Changing role of doctors in tech age

Technology has emerged to a major driving force behind the drastic improvement in the world of healthcare today. Over the years, innovative medical developments have altered the face of the healthcare industry.

The field of medical science has constantly brought together the best to the society to help those in need. From treating cancer and delivering babies to dealing with heart attacks, doctors have gone beyond all proven knowledge to invent improved technology and techniques for greater outcomes.

Advances in medical technology allow physicians to diagnose their patients in a better way since the beginning of the professional practice of medicine. Due to continuous progress of technology in the medical field, many lives have been saved thereby improving the overall quality of life.

With improvements in biomedical research, medical practitioners are in a better position to tackle health problems in a cost-effective manner.

Electronic medical records, population science and clinical practice guidelines are the main changes that are revolutionising the medical/healthcare field at present.
Currently, numerous methods of imaging used by technicians and physicians to scrutinise a patient’s anatomy do not require invasive actions to form a diagnosis.

There is a surge in demand for MRI technologists and radiologists which have led to rapid advances in imaging technology. Advancements in technology have made medical professionals more efficient than ever before.

The dependence on medical technology by healthcare practitioners in the midst of progress of these radiant innovations continue to find ways to improve their respective areas of practice - be it diagnosis, surgical procedures or care of the patient.

Technology in the healthcare industry has evolved for introducing new equipments to using private practices within the hospitals to connect with patients and doctors all the way through telecommunications.

It is quite common in today’s world for patients to initiate a videoconference with physicians to save time and money, which was usually spent on travelling to a distant location or sending information related to healthcare straight away to any specialist around the globe.

Moreover, it allows the healthcare experts to save time and money and improve the overall efficiency.

With a large number of hospitals using technology like on-the-job mobile devices, practitioners can access any form of information they require – drug information, research and studies, patient history/records, and a lot more, and most importantly, within seconds.

With the help of these devices, one can use these services throughout the day and the information they need is made available within the reach of our fingertips. There are a lot of applications that aid in identifying potential health threats and examining digital information like x-ray and CT scans, which also add to the benefit that technology brings in for healthcare.

There is no doubt that new technologies will change the way healthcare assistance and systems are managed. A lot of tools have already been introduced to support the critical functions which perk up the capacity to gather, analyse, manage and exchange information throughout the healthcare sector — from research to first aid in case of a crisis.

Digital pathway
One of the latest forms of disruptive technology is digital pathology, defined as a technical innovation that improves a product and/or service in a manner that the market does not anticipate.

Digital pathology has become quite common now with the technology becoming more cost-effective. With the help of this emerging imaging tool and predictive analysis model, pathologists can make an accurate and consistent diagnosis.

In addition to the experience of the medical practitioners, the contribution of technology to raise the efficiency of the doctors has been significant. With immense support from the public, as well as the private sector, doctors are benefited from the initiation of EHR (Electronic Health Records) as well which allows them to access the care a patient has received in the past, figuring out possible diseases/illnesses while streamlining the process of treatment and cutting down avoidable costs.

It is important to understand that technology is not the end. Rather it is a means to the end, which is patient’s health and well-being. Keeping this in mind will prevent over-reliance on technology and de-skilling of medical professionals.
(The writer is technical director, Anand Diagnostic Laboratory)