The Future of Medicine: A Look at 4 Most Trending Healthcare Technologies In 2022
Whether you agree with how fast new technologies are being developed or not, no one can deny how effective they have been for the healthcare sector. After two years of a global pandemic, every industry, sector, and individual has been affected in one way or the other. The disruption caused by this unprecedented health crisis has been felt everywhere and by everyone.
This being said, there is no denying that the healthcare sector has been affected the most, with health professionals across all departments being under an immense amount of pressure in an attempt to overcome the severity of this health crisis. As a result, anyone can agree that the health industry has had an incredible capacity to adapt, innovate and react to challenges in a practical way, maybe more so than any other industry. One of the main reasons this was able to happen is technology. Therefore, the fact that new technologies are being developed at such an exponential rate can only be a good thing for the healthcare sector.
Apart from the fact that the pandemic has forced – in a positive way – the industry to learn how to quickly adapt and find innovative solutions, it has also pushed for changes that will remain in the long run. This means that some of the technologies developed that emerged during this period will continue to be of great use for many years. In addition to these, there are other trending healthcare technologies being created that will also shape the future of healthcare, revolutionizing this industry.
So, what does the future of medicine look like? Let’s take a look at four of the most trending healthcare technologies in 2022:
1. More Accurate Imaging Technologies
Imaging technologies such as MRIs, CT scans, DXA scans, or sonograms are not new in the healthcare sector, as they have already been around for a while. However, when it comes to innovative and new technologies in this industry, the upgrade of existing and current medical applications also counts.
For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to mention how these imaging technologies have been improved to provide more accurate information to doctors and imaging specialists. The combination of 3D medical imaging and virtual reality technology has generated an incredible medical application: interactive representations of human organs and tissues, to the most minor details. There is no denying this helps scientists and doctors read data better and diagnose patients’ conditions.
The reason why this technology has been possible is thanks to a spectrometer, an instrument essential in the biomedical industry and crucial for imagining technologies like MRIs, given as they are used to analyze the body’s soft tissue at high-quality resolution.
It is understandable if you ask yourself how does a spectrometer work, as the instrument and spectroscopic techniques can be extremely complex. Simply put, this technology allows for effective measurements in the visible ultra-violet (uv vis spectrometer), near-infrared (nir spectrometer), and infrared wavelengths (ir spectrometer),facilitating the entire process and providing a large spectrum of applications.
2. Wearable Technology for Better Remote Patient Monitoring
Another incredible technology that will revolutionize the healthcare sector, given its many advantages, is remote patient monitoring. With this newly improved wearable technology, doctors will be able to track their patients’ evolution and monitor their condition without them having to come to the hospital or their doctors’ office. This reduces hospital or clinic visits considerably but without patients neglecting their health, given that their doctors can follow their condition at all times.
Remote patient monitoring technology is highly effective for patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart diseases, and so on. Thanks to real-time data and easy access to it through specific medical devices, this wearable technology is highly efficient for taking necessary measures right away and supporting preventive medicine. So, there is no denying RPM’s popularity.
3. AI Technology Supports Many Areas in Medicine
The fact is that the medical field has never been more prepared to adapt and develop innovative solutions to particular issues than it is right now. Looking at the coronavirus pandemic, it can be observed how efficiently fast a vaccine was developed in a relatively small window frame. This was possible partly because machine learning technology was able to identify protein fragments. Apart from this, with the support of artificial intelligence, thermal screening is more accurate, which is helpful in identifying people who may have contracted the virus.
In addition to drug development, AI is also essential in other areas of medicine, including mental health. A research study conducted by MIT and Harvard University researchers has shown how machine learning and AI can be used in tracking mental health conditions through analyzing posts on the online platform Reddit that were related to relevant mental health symptoms.
Such an improvement in technological applications in the healthcare sector can be incredibly beneficial. When it comes to mental health, using AI technology can help doctors and specialists understand the implications of mental health and how it can collectively affect a large group of people.
4. The Evolution of Telehealth Services and Telemedicine
Another trend that can be seen during these last two years of a global pandemic is telemedicine. What used to be an area barely used, although incredibly promising from the beginning, has finally reached its potential given the multitude of advantages it entails.
The evolution of telehealth services has happened due to the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to prevent people from coming to the hospital or the doctor’s office for every health issue they may have. This was necessary because the spread of the virus was incredibly difficult to control, especially before the vaccine had been completed.
So, nowadays, thanks to technology, telehealth services have become a preferred option for many people who can now reduce their hospital visits. Because they can contact their medical provider using digital tools and access their medical history easily without having to go to the clinic, they can stay in better control of their health. For this reason, there is no denying that telemedicine is here to stay, all thanks to technology.
