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Health Tech: To IoT & Beyond

The future of health tech is being built right now.

By Ainsley LawrencePublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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It seems like every day there is some new and wildly impressive form of technological innovation on the market. These technologies often aim to make our lives more efficient, effortless, or straightforward. We are able to do more with the multitudes of information this technology is providing us.

There are few realms where this is truer than in healthcare. Every year, there are hundreds of new technological healthcare monitors and other devices on the market. They are quickly revolutionizing the way in which we collect and analyze health data. Furthermore, they are helping to decipher difficult health information into understandable chunks that you don’t need a medical degree to digest.

Many of the most impressive and well-known healthcare technologies are linked to the advent of smartphones and mobile devices, such as those that track distance traveled or calories burned. But there are literally hundreds of incredible healthcare technologies that haven’t received as much media time and that are equally likely to change your life for the better. Here are a few revolutionary directions technology is taking healthcare.

Medical AI

Perhaps one of the most futuristic technologies to hit the medical world is artificial intelligence, or AI. AI has actually been around in the medical world for quite some time. One of the first ways in which it was used was as a database to rule out possible diseases given a list of symptoms and to keep track of infections in hospitals. The technology has also been used for robotic surgeries and therapy in recent years.

As technology continues to advance, there are a number of ways in which AI will continue to improve. One way it will do this is through the creation of more streamlined databases detailing all sorts of information related to diagnoses and patient care. It will also become more and more critical in various types of surgeries and risk analyses.

Those going into the medical realm quickly learn that in this day and age to be medical is also to be tech-savvy. Both doctors and nurses are utilizing technologies such as AI more and more in their day-to-day treatment of patients. Working together with tech is critical to the success and improvement of patient outcomes.

Direct Doctor Connections

Another way in which technologies are profoundly changing the medical world is through doctor-patient communications. In many cases, doctors are now able to pull data from a patient’s smart device, giving them a precise look at health information and at how certain treatments are impacting the body. This takes much of the guesswork out of making a diagnosis or attempting to understand the daily life of certain patients.

One example of this in action is through the iHealth wireless blood pressure cuff. The cuff is synced through Bluetooth and automatically transmits readings to the smart device of doctors and other caregivers as well as to the owner’s smartphone. The technology makes recording and documenting blood pressure readings easier for patients and takes the guesswork out of blood pressure trends for their doctors.

Another instance of how technology has revolutionized the doctor-patient connection is in the realm of professional sports. Small devices can now be attached to the jerseys of athletes that communicate vitals and predetermined health information directly to athletic trainers and doctors on the sidelines. The information collected can help determine how quickly an athlete is tiring or if they need to be removed from the game after a particularly hard hit.

Take-Home Gadgets

Beyond better communications with healthcare professionals, a number of new health tech gadgets are coming home with patients and making their lives much easier and, often, significantly safer. For instance, one new device allows users to test food for the presence of any traces of peanut proteins that could cause an allergic reaction. It is handheld, making it easy to carry to restaurants or wherever else life leads.

Another take home gadget is the EarlySense fertility monitor, which has the power to take some of the guesswork out of determining when ovulation is occurring. The contact-free monitor works by resting under a mattress where it can pick up data such as heart rate and breathing patterns while you are sleeping. Such data can be analyzed and transmitted to a smartphone with accurate information with half the hassle.

The PainPod is another promising home health device that may completely alter the way in which we manage chronic pain at home. It works by using electrotherapy and micropulses to targeted pained areas. The technique stimulates and relaxes nerves in such as way as to relieve pain. The technology may also help reduce recovery time and help improve functionality of the pained area.

There is no doubt that healthcare technology is rapidly evolving the way we think about and communicate our healthcare needs. Major technologies such as AI are revolutionizing workflows and safe practices in the hospital. Many devices are now able to track healthcare information and send them directly to your doctor. And finally, numerous gadgets are making health easier and more understandable for many people at home. Health technology is brightening our futures in countless ways, and will continue to make significant improvements to our lives as more breakthroughs are made.

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About the Creator

Ainsley Lawrence

Ainsley Lawrence is a writer who loves to talk about good health, balanced life, and better living through technology. She is frequently lost in a good book.

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