In today’s dynamic healthcare landscape, technology has brought and continues to bring significant benefits, providing great support in improving our understanding of complex issues in the healthcare field and reducing limitations in delivering direct healthcare services to current patients.
In this article, we will learn more about what is healthcare technology and its best practices in the field of MedTech.
What is Healthcare Technology?
Healthcare technology is technology application in the field of medicine and healthcare to treat, and provide better services for patients.
To put it simply, healthcare technology is any IT tool or software intended to increase productivity in hospitals and administrative settings, bring fresh perspectives on medications and treatments, or enhance the general standard of care.
These technologies serve patients, physicians, and associated service providers by supporting the majority of tasks in the healthcare ecosystem.
What are Practices of Healthcare Technology?
Common practices within healthcare technology include a large range of innovative applications, such as IoT, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, virtual reality, big data, and augmented reality.
IoT in Healthcare Devices
As the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated, people may not always have easy access to healthcare facilities. In that case, the remote healthcare approach allows seamless communication between them and medical providers for timely treatment.
IoT refers to wearable electronics like smartwatches and implanted medical devices that are linked to the Internet. A person’s body may contain implanted IoT devices. There are numerous applications for these Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare gadgets, some of which could even replace the current healthcare norm. These factors suggest that by 2026, the market for IoT devices will probably reach USD 94.2.
The Internet of Things is already affecting the doctor and patient sides in healthcare. Patients may now follow their health thanks to devices like glucose monitors, electrocardiograms, thermometers, ultrasounds, and others. A growing number of hospitals are using smart beds, which are equipped with sensors that can identify a patient’s presence and automatically change to provide the right amount of support without requiring a nurse to step in. Moreover, the IoT can also help transform patient care at home.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare encompasses various ways, including discovering new connections between genetic codes, powering robots that assist during surgery, automating administrative work, and customizing treatment options.
AI applications in healthcare include deep learning, natural language processing, machine learning, and other AI technologies that improve patient and healthcare professional experiences. Due to AI’s data-processing and predictive capabilities, health practitioners can better manage their resources and be more proactive in handling many healthcare facets.
With these technologies, health administrators can find electronic health information more quickly and accurately, physicians can diagnose illnesses more quickly, and patients can receive more individualized care.
Also, by 2020, cognitive systems that offer real-time 3D images should enable the diagnosis of serious illnesses like diabetes and cancer in a matter of minutes. They might be able to recognize common physiological traits in the scans. By 2025, 60% of hospitals and insurance businesses worldwide are anticipated to have AI systems in place. Thus, over 70% of patients will receive easily accessible, reasonably priced, and high-quality care from AI systems.
3D Printing
In contrast to conventional methods, 3D printing is a manufacturing technique that uses an additive process to create three-dimensional items. Using materials like polymers, metals, and ceramics, 3D printing creates objects layer by layer as an alternative to sculpting raw materials through subtractive operations like grinding, cutting, or machining.
The use of 3D printing to produce personalized, patient-specific solutions has advanced the healthcare sector. Using patient data from MRIs and CT images, it generates anatomical models, implants, and prosthetics. Complex, porous medical devices that properly mix in with human tissues can also be created with 3D printing.
At the moment, the most widespread uses are for medical equipment like dental implants and hearing aids, as well as scaffolds or prostheses made via 3D printing. The printing of human tissues, such as hands, eyes, hearts, livers, and ears, or the construction of the tiniest functioning pieces of tissues, will, nevertheless, be the true game-changer for 3D printing and may result in the creation of enormous tissues and organs. As surgical grafts, they can be utilized to replace or mend damaged organs and tissues.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a next-generation technology that potentially transforms a wide range of sectors, despite being frequently linked to gaming. Healthcare professionals are investigating novel ways that virtual reality (VR) can help patients and healthcare providers get better treatments and results in a variety of areas, such as surgery, pain management, physical and cognitive rehabilitation, mental health, and more.
Psychiatrists can treat patients suffering from severe pain, anxiety, despair, claustrophobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder by using virtual reality (VR). One risk-free setting where users can experiment with virtual reality simulations and address their problems in a controlled way is PsyTech’s Phobos.
A different example is the Bravemind program from Virtually Better, which treats PTSD through VR exposure therapy. These methods make virtual reality advantageous for medical practitioners since they improve the patient’s overall experience receiving care.
Big Data
Big data refers to large data sets consisting of both structured and unstructured data that are analyzed to find insights, trends, and patterns. It is typically described by the three V’s: volume, velocity, and variety. This means that it comprises a variety of data types, including text, photos, graphs, and videos, and is generated at a high rate of speed.
Therefore, enhanced data and analytics have the potential to significantly change patient monitoring, care, and decision-making, as well as the analysis and use of resources and patient self-management. This is where partnering with managed IT services becomes advantageous, as it ensures the seamless integration and management of these advanced analytics tools. Above all, it could allow medical professionals to provide more tailored treatment and treat patients more effectively.
Therefore, enhanced data and analytics have the potential to significantly change patient monitoring, care, and decision-making, as well as the analysis and use of resources and patient self-management. Above all, it could allow medical professionals to provide more tailored treatment and treat patients more effectively.
Argumented Reality
With the use of augmented reality (AR) technology, powerful new medical tools have become possible. It is and will continue to change the way healthcare professionals operate and receive training. In fact, by 2027, it’s expected that AR’s reach will have increased by about 3.5 times.
Healthcare companies can improve medical education through the use of augmented reality, which will improve patient outcomes and transform the way healthcare professionals give care. Adding augmented reality to your healthcare toolkit can help with a variety of issues, including personnel shortages, technology integration, escalating prices, and administrative difficulties.
AR has made it possible for a surgeon to perform a procedure while wearing smart glasses, which helps them stay focused on the task at hand. This reduces the likelihood of errors and the need to multitask more than necessary. Placing the most crucial information in front of the surgeon can help lower the risks involved with minimally invasive surgery.
For patients, augmented reality has the potential to greatly enhance the standard of care they receive from their medical professional.
These practices represent just a subset of the many ways in which technology is transforming healthcare delivery, management, and outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, handling the constantly changing field of modern healthcare requires an understanding of healthcare technology. The range of technology at our disposal, from telemedicine and artificial intelligence to electronic health records, offers enormous promise for enhancing patient care and organizational effectiveness.
However, choosing a well-suited healthcare technology requires various factors, such as usability, interoperability, security, and cost-effectiveness. Consulting with a healthcare technology specialist, like professionals at KMS Healthcare, can provide invaluable insight into making deft choices and implementing solutions that suit both patient requirements and organizational goals.
By leveraging the expertise of healthcare technology consulting, healthcare providers can maximize technology’s advantages while mitigating risks and obstacles, thus propelling the provision of high-quality treatment.