As technological advances have continued to develop over the decades, perhaps no industry has benefitted from this more than healthcare. From state-of-the-art medical equipment that can produce incredible images of the human body to apps that can be downloaded to a smartphone so that patients can speak to doctors and monitor various aspects of their own health, all this and more add up to improvements in many areas. As to how technology and healthcare work together, here are a few important ways.
Electronic Medical Records
Whereas in years past your medical records were stored in huge file cabinets, today’s technology now allows you and doctors to have immediate access to your records electronically. Thus, no matter where you happen to be in the world, your records can be accessed and examined by medical personnel, resulting in faster and more accurate care.
Mobile Apps
From health and wellness apps that let you keep track of calories burned and how many miles you’ve walked each day to apps that can monitor your heart rate and send the data to your cardiologist, technology has revolutionized patient care and how various services are delivered. In fact, for patients who are in high-risk categories for heart attacks or other conditions, apps can be used to track them in real-time, allowing doctors to assess your condition in case an emergency occurs.
Additionally, there are ways to track your health insurance, or look at health insurance options for yourself through Medicare advantage software. This makes accessing and obtaining healthcare for yourself simpler and more efficient.
3-D Printing
When 3-D printing first burst onto the scene, it appeared to many people to be nothing more than a novelty. However, as the technology has continued to advance, 3-D printers are now used in all facets of healthcare. Now used to create such crucial devices for patients as customized hearing aids, dental appliances, and even prosthetics if you are in need of artificial limbs that look and perform much like an actual arm or leg, 3-D printing continues to amaze patients and doctors alike.
Virtual Reality
Often thought of as something used by kids playing video games, virtual reality has also found an important role in healthcare. Used by doctors to help patients who suffer from severe anxiety or depression, it is also utilized by physical therapists and occupational therapists to help those recovering from various injuries and are in the process of learning new tasks or relearning previous ones.
While these technological advances are indeed extraordinary, most medical experts agree the future merging of healthcare and technology holds an endless array of possibilities.
