Staggering Developments In Health Tech Everyone Should Know About
We stand at the brink of a brave new world when it comes to health technologies. In fact, below you will find a summary of some of the most impressive and advanced medical tech that may not just improve the standards of our day to days lives, but also affect our life expectancy as well. Read onto find out more.
Video doctors appointments
If you think about it, video doctors appointments make perfect sense. Why take up valuable time sitting in a Dr’s office waiting for an appointment when you can use the tech on your smartphone to speak to a medical professional face to face from the comfort of your own home?
Of course, that is precisely what video doctor appointments are offering, something that is being trialed privately and as a public service in many locations.
The best thing about this tech is that not only can you quickly as easily get an appointment for you or your family without causing a significant interruption in your day, but you don’t have to come in contact with others patients either. Something that is fantastic for germaphobes, those concerned about privacy, and it is something that may just help reduce the spread of infection as well.
However, it is worth noting that at this time the tech is still in its beginning stages. This means that some conditions and problem can’t be treated via video call, and may need physical tests and investigation to be completed.
Although, potentially if more people use this service for their initial consultations it should leave room for those that actually need a real-life exam in existing medical facilities. A development that could result in quicker and more effective care for all, if it is run and used correctly.
Gene therapy
Next, let’s take a look at gene therapy. Yes, that right health technology is getting to the point where we can actually alter the building blocks of life, our genes. Of course, it is in these that the code for our physical selves exists and within that lie the root of many health conditions. What that means is if we can replace faulty genes with healthy ones, such diseases can be cured entirely.
However, that isn’t the only application of gene therapy for health, as many specialists are developing ways to utilize genes in immunotherapy.
Immunotherapy is Something that utilizes retroviruses to more effectively target and destroy things like cancer cells that can present a significant risk to life.
Of course, the process by which this is done is pretty complicated, although you may wish to visit Poseida.com for more details on the different stages involved as well as the specific tech that is utilized. The latter being something that could effectively revolutionise the lives of many people.
Holoscopes & VR
Imagine being able to see inside someone body and control surgical implements without actually having to make an opening wide enough to fit human hands inside? Well, this is exactly what tech like holoscopes and VR are beginning to allow.
In particular, the holoscope as described at realviewimaging.com is a holographic projection in 3d that allow a surgeon or consultant to see inside of a patient and examine an organ or system without the need to perform invasive investigative surgery. Of course, this is better for the patient as it reduces their discomfort and limits their exposure to general anesthetic which always comes with a small but significant risk.
In fact, such augmented reality tech could improve the investigation and diagnosis of internal disease and problems all while minimising any impact on the patient.
Apart from this use of AR, VR is also becoming more critical in the medical field. After all, allowing medical professionals to train in an immersive setting better prepares them for the rigor of practice without them having to work with real-life patients before their skills are not yet honed.
In fact, regarding practicing different procedures, and training the eye to look for specific symptoms, VR is a huge breakthrough. Therefore we can expect to see it playing a more significant role in the training of medical professionals from now on.
Filtering blood
Many blood-borne diseases cause significant health problems today including malaria, sepsis, and even leukemia. However, imagine if we could just get rid of the pathogens instead of trying to treat them and eliminate them while they are still inside the body.
Well, that is what a blood filtering process developed by medisieve.com can do. Yes, that right patients with dangerous and painful conditions such as leukemia and malaria may no longer need to be exposed to powerful and sometimes damaging drug and radiological treatments, as the pathogen can be filtered out from their blood directly. This being a development that could not only improve many people’s life expectancy, but also save them from hugely painful, and exhausting treatments as well.
Brain tech interfaces
Another fantastic development in medical tech is the construction of tiny computers that can be implanted into the brain and used to stimulate or replicate synapses in parts of the brain that are not functioning correctly.
Such an interface has direct applications in those with conditions like epilepsy and blindness and deafness that is caused by problems with the optic and auditory nerves.
Also, such brain tech may be the answer that those suffering from paralysis have been searching for, as such a device can be used to send signals directly from the brain to prosthetic limbs. Thus allowing them to be controlled in a more natural and manner and allowing a greater range of movement and control.
Diabetes tech
Now you may think that the best tech in diabetes care is the blood sugar monitor. While this is hugely important in measuring whether sugar level in the blood or too low or high, there is new tech on the market that could seriously improve the lives of those with this condition.
One such piece of tech is the pair of socks you will find at siren.care that contain sensors that feed information back to your smartphone. This information is in the form of temperatures, as a high temp can signify an infection, something that those with diabetes need to be careful of because of the circulation problems that can lead to amputation of the lower extremities.
Therefore by using these socks, such information can be detected much more easily and so mediation can be administered much quicker. Something that can significantly reduce the severity of the infection, and thus ensure that it does not progress to the point where amputation needs to be performed.
3d printed drugs
Ok, so this topic may sound like a joke, but it read the paper at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and you will realize that it really isn’t. After all, while pharmacological solutions save and improve millions of lives worldwide, there are also significant side effects that can cause problems for patients being treated in this way.
That is where 3d printed drugs come in because each individual dosage can be built into every prescription, minimizing any side effects and also saving money for the drug manufacturer as well.
Also, an added benefit of 3d printed drugs would be that all a single patient’s needs could be catered for one single pill, something that could improve their lives in term of the remembering to take their predictions at certain times, as well as further, reduce the production cost of drugs in general. A saving that would hopefully be passed into the consumer and so could make many more pharmacological therapies much more affordable to the individual, something that has real potential to save and improve lives worldwide.
Online therapists
With such as a massive spike in mental health problems in modern society, and still, so few people getting the treatment that they need, finding a more accessible way to offer therapy could be a real game changer. Not only in term of quality of life, but concerning life expectancy as well, as psychologytoday.com states that many people with undiagnosed or untreated mental health problems attempt or succeed at taking their own lives.
Much like video doctor appointments, online therapy session can be conducted via smartphone or over applications like Skype. Such sessions allow members of the public, easy access to therapists specializing in the recommended treatment for their condition, even if they don’t live within easy traveling distance of these practices.
Online therapy facilities also have a huge application for those that are housebound due to mental health issues. Issues such as social anxiety, agoraphobia, or OCD, as well as physical health problems, something that will allow them to seek help, and so improve the quality of their lives.
Health care systems
Lastly, and strangely perhaps the most crucial development in health tech that could revolutionize the entire industry is the switch from paper records, documents, referrals and letters to an entirely digitized system.
After all, having to wait for an extended period to get results, referrals, and hospital dates can not only be stressful psychologically but can negatively affect your chance for a quick recovery as well.
Therefore with more efficient health care systems in place, the right treatment and support can much more easily get to the right patient in a timely manner. A development that should certainly not be underestimated regarding quality of life, or life expectancy either!