Upward Developments: How Technology Keeps Advancing & Improving Our Health

Medical Technology  

As research and testing is carried out around the world, healthcare is one of the industries that's always at the forefront of emerging technologies.

New techniques, evolving IT systems, and cutting-edge equipment are being integrated into healthcare systems that are advancing patient care more rapidly than ever. Here are just some of the ways that new technology is improving our health.

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Wearable Technology

A growing range of wearable devices is helping to improve patient care. Outside the hospital, individuals with serious medical conditions can be outfitted with wearables that monitor glucose levels, blood pressure, and more. With Wi-Fi technology, these devices provide an automatically downloaded record of patient care to healthcare computers. They can also issue alerts or medication reminders when readings fall below acceptable levels. Even home health patients remain connected for fast response in emergencies.
3D Printers

Since the arrival of 3D printing, healthcare researchers have been devoted to creating biologic materials that can be applied in the additive form of manufacturing. Using stem cells and incubation techniques, medical professionals are already reproducing a number of cell types that can be used to grow living tissue. This is gradually making it possible to recreate a patient's skin cells, blood vessels, muscle, cartilage, bones, and even heart tissue to custom specifications, and without the risk of rejection.

Analytics

These devices are part of the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart technology can monitor conditions and feed real-time data into information systems for analysis. Far beyond simply recording vital signs, facility sensors, cameras, bar codes, and microchips can track patients, staff, equipment, and supplies in a variety of ways, 24/7. Qualified professionals, such as those who may have their mba in computer information systems, can perform analyses to improve efficiency and reduce waste. This leads to not only better care, but lower costs that can be passed on to consumers.

Internal Sensors

It's also possible to aid diagnoses and treatments from the inside. Sensors that the patient can swallow have been around for several years now and are steadily improving. These small devices, no bigger than a large pill, can relay information on how various body systems are functioning, as well as the effects of medications on particular processes. They can be powered by the human metabolism itself to continue providing internal data that doctors otherwise couldn't get without extensive testing.

These technologies are becoming technical standards in patient care that combine to provide faster and more accurate results. More efficient diagnoses and treatments due to developing technology will save more lives.

By  Hannah Whittenly	Embed
Author Bio - Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, California.