The marriage of technology and healthcare has never been so mature. Technology innovations across mobile, tablets, wearables, sensors and micro-technologies have found smart use in healthcare. And this in turn is helping patients and doctors in multiple ways.
Tablets are being widely embraced by healthcare organizations. They are even replacing mobile devices where the need of a big screen comes in useful. Patient consultation forms are filled using tablets. Many of the EHR/EMR apps are used on tablets. Similarly many of the desktop software are also available on tablets and mobiles. While the concepts behind them remain the same, the ideas and devices are in a state of continuous improvement.
Telehealth has made it very easy to render remote clinical services. In the 90s, e-mails and phones were used to deliver telehealth services. They are now being replaced by video conference devices powered by different apps/software. New devices introduced in telehealth make use of electronic communication to transfer data from one place to another. Telehealth has made video conference, remote patient monitoring and medical education fast and convenient.
Many would argue that more than doctors today, gadgets and apps are helping patients stay healthy. Patients just have to enter their basic information and the app takes care of the rest. Next-gen gadgets such as wearables collect information and send it to their apps. There are also multiple third-party apps on exercises, yoga and fitness.
This practice of supporting healthcare through mobile devices is called mHealth. mHealth applications are helping doctors and patients across severe ailments such as strokes, cancers and diabetes. can be used for stroke prevention and rehabilitation. Not only do these apps capture information, they are also offering preventive and curative care to patients in real-time.
It’s difficult to accurately predict the future scope of technology in healthcare. However, one can confidently assume that with newer technologies, patient care and patient engagement will only become easier. The future generation of Internet of Things (IoT) powered devices are already showing glimpses of the future. Seems like the marriage will only become stronger!