meeting, a patient is able to save themselves valuable time. They don’t have to get ready and drive across town through traffic in order to see their doctor. Furthermore, in certain scenarios, wait times for telemedicine appointments may be much smaller than those found in the physical doctor’s office. And when you consider that almost 50% of people will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load, convenience is definitely of the utmost importance to patients.
The remote nature of telemedicine technology also makes so that patients do not have to expose themselves to other potentially sick people. We all know how quickly illnesses can spread when lots of sick people are together in the same room. Of course, at a doctor’s office, it’s far more likely that there will be lots of people who are currently sick. With a telemedicine appointment, patients are able to keep from getting others sick if they are contagious, and they can also keep themselves and their family members safe at home.
Medical Research Uses New Technology
Everything from new medical tools like as handwriting robots and surgery units have been improved by technology. Inventions such as these require thorough research, a process that has also been helped along immensely by the advances in modern technology. When it comes to research and testing, precision is necessary. For example, were you aware of the fact that modern labs are capable of screening of ingredients to 0.1% and lower? With such precise figures, it’s necessary for researchers to have total accuracy. Technology helps them do this. Prescription medications are also supported by thorough, painstaking research teams, many of which would not be able to make such outstanding progress without the aid of modern medical and healthcare technology solutions.
Technology Makes Doctor Patient Communication Easier
When it comes to staying healthy, your communication and rapport with your family doctor is crucial. And technology has made it easier than ever before to keep in touch with your family’s primary care physician. Even technology as seemingly simple as an email, patient to doctor chat rooms, and healthcare patient portals have made it simple to check in on lab results, schedule appointments, and ask questions.
Let’s take an example. If someone in your family needs a physical exam done, then they will need to be in touch with their doctor with plenty of notice. In fact, it’s ideal to have a pre-participation physical exam performed at least six to eight weeks before the sports season begins. This gives the health care provider time to treat any conditions they may find, as well as time for any necessary follow-up exams. With new communication technologies facilitating this process, and many others, all involved parties can plan ahead and stay on track to complete their healthcare assessments on time.
Technology Is Assisting Medical Devices
Did you know that approximately 6.8 million Americans use assistive devices to aid their mobility? The number is quite shocking to most people when they first hear it. But with so many different medical conditions affecting people of all kinds, there is a large need for medical devices that make life easier. Some people may need a medical device to alleviate certain symptoms that they have. Others may use one to assist in their mobility so they can get out and live their day to day lives. Whatever the case, there is simply no denying the impact that technology has made on so many of these people’s health, livelihoods, and well being
Technology Makes Assisted Living Facilities More Hospitable
Those who are part of the aging population often need assistance to continue living. As a result, many of them go to assisted living facilities. Of course, technology is present there as well. Not only does technology make assisted living easier to function within for the patients, but it also helps the medical staff at these facilities to maintain swift and efficient operations. With lots of patients on their hands, it’s easy for the medical staff at assisted living facilities to begin to feel overwhelmed. When new medical technology helps them to take a bit of breather, then everyone benefits.
The impacts here are enormous, and some of them are even impossible to quantify. We all know that most patients who are living in an assisted living facility may have trouble performing their routine and daily functions. With technological solutions by their side (in many cases, quite literally) their quality of life is upgraded immensely. There’s really no underestimating the power of technology in helping people all over the world live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives each and every day.
Technology has made some major impacts on the world at large. For instance, digital record-keeping is far safer and more efficient — 15% of all paper documents are misplaced and 7.5% are lost. In the medical sector, some of the changes are obvious, as demonstrated by this list, but others may be harder to detect. In any case, as technology continues to develop and evolve, you can expect the changes to the medical industry and healthcare sectors keep pace.
