Medical Tech Trends to Watch Out For

If you’re running any kind of business in the medical space, it’s important that you are aware of the technological trends and advances that we are likely to see over the coming years.

By being aware of what’s coming, you can ensure that your company is ahead of the curve and offering your customers leading technology that will improve their experience, and your reputation to boot.

Telehealth

During the COVID-19 pandemic medical professionals couldn’t see their patients in person as they were used to doing. This meant that they began to utilize telehealth technology, which has actually been around for a little while but never really caught on.

During the pandemic patients have found that they are able to get the same level of care using video calls and online diagnostic tools that they would have received face to face. This has alleviated some concerns that people had about telehealth in the past, meaning that it is likely to continue to be used going forwards.

Some patients may like to go back to the old face to face model. However, there are others who appreciate the convenience of being able to have a medical appointment at home, without having to drive into a town and find parking! Plus, even when COVID-19 is under control, it seems likely that people will still be concerned about passing on illness to one another in a way that they never were before.

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the connectivity of objects like smart TVs, speakers and even lights to the internet. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is much the same.

Using the IoMT, healthcare providers can easily view and access data being provided from medical equipment. For example, a medical provider might want to view a diabetic patient’s glucose levels over a period of time in order to assess how effective a treatment has been. Another use is diagnostic, a medical provider might ask a patient to wear an EKG or or ECG monitor over a certain period of time in order to provide information for a more accurate diagnosis.

The benefits of doing this remotely is that the patient can go about their daily life, it frees up a hospital bed and it also lowers the risk of contamination of patients being on a ward together.

Check with your medical equipment supplier to see how you can utilize the IoMT in your practice!

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality will change the way healthcare looks in two key areas, rehab and training. Virtual reality programs can be used to simulate scenarios that patients in recovery from surgery or from an injury might come across, in order to ‘train’ them for real life.

In the same way trainee medical professionals can use VR to practice medical procedures as many times as they need to, so that they get them right.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Tech companies have been training AI using the decisions and movements of doctors and other healthcare providers. This means that the AI essentially gives the patient the skills and experience of hundreds of highly trained professionals combined, without the arguments!

Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels