5 Ways Technology is Transforming the Healthcare Industry

Over the last decades, technology has been the primary catalyst for change in virtually every industry. It has revolutionized human activities from the communication industry, learning institutions, and building construction to the transportation industry. The healthcare sector is not exceptional.

In the healthcare industry, digital transformation means adopting and employing innovative approaches to deliver sustainable value to healthcare professionals, patients, and medical organizations. By adopting advanced technological solutions, the healthcare industry and medical organizations significantly improved service delivery, automated workflow processes, increased efficiency, reduced costs, and saved time.

So, how has technology transformed the healthcare industry? This article will dig deep into five ways technology has been used to transform the healthcare industry and its benefits.

1.   Virtual doctors and Telemedicine.

One of the most remarkable transformations in the healthcare sector is the increased growth of virtual doctor assistants. It is an effective way of providing healthcare remotely using digital devices. Although most people were reluctant to adopt this technology, citing a lack of confidence in virtual assists, the narrative changed significantly. Nearly 30% of outpatient services are carried out virtually today.

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How vital is telemedicine? In the wake of 2020, the world experienced an outburst of a deadly virus called covid-19. It spread like wildfire. Eventually, the whole world began to feel its devastating effects. The healthcare sector was overwhelmed by millions of patients who sought medical assistance for the virus. As a result, service delivery was slowed, and millions of patients died. Patients suffering from other chronic diseases could not seek medical assistance due to restricting human interaction imposed by the world health organization.

So, what was the way forward? The answer lies in telemedicine. It is at this point that telemedicine was appreciated. Through it, patients could meet doctors virtually anywhere in the world at their convenient time, thus saving time and money and reducing the risks of contracting and spreading the covid-19 virus.

Telemedicine has enabled patients to communicate and schedule appointments with doctors via video calls using personal computers or smartphones. They can also receive medical prescriptions and instructions via email. As a result, hospitals have reduced pressure and increased health service delivery, especially in areas with a shortage of health workers.

2. Evolving of the CBD industry.

Cannabis sativa, popularly marijuana, is a common plant known for its mind-altering psychological effect (high) when smoked. For this reason, it is illegal in most countries. However, recent development in the healthcare sector discovered an exciting component in cannabis used for medicinal purposes.

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Cannabidiol or CBD is a non-psychoactive oil extract from cannabis plant flowers used to treat chronic pain, migraine, anxiety and depression, arthritis, nausea, and sleep disorders, among others. Its use has significantly garnered international attention, and today many nations have legalized commercial farming of medicinal marijuana.

As a result, CBD is sold both in pharmaceutical shops and dedicated CBD shops. Also available are wholesale CBD flowers for sale, which you can buy in large quantities at a discounted price.

3. Health Wearable.

‘Prevention is better than cure’ is a common phrase used in the healthcare corridors. For obvious reasons, nobody wants to see a doctor. Do you? News of a life-threatening condition drives fears down our spines. As a result, people are looking for effective and convenient ways of tracking their health metrics instead of visiting doctors when they are sick.

Thanks to technology, the healthcare industry has seen a tremendous development of wearable health devices to track various health metrics. These devices have the potential to track the real-time health status of an individual and send alerts to the health professional, caretakers, or even the person wearing it. Unusual health trends can be diagnosed and treated by analyzing data captured by the device. Isn’t that interesting? I suppose yes. So, what are these medical devices, and what health metrics do they track?

The most common wearable health devices include:

·       Oximeters - used for the amount of oxygen in the blood cell.

·       Heartbeat rate tracker – Used to track heartbeat rate

·       Sweat meters – are used to keep blood sugar levels in check.

As new technological trends emerge in the healthcare system, these devices increasingly become lifesavers.

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4. Use of robots.

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Imagine a robot attending to your medical needs? A robot performing surgery or stitching a cut on your body. It’s such an exciting experience, right? Well, robotic technology has in many ways revolutionized the health sector. Today, instead of humans, robots perform various tasks such as surgery, room disinfection, carrying out laboratory tasks, and responding to emergencies. They are fast and efficient, improving service delivery to medical organizations and patients.

5. Patient Portal.

Last but not least on our list of medical innovations is the patient portal. We have once in a while encountered situations where medical files and reports are misplaced, thwarting the entire treatment plan. The development of patient portals has replaced the filing system. Patients can review their health records, check prescriptions, trace appointment schedules, receive lab test results, and share data with their healthcare providers through the portal.

A good example is the followmyhealth system which covers most of the features discussed above.

Final Thoughts

Digital healthcare technologies are still evolving but have shown great perspectives and proven efficiency. We hope that more innovative solutions will open new opportunities and streamline a more effective and automated healthcare system.