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As the world of technology around us evolves it is in our best interest to expect a change in every aspect of our lives and medicine is no exception. With new advancements in technology comes new and exciting ways to approach the way doctors and physicians provide healthcare. From virtual doctors' visits to robotic surgery today we are going to explore where medicine and technology meet. We’ll talk about some of the new technological advancements in medicine and how they are affecting day to day treatment.
Telehealth
With more and more people opting to receive care from home especially during a global pandemic like the one we are currently experiencing, doctors and health care professionals had to come up with a way to treat patients that wasn’t in person, as a result, telehealth was born. Telehealth is a way of receiving medical care without having to go in person to the doctor's office. With telehealth, all you need to do is schedule an appointment and then go on your computer or your phone to meet in real-time with your doctor. Over the screen, you will receive diagnosis and treatment in a fast and efficient way. This form of healthcare works great considering the fact that 60% of customers now prefer digitally-led services.
Robotic Surgery
This piece of technology has been around for a while but has barely begun to become the norm in hospitals. Robot surgery was first brought to the scene in 1985 and has been steadily rising in popularity among surgeons for years. With robotic surgeries, the risk of infection and complications is less because all robotic surgeries are minimally invasive. Not only that but they have a smaller recovery time and tend to be faster surgeries. Many people fear that robotic surgery will make human surgeons obsolete but that simply is not true since all surgical robots need to be operated by a board-certified physician with technological experience and training.
3-D Printing
3-D printing, just like robotic surgery was invented in the 1980s; however, it wasn't until the 1990s that 3-D printing was even considered for medical purposes. Nowadays we constantly hear about 3-D printed implants, joints, organs, and so forth. The reason that 3-D printing has become so popular is because of its ability to formulate body parts specific to an individual's needs. If a patient needs a new trachea, for example, they can create one that matches them perfectly and can even make it with their own cells to avoid the problem of rejection once the transplant is complete. 3-D printing also helps solve the problem of organ shortages and in general, helps smooth the transplant process. There is still a long way to go in order to be able to completely 3-D print organs but every day we get closer with new technological advancements.
The Future
These technologies are just some of the few that are changing the way medicine interacts with patients every day. It important that we keep an eye out for new developments and maintain ourselves informed of the future of medicine.