Hi, this is Kerry. Today I’m talking about the future of healthcare. In all the history of humankind, we have never seen such growth and development in science and technology as today. It took thousands of years for our ancestors to move from hunter-gathers into farmers, yet in less than a century we changed from Earth-bound to space explorers. And we are experiencing exponential growth in medical technology, and there seems to be no sign of that changing anytime soon. This trend will spread into every other industry and change the future of healthcare.
The Healthcare and Technology Connection
The healthcare field has always been among the first to receive new technology. A big amount of resources every year go into medical research because people want to improve the lives of others.
And now more than ever, people live longer, higher-quality lives. A big reason is the advances in science and medicine. This too is not showing any signs of slowing down. In the next few years, new technology will emerge to improve how patients receive care around the world. More about the future of healthcare follows below.
Advancements in Robotics
Robots are getting more and more popular in the medical field, especially in surgery. Laparoscopy is a procedure where robots, on some level, help with the surgery.
With the introduction of new equipment, such as PACS systems for multiple imaging, it has become easier for scientists to handle and sort samples from patients, demonstrating progress in testing techniques has made it possible for more than one diagnosis to be made from a single specimen. Additionally, robots are becoming increasingly popular in the medical field, particularly in surgery.
These robots make it possible to operate on a patient while being less invasive. It is possible in the near future of healthcare that more of these robots and other intuitive devices will appear to give care to patients. For example, many prototypes already roam hospitals around the world, helping healthcare professionals.
From General to Personalized Care
There are several devices in many hospitals to gather patient information. These devices have many uses, including collecting accurate information and communicating it to computers.
The interconnections and data sharing will help pave the way for a more personalized future of healthcare. Data that devices gather on patients will help define the structure of healthcare management.
More Connection
The internet allows people to be more connected than ever. This has been a great help for the growth and development of the entire medical field. It makes it possible to share research findings faster and with more people, for example.
Gone are the days of isolation; the future of healthcare will continue to encourage collaboration. As a result, there will be more insights into many health problems, making it much easier to come up with effective solutions.
A Focus on Preventive Care
As more and more medical institutions start using electronic records, and as these records become available through cloud sharing, healthcare management will likely move online.
The software currently in development can greatly enhance preventive and predictive medicine. There are already some digital treatment applications available.
This early detection means people will have an active role in preventing diseases from getting worst. However, this is still in its early stages and will require further research.
More on the Future of Healthcare
In general, medicine is slowly moving towards digitizing medical records. And some healthcare organizations even have more than one system of electronic medical records or EMRs.
The goal with digital here is to easily share patient info and care management between authorized professionals. As the tech becomes more available and more personal, it will change how doctors diagnose and treat their patients.
About the Writer
Kerry Brooks is a blogger who loves to write about health, beauty, fashion, food, travel, and more. She loves to spend her time traveling. She also blogs at KemperMedical, one of the leading national and global distributors of premium medical products, including radiation protection products and radiology/ medical imaging supplies.
What else do you think is the future of healthcare?
Very interesting article and love to read another one of your’s.
Great to have your support for healthcare, Robert.
As someone who works for a regional health system in Virginia, I appreciate guest articles like this. Technology is just one facet of healthcare, however. There are so many other things that can change, too.
Working in the healthcare industry I love when we get new technology and new ways to help our patients. While it is true that these can lead to budget cuts in other areas, or layoff (because of the non-need of medical professionals) I think growth is good. Why would we not want to do what we can for our patients? Why would we not want to give them every “step-forward” possibility? The healthcare system in the United States is flawed and non-affordable. This also leads to issues. Great article! I enjoyed reading it. Keep up the great work. :)
Interesting guest post. As I was reading, I didn’t feel quite as daunted by the way things are going, but I still have a lot of reservations and concerns. I worry that budget cuts will mean they lean on tech to force out face-to-face discussions, to record your activity/information to say that if you’ve done or not done such-and-such that you’re not entitled to treatment. There are a lot of concerns over data protection, too, but I think the whole technology and connectivity side of things has a lot of benefits now and potential in the future, though only if it’s deployed safely and fairly within healthcare.x
In that respect America is going backwards. Unless you can afford the new drugs or treatments you will die. Another blogger informed us that the medication her husband needs is over 1000 dollars. Being that their insurance doesn’t cover the cost he will not be getting any medicine. These improvements are only for the rich. Hospitals located in low income or immigrant neighborhoods will never offer these choices to the patients. I’ve been a patient in city hospitals lucky to escape with my life. Abuse runs rampant.