Digital technology is changing and evolving all the time, and at great speed too. What was used one year to help patients and medical professionals, is becoming obsolete the next. It can be hard for some practices to know which technologies to adopt and which to ignore, especially when the budget is important and one misstep can mean financial problems for the rest of the year.
However, there will always be some technologies that are more important and useful than others, and we have noted some of the very best below.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is not just a trend; it’s something that is here to stay. It is also something that is becoming more technologically advanced each year, not less. The beauty of artificial intelligence is that it can reduce the workload of medical professionals by a large percentage, and the less that a doctor, dentist, or other healthcare professional is tasked with, the happier patients will be. It also means that mistakes are less likely to be made.
Using AI algorithms to perform simple tasks such as checking patients in and looking at x-ray films, for example, isn’t just a way to streamline the process and cut costs. It’s also a way to ensure that your practice stands out from the crowd; patients aren’t going to forget you if you implement artificial intelligence to help them have a better, smoother experience.
Wearable Devices and Apps
Wearable devices for patients have been around for a long time. Think of the blood pressure monitors, for example, that patients are asked to wear and which produce reports over a twenty-four hour period. New technology has made wearable devices even better, and it’s a technology that patients will likely not mind participating in.
At the moment, wearable technology is bulky and uncomfortable. It can lead to a poor night’s sleep and make hygiene difficult. Therefore, the results can be skewed. Depending on what it is testing, blood pressure can be raised due to lack of sleep or stress over wearing the device, and so on. New technology in this field means that the wearable devices are much smaller and less obtrusive. This allows the patient to live an absolutely normal life while wearing them and therefore offers up a much more realistic point of view from the results.
This, plus the addition of apps for recording data and sending it immediately to the healthcare professional who requires it, makes for a better experience all round and with quicker results.
Virtual Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are the lifeblood of the medical profession, but it can be difficult to find people who are happy to participate as they are fairly disruptive for the most part. Potentially perfect patients cannot take the time off work or they may have family obligations that take up their time.
Adopting the idea of virtual clinical trials means more people would be willing to take part as they would be much less impactful on daily lives. The results can be gathered remotely and more research can be carried out into a variety of different illnesses.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
