Effects Of Technology On Healthcare Essay

Introduction

Recent increases in chronic illnesses like cancer have increased the need for drug experiments and use of medical devices in their treatment. Most of the industrialized countries have sought the use of machines in the manufacture, supply and treatment of diseases and ailments. Consequently, the use of technology has resulted in the generation of new occupations in the medical field such as physiotherapists, radiology technicians, bioengineers and safety engineers. Mostly, for the large healthcare organizations, machines, and new technology have been significant in reducing the workload on the medical practitioners and in the process, it has increased patient safety. Emphasizing on the patient safety one needs to note that medical technology is targeted towards providing better healthcare to the patients. Patients receive better treatment and suffer less. It is also important to note that technology in medicine can relate to equipment technology and information technology. Both will be covered in the following sections.

CT Scans

According to Plunkett (2008), CT, scans provide valuable assistance to reconstructive surgery. The technology utilizes x-rays to produce images with high resolutions, which normally provide clear location of tumors, clots, aneurysms and narrowed arteries in the human body (Plummet, 2008). Additionally, the CT scan can provide three-dimensional images, which are quite significant in the field of reconstructive surgery (Plunkett, 2008). According to Schmidt (2012), balancing the usage of CT scans to avoid risk to the patient is necessary. If the CT scans are used appropriately, they help in saving lives by improving the diagnoses and in some cases reduce the medical costs if they prevent procedures such as exploratory surgeries (Schmidt, 2012).
“CT technology has been linked to declines in cancer mortality, according to ACR. In children, decreases in exploratory surgeries and decreased time to triage patients are direct benefits of CT scans.”
Despite the advantages provided by the CT scans, these machines are very costly hence may not be available in every healthcare organization or hospital. In addition, patients have to experience the high cost of using these CT scans.

Digestive Sensors

Digestive sensors are a technology that utilizes digital pills engineered with sensory materials to track the functionality of the gut. The use of the sensor devices in the gastro-intestinal track has been studied for over 50 years. According to Cumming (2011), digestive sensors have been important especially in the provision or measurements of pH, which provides a good indicator of the gut functionality. Digestive sensors capture detailed functioning of organs and record the data, from which appropriate diagnoses and medications can be provided.
“Several studies highlighting the importance of pH measurement in the gut include the use of capsule devices to diagnose gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and study of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.” (Cumming, 2011).
The advantage with digestive sensors is that they are less intrusive compared to performing an endoscopy, even though it is a minimal invasive procedure.

3D Printed Biological Materials

3D printing has provided valuable insights to advance the field of medicine further. Printing of stem cells has been vital and can be soon applied in the testing of drugs and provide further aid in the growth of organs. In addition, developing of skin is vital to help the burn victims. Printing skin can provide significant insights that may advance the care to burn victims. According to Cvetkovic et al. (2014), the printing of biological components such as the cells and tissues can aid in the development of biological machines that can process signals and sense. Consequently, this can be used in several applications in the medicine field such as drug delivery, drug screening and programmable tissue engineering (Cvetkovic et al., 2014).

Electronic Health Records

The replacement of paper base system of medical records and billing has provided substantial developments in boosting healthcare. Doctors can provide an adequate care sine they can be able to get all records concerning the patient's previous treatments. Additionally, healthcare has become more transparent with the use of electronic medical records by making reimbursement much easier by eliminating unnecessary costs.

Conclusion

Medical technology indeed plays a critical part in saving lives of patients. Quality of life is improved both for the patient and for the medical practitioners as well. With the recent increases in healthcare cost, technology is also aimed at reducing the cost of healthcare and makes it more affordable to everyone. Previous medical procedures have been invasive, but technology has helped develop fewer invasive procedures that are equally or more effective. However, some of the technologies that involve medical equipments need to be used with care to avoid causing harm to the patients. Furthermore, other factors influence the use of the medical equipments. In, hospital scenarios doctors and nurses utilize a variety of equipment. It becomes important to analyze the perceptions of the medical practitioners on the use of the various equipments to ensure they are successfully used. Medical device regulation needs to be updated and regularly addressed with the rapid technology innovations being introduced in the medicine field.

References

Cumming, D. (2011). ISFET technology for multi-sensor technology: from lab-in-a-pill to massively parallel measurements. Electronics Letters, 47(26), S14-S16
Cvetkovic, C., Raman, R., Chan, V., Williams, B. J., Tolish, M., Bajaj, P., & Bashir, R. (2014). Three-dimensionally printed biological machines powered by skeletal muscle. Proceedings of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 111 (28), 10125-10130.
Plunkett, J. W. (2008). Plunkett's health care industry almanac 2009. Houston, Tex: Plunkett Research Ltd.
Schmidt, C. W. (2012). CT Scans: Balancing Health Risks and Medical Benefits. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(3), A118-A121.