3 Medical Technologies Currently Revolutionizing Health Care

These days, the medical world is experiencing an upheaval in the way they deal with patient care. Medical students are encouraged to be more proactive and think outside the box to find ways to build closer relationships with patients, and institute ground-breaking chances to medicine. Doctors and engineers around the world are looking forward to the future of medicine by creating innovations that change medical care.

There are hundreds of developments still being considered and researched, but these three advancements are already being used or that we will see become a reality in the near future.

1) The Da Vinci Machine

Specially trained surgeons operate this machine to perform procedures which are minimally invasive. The Da Vinci machine uses tiny wristed surgical arms and a small camera to allow for greater rotation during surgery than a human wrist can use. The incisions are very small, often less than an inch long. A trained surgeon watches on a high-definition 3D screen as he/she remotely operates the machine arms. Da Vinci allows for greater accuracy and less risk of infections, and has already been used to help more than 2.5 million patients worldwide. Though it isn't in use in every hospital yet, it won't be long before all surgeons in all hospitals are using this for less invasive and more accurate surgical procedures.

2) Medical Cloud Software

More and more hospitals and clinics are turning to cloud software to improve overall patient care. Cloud software allows doctors to access information not just internally within a hospital, but externally with hospitals outside of their networks. Patient records can be more accurately passed along, paperwork is reduced, and care becomes more streamlined. Most of this software goes beyond just sharing information between doctors. Programs like AdvancedMD All-in-one medical software allow doctors to electronically send prescriptions to pharmacies without paperwork, manage billing with insurance companies, and even allow patients to go online to request appointments with their doctors. This means no more sitting on the phone waiting for a receptionist to pick up. Patients input their needs and availability, and a receptionist calls them to offer appointment times within that availability. While several hospitals are turning to the cloud, not all of them are there... yet.

3) 3D Printing

Right now, doctors are using 3D printing to render exact replicas of patient organ issues in order to assist with the diagnosis more accurately. While this is helpful to save lives, the possibilities for this sort of printing is incredible. It won't be long before doctors are able to use 3D printers to create exact replicas of a healthy organ to use for transplant, or artificial arteries as a solution to ruptures. It is entirely possible that within the next 10 years 3D printed organs could replace the need for an organ donor or transplant waiting list.

These three advancements are only the tip of the iceberg. In the coming years, we will see a number of revolutionary medical advancements that will change the way we experience health care.


This is a blog post by Nancy Evans.