It comes as no surprise that as technology advances it integrates and affects more and more in every field. Take for example, technology that has integrated into our everyday lives such as our smartwatches which are worn every day, are able to collect our health data such as heart rate, walking steadiness, loud environments, etc, and take the information gathered to our doctors (if you allow them to do so) who are not with us every day and helps them form a picture of our daily lives and what could be affecting us. A decade ago, we didn’t even have smart watches that have the capabilities they have now especially since technology wasn’t as advanced. Below shows some (but not all) medical device advancements in 2023. Some of you may even start to see more and more in the healthcare field.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Symptom Checking Chat Bots
Whether your healthcare provider line is busy, you called during out-of-office hours or you chose a way to skip the line, you may be redirected to a chatbot, where AI integration can diagnose, and help give suggestions to better assist your medical needs. When using a smartphone you may have seen chat boxes pop up on your doctor’s website or local pharmacy asking if you need any help. These integrations are there to help correctly guide you to where you need to be to find what you need. They may even recommend the next steps that need to be taken to get the right care you need.
To take into account these chatbots are not always right so it is always important to get in contact with your medical provider to double-check or correct your diagnosis or suggested healthcare.
AI/Robotics in Hospitals
Have you ever had a robot take care of you in the hospital?
I know I have never encountered this, I’ve only personally seen this in movies but on your next hospital visit, you may have a special companion at your bedside.
Robots are now able to assist with your bedside medical care in hospitals. They can help assist patients by giving their medication on time and to keep the patient company while the doctors or nurses are treating other patients.
In another part of the hospital, you may find researchers using an AI software that in a report is found to accurately diagnose diseases in 87% of the cases… according to a study done at the University of Birmingham.
With the use of AI in hospitals the most common area you can find the artificial intelligence being used is in diagnosis. AI is able to read and detect patterns in patients’ data. Take for example the detection of cancer in a patient that came in with weakness of joints, aches, and pains. Bloodwork and other tests are performed and AI is able to read through thousands of documents and data in a matter of seconds looking for correlations between the patient’s and past patients’ diagnoses.
Nanomedicine
At the end of 2021, some may have missed the news that scientists in conjunction with UVM, Tufts, and Harvard have developed tiny biodegradable robots called xenobots that are able to self-replicate and deliver medicine inside the human body. Something we’ve only relatively seen in science fiction movies.
Using frog embryonic stem cells, scientists were able to:
…gather stem cells from the embryos of Xenopus laevis frogs and then the cells were cut and joined under a microscope until they resembled a close approximation of the computer’s design.
The resultant organisms could move around their environment, push small objects, and be remodeled with a pouch to carry objects like medication. “It’s a step toward using computer-designed organisms for intelligent drug delivery,” explained Bongard.
It is safe to say that this upcoming year without the heaviness of the pandemic, we will be seeing much more news about nanomedicine and xenobots.
Telehealth
Remote patient care is here to stay after the pandemic.
Telehealth, which is a relatively new concept that came about during the pandemic to help keep doctors and patients safe and social distance.
Telehealth — sometimes called telemedicine — lets your healthcare provider care for you without an in-person office visit. Telehealth is done primarily online with internet access on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
(https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/understanding-telehealth )
Telehealth visits could include recurring conditions such as migraines, prescription management, physical therapy, lab results, post-operation follow-ups, and mental health appointments.
Telepsychiatry
Due to the pandemic, there have been many challenges for people to receive mental health visits and appointments. Many psychiatrists and psychologists turned to remote appointments. Not only did this protect the patient/doctor from getting sick it helped patients and potential patients have more access to get help when they need it.
Resources:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1910837117
https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/understanding-telehealth