New technologies have accelerated the development of the medical field. How is AI in healthcare changing the landscape for both patients and doctors?
With the demands of the healthcare industry increasing, it's no wonder doctors are experiencing burnout. Healthcare organizations struggle to solve challenges and provide high-quality services, from analyzing health problems to protecting patient privacy. With the introduction of new technologies, some of these difficulties may be overcome.
The US healthcare market is growing and national healthcare spending is expected to exceed $6.2 trillion by 2028. There are still major obstacles to overcome, but technology is expected to help. Healthcare technology has the potential to change the way the industry operates for patients and healthcare professionals.
Let's see how:
Telemedicine revolution
Telemedicine has been around for quite some time. Doctors used telemedicine for telemedicine. They've been doing this since the days of big computers.
People started getting used to technology and phones have completely overtaken our lives. People were becoming more familiar with technology, and the rise of video and audio consulting was on the horizon. It was a time when searching for symptoms on Google was the norm.
Then the pandemic happened. It has changed the way we live – there have been many changes in healthcare – people have accepted online consultations, but they don't want to come into contact with other people for fear they might be infected with something new. There was no.
The new normal has prompted government agencies to relax rules. After the pandemic, some rules were relaxed in the medical field and telemedicine became accepted and preferred.
AI and machine learning in healthcare
Imagine how difficult it would be to categorize and analyze all patient data in a hospital. Hospitals have a huge number of new patients every day, many of whom have a history of tests and diagnoses. Hospitals cannot make mistakes with these critical data, but at the same time, every patient must scrutinize the data to draw patterns and make predictions. It would take forever. This is where AI and machine learning come into play. AI and machine learning can be used to analyze this vast amount of data and improve healthcare in some surprising ways.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): AI is an umbrella term for intelligent machines that can learn like humans and act almost like humans.Used by professionals in medical settings AI for healthcare Analysis of medical images (X-rays, MRI), etc. It helps detect diseases and helps doctors develop treatment plans.
- Machine learning (ML): ML is a special type of AI in which computers learn from data without explicit programming. In healthcare, machine learning algorithms can analyze patient data. They use this to find people at risk of disease, predict how they will respond to drugs, and even aid in drug discovery.
Here are some other examples of how AI and machine learning are improving healthcare.
- Detect diseases early: AI analyzes mammograms, skin images, and other scans to find abnormalities that doctors might miss, leading to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes.
- Personalized medicine: Different people may react differently to the same drug. Machine learning can help customize treatments for individual patients based on their unique medical history, genes, and lifestyle.
- Pharmaceutical development: AI can analyze data to find new drugs and treatments faster.
- Virtual assistant: AI-powered chatbots can answer patient questions, schedule appointments, and provide primary care advice. It's better than Googling the symptoms.
Blockchain for health data management
Instead of relying on one clinic for all your information and having different variations across different clinics, blockchain allows you to have a copy that can be accessed by anyone you trust with your permission. Become. Address books are backed up and securely stored using complex code to prevent tampering. This is how blockchain technology works in managing health data.
Here's a breakdown to understand things better:
- Blockchain: It is a digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers, in this case a health ledger.
- Health data: All medical history, allergies, medications, etc. that you keep track of.
- safety: Code that protects data from violation or unauthorized modification.
Here it is –
- You can control who sees your information.
- Your data is safe and no one can change it without your permission.
- Everyone sees the same up-to-date information, so you don't have to worry too much about which version to trust.
So instead of each clinic having a copy of your records, making them difficult to share and update, all authorized users can see the same secure, shared record.
wearable health equipment
It may come as a surprise, but even wearable technology devices have been around since the late 1970s, when people used calculator watches. It was a stepping stone to wearable technology.
The late 1800s saw the introduction of hearing aids, a good introduction to wearable healthcare. But it wasn't until his 2010 that Fitbit launched its popular wearable band, and since then we've seen a huge influx of smartwatches, which are now turning into smaller mobile phones.
Modern wearable health devices can track you.
- Fitness – includes steps, calories burned and distance traveled – like a pedometer on steroids.
- Sleep – Includes sleep time and adequate rest.
- Heart rate – Helps monitor your heart health and activity level.
- Other biometrics – include advanced wearable devices that can track blood pressure, oxygen levels, and even blood sugar levels for diabetics.
Virtual reality in medicine
Virtual reality can help healthcare in many ways. Most hospitals and medical schools have implemented VR applications to train specialists, perform surgeries, and provide medical education.
It includes problem-oriented learning, virtual visualization of internal organs, and teaches students essential communication skills.
Another use case for virtual reality in healthcare is to distract patients. Virtual reality is known to reduce chronic pain in people recovering from illness or when the use of painkillers or anesthesia does not have the desired effect.
VR in the medical field can also be useful in physical therapy and rehabilitation for patients who have difficulty exercising due to pain. VR motivates people to complete physical activities by distracting them from pain with the help of visual aids, sensations, and sounds.
Personalized medicine and genomics
Personalized medicine, also known as precision medicine, is a way of perfecting medical care to suit an individual's needs. It takes into account your genes, environment, and lifestyle to predict your risk for certain diseases and recommends the best prevention or treatment options. This is more like a personalized medicine tailored to you, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. And it helps. We've all had the experience of over-the-counter medications causing new allergies or side effects. Precision medicine can help avoid that.
Genomics has a promising role in this regard, as it studies genes and how they influence health. When analyzing genes, doctors can:
- Predict disease risk: Doctors can determine whether you will develop a certain disease based on your genes.
- Improve diagnosis. They can understand the cause of your health problems.
- Choose a better treatment: Genomics allows doctors to tailor drugs and treatments to your genes, making them more effective and reducing side effects.
- Develop prevention strategies. Your health care professional can create a custom plan to prevent diseases to which you are susceptible.
Genes act like a blueprint for the body. It acts like an order to the doctor in case something goes wrong. Personalized medicine uses these instructions to create a personal health care plan.
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
IoMT is not new, but this field will grow in the coming years. The industry is interested in digital health trends. It provides great use to medical professionals and saves money in return.
Many companies offer IoMT solutions that can utilize custom software to help you design and tune your IoMT system.
Wearables and mobile apps in medical settings
As we discussed earlier in the blog, remote health monitoring and wellness apps are growing and will continue to boom. Visit the Playstore or Appstore catalog and you'll find a plethora of professional healthcare and wellness mobile apps. This also highlights how much demand there is in the telemedicine industry.
Some of these mobile apps can also sync with wearables like pulse monitors and fitness trackers. Use the data collected Through sensors placed on the body, it reports or analyzes health status such as pulse, body temperature, blood pressure, and other indicators. Many people appreciate knowing every detail they can about their daily activities, but would only like to know basic information such as their maximum step count so they don't have to worry about their health. Some people. Let's face this issue in light of the kind of lifestyle we live today, a celebration of hustle culture. For most people, achieving their health goals requires a lot of self-control and discipline. Knowing the smallest details can help increase awareness, but it can also increase stress levels. Therefore, it is always recommended to choose it.
Smart autonomous devices in healthcare
Autonomous nursing robots and self-mobile smart devices are assisting medical staff by reducing hygiene-related and equipment management tasks.
Different types of robots can work in different locations and positions within a hospital, ensuring that human employees are not exposed to the risk of infection or burnout due to excessive strain.
for example, Robot nurses are being used in Italian hospitals During the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). These robots were used to remotely monitor patients' blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels. Because these are important parameters of the current state of health. When levels drop, patients need immediate help within minutes. In this way, the need for nurses to visit patients was reduced.
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that IoMT is one of the most important medical technology trends of 2024.
Smart implants in 2024
Innovations in the field of implants may be promising for the following reasons:
- Regenerative medicine uses techniques to regenerate damaged tissues and organs. It might be more efficient.
- Speeds up recovery from surgery or injury. Help patients recover better and faster.
- There were many diseases for which there was no cure. But now there is hope. It can restore functions lost from symptoms such as paralysis and blindness.
Let's understand the trends driving this transformation.
3D bioprinting
Using 3D bioprinting technology, you can get your own custom implant print. We use a special printer to create the implant from biocompatible materials, so your body won't dislike it.
This technology is not new, but 2024 could be a breakthrough year for the following reasons:
- Improving affordability and accessibility: 3D printed implants are becoming cheaper and available to a wider variety of patients.
- New materials and printing techniques: Advances in materials and printing methods will enable more sophisticated prosthetics with improved functionality.
nerve implant
A brain-computer interface, or neural implant, is a chip that is placed in the brain to interact with electrical signals. Future prospects are as follows.
- Neural implants have tremendous potential to restore vision, movement, and other functions lost due to disabilities such as paralysis or blindness.
- Although challenges remain, the potential for neural implants to change the way we treat disorders is exciting.
conclusion
From enabling faster diagnosis using tools like MRI scanners to facilitating communication between patients and doctors through videoconferencing, technological advances have improved healthcare. AI in healthcare has led to more accurate treatments, increased access to information for both patients and professionals, and the ability to personalize care to improve patient outcomes.