The medicine industry has suffered tremendous changes throughout the years for the sake of innovation and has progressed substantially in the past decade. However, health conditions are becoming more challenging to treat, and the medical field has struggled to keep up with people’s issues since the pandemic. Unfortunately, when the medical staff is overwhelmed by an increased number of demanding cases, people with less urgent emergencies are often abandoned or relocated to other hospitals, which can lead to complications.
Luckily, the medical industry can thrive and help each and every patient efficiently and rapidly through technology. Here’s how!
MRNA
mRNA technology is a form of vaccine treatment that uses a copy of the messenger RNA molecule to help the body produce an immune response to the disease. The vaccine allows the body to learn and identify any foreign cells. Unlike traditional vaccines, mRNA requires a lower production cost, making it affordable for most people. mRNA is known for delivering solutions for Covid-19 since both Pfizer and Moderna companies have included this technology in their formulas to fight the virus.
VR
Although Virtual Reality has been around for some time, it’s still not widely spread since it’s quite an expensive technology to acquire in a medical facility. However, it is incredibly useful for doctors since it allows them to see the inside of the human body through a panoramic view so that they can diagnose difficult cases more easily. At the same time, patients can treat stress, anxiety, dementia and even autism with VR technology. VR is efficient for pain management issues by helping patients shift their thoughts and perceptions around pain.
Neurotechnology
Neurotechnology is already used in brain imaging and other procedures that allow doctors to influence brain activity to treat certain brain disorders. However, neurotechnology is still in the testing phase despite its huge potential. It has yet to solve some problems regarding human rights and morals since some consider it to influence the brain so much that it can change the central elements of humanity, such as autonomy and the right to privacy.
AI
Artificial Intelligence seems to be one of the best technologies for detecting diseases in their early stages and conforming accurate diagnoses quicker. It still has things to develop, but it is currently an efficient solution in breast cancer care, overseeing early-stage heart disease and creating more comprehensive treatment programmes. AI can minimise a considerable number of medical mistakes since, according to Medical Negligence Claims Care, clinical negligence cases have increased in the last year by 7.5% compared to the previous year.
3D Printing
3D printing is by far the most useful technology. It allows for the creation of implants and even joints that can be used for surgeries. At the same time, 3D-printed prosthetics are extremely accurate since they match each person’s measurements almost perfectly, increasing comfort and mobility compared to other methods. It’s one of the fastest emerging technologies that can reduce recovery time since doctors can train better on 3D-printed models, making the whole surgery process more efficient.
Precision Medicine
As we learn that medicine should be done in a personalised way for each patient, precision medicine is what medical staff could use in the future to provide tailored treatments based on the patient’s genetics. This can be especially efficient in treating cancer because cancer cells could be destroyed more easily by looking at the patient’s gene features. Precision medicine can also bring some light on current issues with rare genetic diseases that are not completely understood and, therefore, can’t be treated.
CRISPR
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is another technological advance that works with the immune system. It manages to “cut out” infected DNA strands by modifying bacteria cells of invading viruses. CRISPR is currently aiming to treat cystic fibrosis, one of the rarest inherited diseases affecting the functioning of the respiratory and digestive systems. This technology also has the potential to correct genetic effects and improve the growth and resilience of crops, which can treat and prevent the spread of many diseases.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine has become one of the most demanded technologies since the pandemic because it allows patients to be diagnosed and helped with treatment from the comfort of their own homes. Telemedicine also makes doctors’ jobs easier since it reduces overhead expenses and lessens exposure to infections and illnesses. Mostly done through video conferencing, telemedicine can be used for cases where people don’t need complicated treatment or have an obvious health problem.
Telemedicine can also be efficient for treating mental health issues since the number of patients in need of behavioural therapy is increasing. Such a method would break barriers between healthcare providers and patients since the costs would decrease. Video conferences would help individuals with social anxiety to continue their treatment from their safe space.
Health Wearables
Health wearables have also increased in demand lately since they’re the perfect tool for gathering information regarding your health condition. These devices, mostly worn as hand watches, connect with your smartphone and create sets of data that indicate crucial measurements such as your heart rate so that you can prevent chronic conditions (diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) or are simply used for monitoring and improving one’s fitness. Other devices are already used in hospitals for recording sleep patterns, blood pressure and oxygen saturation.
Technology In Mental Health
Diagnosing and treating mental health issues is one of the most challenging tasks for a doctor. However, with technology’s help, patients can practise their CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) through their smartphones. AI-powered tools provide online symptom tracking and voice recognising features to analyse a patient’s speech and determine emotional distress signs. The video game industry also aims to help with mental health issues by creating games that can entertain and accelerate treatment simultaneously.
Wrapping up
With the latest innovative technologies, the medical industry will be able to treat people faster and more easily, which can minimise diseases and illnesses and treat some of the rarest health conditions.
