Technology is the driver of progress for human civilization. With each new bound the human race has made, you can be certain that a new form of technology was responsible for it. This is nowhere more apparent than in the healthcare industry. New technologies are saving and improving lives at a rate we have never seen before. Below are a few examples of how new technologies are advancing the medical care provided in hospitals.
Big Data and the Human Genome
Big data is the use of computers to analyze incredibly vast sets of data. Such technology, once used by the government in super computers, has only been made commercially available recently. Big data has many great applications for hospitals and other medical organizations. It can make health management software run much more efficiently for example. However, perhaps most promising is the use of data derived from the human genome to fine tune the drugs and treatment prescribed to a patient. In the future, healthcare will be much more individualized and effective.
Smart IV Pumps
Other devices we have come to know from their use in hospitals are also advancing by leaps and bounds thanks to new technology. This is certainly the case for the IV. IV stands for intravenous, and this device is used to inject liquids directly into a patient’s veins. New Smart IV Pumps integrate the same technology used by smart phones. This can allow the IV to communicate wirelessly with a hospital’s electronic medical record system to increase the sharing of data as well as patient safety.
Nanobot Surgery
While still some years off, tiny robots known as nanobots may someday completely transform surgery as we know it. These are robots so tiny they can fit inside a patient’s body and travel through the blood streams without requiring an incision in the skin. If the future, these nanobots may be able to use lasers and other tools to perform surgery on the cellular level. Many different diseases such as cancer may be able to be successfully treated in this fashion.
The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things refers to objects, devices, machines and other things that have been given the ability to communicate and exchange data via wireless internet. Soon, nearly everything in the hospital will be part of the internet of things. This means healthcare professionals will have access to more data in a more timely fashion so they can provide more effective care.
Technology is always evolving and advancing. This is certainly the case in the world of healthcare. As technology improves and progresses in hospitals, patients will receive better care and live longer more pain free lives as a result.
