6 WAYS TECHNOLOGY IS IMPROVING HEALTHCARE
1. The Internet has become a main source of medical information - More and more people are using the Internet to research their medical issues. This means not only looking up symptoms, but exploring treatments and medicines on the web. Internet has made patients more empowered to make decisions about what to do next.
2. Healthcare facilities are reaching patients using social media - Public clinics, doctor offices, and even research facilities can now take advantage of social media tools to reach wider populations. Hospitals, particularly, are using social media to establish contact with patients, answer questions about practices, launch public awareness campaigns, and perform community outreach. Some sites even offer instant chats with nurses and doctors about medical issues and reminders for people to get regularly needed tests and vaccines.
3. Better treatment and less suffering - The most obvious way technology has changed healthcare is by providing new machines, medicines, and treatments that save lives and improve the chance of recovery for billions. New technology has also improved research so experts can make healthcare even more effective.
4. Improved patient care and worker efficiency - Information technology has made patient care safer and more reliable. Nurses and doctors use computers to record a patient's medical history and check that they are administering the correct treatment. Results of lab tests, records of vital signs, and medicine orders are all electronically put into a main database and can be used for treatments and research. And patients have easier access to their own information so they too can understand what is being done to them.
5. Doctors are easier to reach and better at their jobs - Doctors can access thousands of pages of medical textbooks with a smartphone. They can also use online medical databases to look up case studies and check out detailed patient history. Technology has also enabled doctors to use e-mail, texts, videos, and conference facilities to consult colleagues from all over the world, which is especially useful for doctors and patients in rural and underdeveloped areas.
6. Online databases can accurately predict medical trends - As an example, Google explains that "many searches online tend to be popular exactly when flu season is happening. By counting how often we see these searches, we can estimate how much flu is circulating in different countries and regions around the world." This will help medical experts respond to outbreaks quickly as well as take preventative measures.
Source: Adapted from Alyson Krueger, 2010, www.businessinsider.com
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