The technological revolution is creating unprecedented opportunities and challenges globally. In the field of medicine and health care, the impact is even more notable. Each person, with only one mobile application, can synchronize their habits and lifestyle.
Certain technologies are overturning the structure and organization of the medical practice via a transformation driven by the incorporation of big data, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, among others. The benefit of big data remains in the possibility of combining traditional data with other new forms, and to integrate structured and unstructured data.
In addition, with the help of connected objects and the IoT, the work of the medical staff can be more immediate and precise, especially through features such as real-time activity, monitoring through the wireless connection, and the use of wearable tech. So much so, that more and more hospitals and clinics keep patient files in databases accessible to the staff from any point within the facilities.
The use of artificial intelligence can even translate into economic advantages since by helping to diagnose and detect diseases prematurely, it is possible to prevent medical casualties and reduce expenditures on healthcare. This was demonstrated by a tool created by researchers from the Universities of Harvard and Vermont, which allows identifying cases of depression by analyzing photographs published on Instagram. According to them, the results were better than the average diagnostic rate achieved by doctors.
Another profound piece of technology that is being used in medical practice remains the daVinci Surgical System to treat prostate cancer. The pioneering surgeon in the United States to incorporate this technology is Dr. Sanjay Razdan, a urologist and oncologist who specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Using the daVinci Surgical System, surgeons operate monitoring through a tiny HD camera while the system supports hand movements of the operating surgeon. This is done in micro-movements for absolute precision during the operation.
This robotic technology is quite complex and can only be used by a surgeon. It creates a great difference in the effectiveness and success rates as opposed to traditional laparoscopy. The technological equipment like the camera and limb-like instruments are very agile and move better than a human hand with greater degrees of freedom which translates into better surgical results.
In a nutshell, the growth in medical technology is come far from where it was a few years ago. Based on the current scenario, it is safe to assume that entire operations would be carried out by AI-based robotic software in the future, with little to no assistance from humans.