Healthcare has become advanced with the incorporation of technology, which has made medical help accessible to people living in even remote areas. The traditional way of going to the doctor, making an appointment, waiting for your turn, all of this and more is now just the thing of the past. Though even countries as advanced as the United States still have some doctors that follow the old ways, however, the times are changing, and now, the technologies are ruling the world. We live in an age wherein a sick person can know about his health condition and seek medical help from the corner of his house. This advancement in the healthcare world has opened many doors for the doctors as well as patients.
Managing patients data, long-distance doctor and patient challenges, medical supply shortages and more are some of the hurdles, a healthcare facility faces. What can technology do? It can save time, manage daily data, help in curing illnesses and improve our quality of life. We have listed certain technologies below that add value to the healthcare world.
Wearable Technology
In recent years, we have been introduced to various health trackers, sensors and other wearable medical devices that collect data from the user and alerts the doctor in an emergency. For years, many people have died due to unawareness of their health conditions. But now, many devices have appeared to give the doctors peace of mind from gazillion patients, and awareness of the health to patients who wear it. In addition to many devices, wristbands and watches have taken over the market due to their near approx health accuracy. Many more devices have appeared in the market to give real-time results at home.
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
We have so many systems where our medical data is uploaded or so many hospitals where our bills, and files are lying in the corner. What if, all of these data and files merge into one wholesome space that can be accessed, shared and stored safely. That’s true, Electronic Health Record (EHR) proposes to keep all the medical data of past and present patients, safely and securely. Another advantage of this system, it keeps cybercrime at bay and provides clinician workflow to the professionals and also provides appropriate electronic forms for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement from the government. It is believed that by the year 2022, all the major countries across the globe will have this system at their healthcare facilities.
Managing the Patients’ Data
Hospitals often have loads of data to save and keep it secure. The addition of a new patient every day increases the loads to manage such massive data. It often creates problems like slow retrieval of a file during emergency times, wrong diagnosis, improper treatment and more. Keeping every file in pen and paper takes a lot of space, uses a lot of man-power, and managing all of this together at the time of emergency is frustrating. What can be done? Well, healthcare management can be easied with the help of technology using a cloud-based data management system that manages the data, keeps it secure, and can be accessed anytime with a few clicks. It’s that simple. Since it is cloud-based, the data is updated in real-time and secured properly. The hospital won’t have to go through the pain of examining each document.
Telehealth and Telemedicine
As said earlier, with the help of healthcare technologies, people in remote areas can have access to get treated virtually. All over the world, people have switched to seeking help from doctors online. Patients can ask questions, similarly to an in-office doctor appointment. The method of getting your health checked is cheaper and also less time-consuming. According to an Alliance for Connected Care study, telehealth services can save up to $100 per doctor visit, which is a lot of money to enjoy what pleases you the most.
Optimized Supply Management
As a patient, we never think about where does all the medicines, injections, and other medical stuff comes from. We never consider the massive logistics game behind all the medical supplies we get. However, managing the logistics is a pain without any technology in the room. The mismanagement can create problems like shortage of drugs, devices and some important pieces of equipment. For the doctors, this leads to inefficiency, and for the patients, it can cause frustration, and of course health issues. The solution is to have an inventory management system that constantly updates and operates within an easy-to-use graphic user interface, but also operates across in-house terminals and mobile platforms. With the help of this system, you will never lose out on supply management, keep every supplies in-check, and have all the bills at your fingertips to access the logistics data.
Healthcare technology is booming at rapid rates to make both patients’ and healthcare lives easier. It’s now up to the medical field to evaluate their problems and find solutions through technologies. In the coming years, the healthcare world will be in a better place with the integration of such software and technologies that can provide solutions to their operations, improve data management, and abolish legacy practices including paperwork. We are truly living in revolutionary times!