Medical Technology - The Future of Medicine
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From disease diagnosis to medical treatments and even medical instruments, today’s healthcare industry relies on technology to treat patients, keep them healthy, and even prevent illness in the first place.
If you’re interested in learning more about the role of medical technology in modern medicine, read on to find out how it works and where it’s going next.
Medical technology will play an increasingly important role in healthcare
As healthcare costs continue to rise, medical technology and procedures have become more popular in order to keep up with demand.
In 2012, for example, about 180,000 pacemakers were implanted in patients in America alone; that’s almost 3 percent of total heart patients.
And when it comes to cancer treatment, technology has played a key role: In 2012 alone, nearly $100 billion was spent on treating cancer, largely due to advances in medical technology such as surgical robotics and particle therapy.
These are just two examples: With some areas seeing increases as high as 20 percent or more each year.
Healthcare professionals predict that these numbers will only continue to rise over time. And while no one can say for sure what medical technology might look like in 5 years, 10 years, or even 50 years from now—it’s safe to say that it will play an increasingly important role in helping people live longer and healthier lives.
A brief history of medical technology
From ancient times, humans have used technology to improve health and prevent disease.
For example, a bone saw found in Egypt is estimated to be at least 5,000 years old—and was likely used for surgery.
Today’s medical technology has progressed even further. Computers can instantly interpret x-rays and CT scans, making it easier than ever for doctors to diagnose problems and treat conditions. And advances in cell biology are leading to new therapies that combat cancer.
Still, others are using nanotechnology (the manipulation of matter on an atomic or molecular scale) as a way to fight bacterial infections that previously had no cure.
There’s never been a better time for medical technology. It’s helping people live longer, healthier lives. And it will continue to do so in the future.
While some view medical technology with skepticism – wondering if human doctors will eventually be replaced by machines – most experts agree that's not going to happen anytime soon.
Machines don't possess intuition or empathy – two important qualities necessary for good medicine. But they're also not burdened by human emotions either, which means they don't get tired or distracted when treating patients all day long.
Medical technology may change how we practice medicine – but people will always need human touch too.
Trends in medical technology
What are some of these trends? As with any industry, technology is changing how we do business and even how we live our lives. When it comes to healthcare, new technologies are created and developed at a rapid pace.
Here are some interesting developments in medical technology that can help you better understand what’s possible in healthcare right now.
Cardiovascular health: Researchers at Duke University developed a technology that replicates heart valves using 3D printing techniques.
For people who need new heart valves or have insufficient valve function, implanting artificial ones can be difficult because they need to fit correctly.
Using CT scans, researchers were able to create an exact replica of a patient's existing valve so they could print out replacement parts.
They then implanted those replacement parts into animal models and found them to work just as well as natural valves.
If successful in humans, researchers believe their technique could be used for other parts of the body as well.
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Artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for decades but its use in medicine has only recently become more widespread.
AI allows doctors to analyze large amounts of data quickly and find patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. It also provides insights into complex biological systems like DNA sequences and protein structures which can help us better understand diseases and develop new treatments.
IBM Watson is one example of AI being used in healthcare today; it was designed to assist doctors by providing evidence-based treatment options for cancer patients based on their individual case history. This type of technology will likely continue to improve as time goes on, helping doctors provide more personalized care while also saving time by eliminating some repetitive tasks like charting notes.
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Wearable tech: Wearable tech like Fitbit helps track your physical activity levels throughout the day while also providing feedback about your progress toward goals set by you or your doctor.
Some devices can even alert you when there may be something wrong with your heart rate or blood pressure. While wearable tech isn't exactly medical per se, it does play a role in improving your overall health by encouraging you to move more during everyday activities.
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Wound healing: Scientists from Australia have developed a new way to treat wounds called iontophoresis.
Iontophoresis uses electrical currents to deliver medications directly into wounds, killing bacteria and speeding up healing times.
The process involves placing small electrodes over each wound site for several hours per day until the wound heals completely—no surgery required!
In addition to being less invasive than traditional wound treatments, iontophoresis doesn't require repeated dressing changes either.
The treatment is still in clinical trials, but it shows a lot of promise for treating diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers.
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Gene therapy: Gene therapy is a form of genetic engineering that treats genetic disorders by replacing or supplementing defective genes with healthy ones.
Since it was first introduced in 1990, gene therapy has advanced significantly.
One promising new development is CAR T-cell therapy, which harnesses immune cells to fight certain types of cancer.
The idea behind CAR T-cell therapy is that immune cells are removed from a patient and genetically engineered to attack specific proteins on tumor cells.
Once ready, doctors inject millions of these modified immune cells back into the patient where they can hopefully target and destroy tumors.
So far, CAR T-cell therapy has shown a lot of success in early trials and is being used to treat some types of leukemia.
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Stem cell therapy: Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can grow into different cell types. They're present in embryos and young children but don't exist in adults, which means they have to be extracted from a patient and grown in a lab before they can be used. There are two main ways stem cells are currently being used to help heal wounds: autologous stem cell therapy and allogeneic stem cell therapy.
Autologous stem cell therapy involves taking a patient's own stem cells and growing them in a lab. The cells are then injected into wounds to help regenerate tissue.
Allogeneic stem cell therapy is similar but requires that doctors extract a patient's stem cells from their bone marrow, grow them in a lab, and then give those new cells back to that same patient. Both treatments are still being tested on animals but have shown great potential for healing skin wounds without scarring.
Stem cells are also being studied for their potential to treat heart disease, Alzheimer's, and spinal cord injuries. They're even being used to grow human ears, noses, and skin for transplant. Eventually, stem cell therapy could be used to treat any number of conditions as we learn more about how they can be manipulated.
Stem cells hold a lot of promise but they're still very much in their infancy as far as medical treatments go.
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Perspectives on the future of medical technology
As technology advances, patients are expected to enjoy greater convenience, speed and access to their medical information.
Doctors will be able to spend more time with each patient, rather than being interrupted by numerous administrative tasks. They’ll have more tools at their disposal for diagnosing and treating their patients. And researchers will be able to expand upon what is currently known about specific diseases—especially rare or hard-to-detect ones—and improve treatments in real time.
Moving forward, healthcare consumers shouldshould expect everything from wearable health monitors that tell you when you need rest to smart pills that collect data on your digestion and alert your doctor if there’s a problem.
Conclusions
With medical technology expected to reach new heights over the next several years, opportunities in healthcare will expand as well.
Experts predict there will be a significant gap between demand and supply, providing ample work for those in healthcare-related fields.
Though it’s difficult to speculate what exactly lies ahead, one thing is certain: Technological advances within healthcare have already had a significant impact on how treatment is administered.
As time goes on, we can expect many more changes—which can only mean good things for both patients and doctors alike.
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