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Digitizing Healthcare: How Technology Is Improving Medical Care

by Tricia Hussung

A wide variety of digital innovations are revolutionizing healthcare — and technology in medicine is here to stay. How are these changes impacting the delivery of care, and what skills are needed to succeed in this bold new world? It’s no secret that, as a society, technology has become a part of our everyday lives. In fact, almost 60 percent of American adults own a smartphone, and 42 percent of that same population (American adults) owns a tablet computer. Though technology has been permeating almost every aspect of our lives, until recent years the medical field has been largely unaffected by the rapid pace of technological innovation that is characteristic of the Digital Age. However, this is changing.

This ubiquity of technology is beginning to extend into the medical field. Advances in medical technology are changing medicine by giving physicians more information — as well as better, more specific data.

New Medical Technology: Innovations

So just what are these new advances in technology? The following are just a few of the many innovations that have occurred in medical technology over thepast yearalone. Some of these leading technologies are still being developed, while others are slowly being introduced into mainstream medical practice.

• The modern hospital experience: Several medical technology companies are looking to update hospital stays to keep pace with the needs of modern patients. To more easily integrate changing technology, these new rooms would feature interchangeable parts that are easily adapted to the specific situation of a patient. The seamless design would have a minimal impact on facility operations while increasing patient comfort and connectivity.
• Surgery simulation: The Roswell Park Cancer Institute has partnered with the University of Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to create the Robotic Surgery Simulator (RoSS). This innovation allows real-world views of surgeries while eliminating the need for a live environment to train aspiring surgeons. It gives these medical professionals the space to experiment in a simulated environment, rather than risking making mistakes on real patients.
• Cloud-based data and software: Applications like referralMD help healthcare providers create referrals digitally and reach millions of patients and providers who are in search of treatment options. The current, paper method of referrals causes almost 50 percent of patient referrals to never actually result in doctor’s visits. This present gap in care “causes patients to lose treatment (and) the healthcare facility to lose money.” Software innovations like these are part of the relatively new field of health informatics, which aims to collect, store, analyze and present health data in a digital format.

With widespread innovations like these affecting patient care practices, it is not surprising that the way medical records and information are stored and shared is changing as well. These technological advancements are costeffective and improve the ability of medical professionals to diagnose and treat health issues of all kinds. Two of the main changes that are revolutionizing the future of healthcare are electronic medical records and health information exchange. Future won´t be the same for medical field. Are you ready for what is coming?

Disponível em:<https://online.king.edu/news/digitizing-healthcare-how-technology-is-improving-medical-care/>. Acesso em: 09 maio 2018. (Adaptado).