Electronic Health Reporter

With every passing year, new and innovative medical technologies are changing the way practitioners offer treatment. The medical interventions and treatment protocols have changed dramatically over recent decades, evolving at an exponential rate in tandem with technology.

Here are some of the most exciting innovations that are transforming modern healthcare services today.

Home test kits

The COVID-19 pandemic has created ongoing challenges for an already overburdened healthcare system. Increased testing and treatment requirements, the need for isolation and social distancing, and new variants every few months have put extra strain on already limited resources. These issues aren’t just specific to COVID-19, either. Many secondary testing facilities and technicians have been reallocated to aid in this ongoing crisis, creating shortages and delays across the board.

Home test kits are one of the positive innovations to come out of the pandemic. If you take the time to read more about this innovation, you’ll find that modern test kits can now cover COVID-19 testing and other affected services, like STI and drug testing.

These kits offer several benefits. Empowering patients to conduct testing at home prevents the spread of COVID-19 and helps streamline testing services. Additionally, other tests allow patients indirectly affected by COVID-19 to move on with their lives and get the diagnosis and treatment they require. It’s expected the prevalence of test kits will continue in future years, with further time and research being dedicated to creating home testing protocols for various diseases and ailments.

Fit-tech and wearables

Wearable technology has become a fad in the fitness industry in recent years. People love tracking their data and using it in an attempt to improve their overall health and wellness. As these pieces of equipment become more sophisticated, they’re also playing a role in medical diagnostics and treatment.

Medical professionals are using data from fit-tech to aid in the diagnostics process for patients, using information about heart rate fluctuations, menstrual cycles, and sleep patterns as needed. This innovation is leading to further developments in wearable technology, such as blood pressure and ECG monitors.

Augmented reality

Augmented reality is becoming a rising star in the tech space, creating opportunities for growth and expansion in businesses and medical practices. In recent headlines, Sheba Medical Center used augmented reality to facilitate clinical training to meet increased medical staffing needs.

In addition to improving medical education, augmented reality is helping surgeons perform difficult procedures by including directive overlays on the patient. It’s expected this innovation will become commonplace in the medical field over the next decade.

AI and Big Data

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world as we know it, and the medical sector is no exception. AI is contributing to automation and utilizing data to aid in the decision-making process. These integrations are helping with everything from safety improvements to preventative analysis with the potential to flag a medical emergency before it happens.

When it comes to using AI in the medical industry, researchers have just scratched the surface. It will be exciting to see what further developments stem from this technical pioneering.

Transparency in medical supply transactions

While there were always flaws in the medical supply chain, these challenges were highlighted and exacerbated during the initial outbreak of the global pandemic. It’s unknown how many preventable deaths occurred due to supply chain issues, but the seriousness of the situation is under evaluation.

Platforms such as Hope. Tech have created procurement protocols and safety checks with the intention of creating transparency and quality control around the global medical supply trade. Tech-driven screening protocols and automation within the supply chain will help correct the issues that plagued the global supply chain during the early days of the pandemic.

Technology plays a powerful role in medicine and healthcare. After all, what are humans if not complex, living, breathing machines? With recent innovations and global events, we’re on the precipice of some truly amazing medical breakthroughs in the coming years.V