It’s well known that technology is bringing many changes to medical practices. Previous integration of electronic health records has successfully altered workflows, from the emergency room to hospital discharge.
Innovative technologies are also changing how patients interact with medical practices. Globally, patients of all age groups are learning of ways to improve interaction with their healthcare provider via an online presence, and looking to take advantage of these advancements.
Is your medical practice ready to offer patients the new technology they are seeking? If not, consider incorporating one or more of these trending technologies in healthcare.
Patient-Centric Devices
The use of wearables for remote monitoring can be integrated into the routine care of patients with both acute and chronic diseases. These devices can be used for many purposes including monitoring vital signs such as blood oxygen saturation and temperature, monitoring respiratory activity, performing electrocardiograms, monitoring physical activity and gait and for non-invasive long-term measurement of blood pressure.
Education and useful information are delivered to patients via their computer, smartphone or another wireless device. In addition to allowing patients to access, track and self-monitor physiological data, healthcare providers are also provided with interfaces and a patient dashboard.
Cognitive Computers
Cognitive computers use self-learning algorithms based on data mining, natural language processing and pattern recognition to simulate human thought processes. To mimic the human brain, cognitive computers process information by comparing it to a teaching set of data.
In healthcare, these systems can be used to examine and analyze the span of available information related to a particular condition such as best practices, diagnostic tools, journal articles and individual patient history to provide a treatment recommendation.
3D Printing
The most exciting advancements in 3D printing are related to medicine and have already made an impact on healthcare delivery. Unlike other medical technologies, it is believed that 3D printing can be integrated into your medical practice at a reasonable cost.
3D printing has been used to construct facial prostheses for patients following surgery for eye cancer, to increase the effectiveness of treatments for bone infections and bone cancer and to develop 3D-printed pills, casts, and ankle replacements.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine involves the exchange of medical information from one site to another by means of electronic communication. Telemedicine has many benefits useful to a medical practice. Primary care providers can use live interactive video to store and forward patient data, vital signs, diagnostic images etc. for the purpose of specialist referrals.
EMR Conversion
EMR Conversion is the migration from the legacy EMR to a more integrated EMR. This process affords many benefits:
- A single view reveals patient information across multiple programs;
- Patient information is entered into a single, company-wide system allowing for increased staff efficiency and a greater focus on patient care;
- Improvement in patient outcomes as collaborating healthcare providers can network easily and securely;
- Provides staff and healthcare providers with easy access to reports and other necessary clinical information to improve decision making.
Conclusion
There is no need for your medical practice to dive into this new world of technology all at once. A slow start enables you to gauge the impact a particular technology will have on your staff and workflow.
Evaluate your patients’ response to new technology. Continue to evaluate for necessary process improvements in order to avoid falling behind in this technology-focused era.
