How Technology Has Changed the Medical World

The evolution of the medical world to what it is today would be impossible without the support of technology.

With the world's growing population, the demand for trained medical professionals has multiplied by leaps and bounds. This rise in demand has caused the medical industry to undergo a number of modifications, making it more accessible and easy to cater to the large population.

The evolution of the medical world to what it is today would be impossible without the support of technology. Technology has helped the medical world progress by offering shortcuts and alternatives to primitive methods of medical care.

Here are some ways in which the medical world has evolved with technological assistance:

Digital Records of Medical History

Electronic records are digital files that contain the medical history of the patient. This medical history includes the list of patient medications, allergies, and vital body statistics. These records are stored digitally only with the patient's consent.

In earlier days, doctors would have to conduct several tests on every patient to determine the medical issue. But now, with the help of electronic health records, medical professionals have quick access to the patient's medical history. 

This information helps doctors diagnose the disease quickly. Since these records have the medical history of a wide range of people, this data can be utilized for research purposes in order to come up with better treatment plans for existing diseases.

As these records are regularly updated, they are reliable sources of information for medical professionals. 

Efficient Medical Mobile Applications

Another great benefit of technology for patients is access to smartphones and hence, access to mobile applications. 

In today's pandemic era, patients with other illnesses that require a doctor's consultation had very few means by which they could access their doctors. However, mobile applications resolved this issue to a significant degree.

For example, diabetes patients could receive assistance via applications such as Diabetes Manager by WellDoc to track blood sugar levels. If it noted any abnormalities, the application would immediately connect to a medical health professional for aid. 

These mobile applications massively benefit people who live in remote villages that may not have hospitals. As most people have smartphones, downloading and using these medical applications is just one extra step that can provide a lot of benefits to these remote residents in case of medical emergencies. 

When calling for an ambulance, there are chances that no one may pick up if there is a lot of traffic, leading to loss of precious time. However, mobile applications often have a 'book ambulance online' option to enhance people's accessibility to ambulances.

Artificial Intelligence to the Rescue

Over the past few years, the world has seen a number of instances where artificial intelligence is used in the commercial sector — right from cabs to food delivery. 

Today, many leading medical organizations are testing the potential use of artificial intelligence in the field of medicine. One of the best examples that display tremendous promise in the field of medicine is DeepMind by Google.

DeepMind successfully created artificial intelligence-based tools to detect and analyze breast cancer. This system was able to provide about twelve percent more accurate data when compared to manual radiology readings. 

However, the use of artificial intelligence is not necessarily limited to cancer research. It can also be used to study and develop new drugs to fight the infection rates of viruses, such as the Ebola virus.

Besides this, artificial intelligence has the potential to retrieve, almost immediately, all of the patient's medical records. Consultations, medical research, and medical experimentation are some fields that will significantly benefit from AI use.

Although artificial intelligence is still in its primary stages of development for use in the medical field, the efficiency that it can bring is vast and something that remains much-anticipated throughout the world. 

Endnotes

From the absence of anesthesia for patients in the early 1800s to remote access to doctors in the twenty-first — the medical field has seen its fair share of tech-driven developments. We can definitely expect to see better developments in the future with the use of artificial intelligence and other technology in the medical field. 

With the various tools that technology has made available to healthcare professionals, the quality of medical services offered has also improved. Technology has the potential to change the way any sector functions, and thanks to its efficiency, many people around the world can now receive quality healthcare.