Development of Technology in Healthcare

Development of Technology in Healthcare

The development process of digital technology has affected many fields. One area that is experiencing the penetration of digitalization of technology is in the health field. One of the influences that add to the medium of health is with the abundance of health applications that can be easily accessed through smartphone or tablet devices. For example, in developed countries today the process of examining ear or hearing health of children can be done using a smartphone device. through the device, the doctor can diagnose the infection and prepare the appropriate treatment for the patient. The growing number of mobile applications in the health field will certainly facilitate the treatment of patients.

A researcher from Rock Health has found that there are currently about 13,000 digital health applications. The patients are now gradually following this trend. Rock Health as a provider of digital health ecosystem services works to explain the power of mobile healthcare as well as the health effects of technology. The advent of the digital healthcare industry today has made a very significant step among health care providers. Rock Health discovers about 75% of small and medium medical treatments and dental practice rooms will use tablets in the next few years. In fact, almost 40% of doctors have used treatment applications for their daily activities. The use of technology in the health sector will certainly reduce the cost of healthcare and increase the scale of health experts help many people.

Indeed, mobile health technology is not a substitute for health care. It is part of the healthcare process supplement itself. It's just that mobile apps have a better communication factor between the health expert and the patient itself. However, it could be in the future healthcare process you can go through an intermediary smartphone or tablet. This is because the goal of digital health is to practice medicine and public health support through mobile devices. Therefore there are several categories of related mobile applications related to it.

This category includes such as chronic disease management, treatment rules, patient health monitoring, communication media between patients and healthcare providers, personal health management, referrals of health support equipment, and others. Then what can the mobile device do? Mobile devices can be used to reduce the process of care by healthcare providers as well as the process and process of curing diseases. One is what CellScope has done. The service has built a hardware and software system to diagnose illness through mobile devices. CellScope makes the smartphone into a quality imaging system to diagnose. Mobile devices can be used to monitor patients and their health regularly. Applications like Cardiio make smartphone cameras a biosensor tool that allows people to use their mobile devices to know their own health.

Through these small examples, the transition of health care from the standpoint of the hospital system to personal care may be able to provide what the patient needs. Then how big advances in technology in the field of digital health this? Rock Health itself calculates that there are more than 13,000 health applications and medications that are currently circulating globally. It has not been added local-based applications that continue to grow to date. This means that many application developers see a lucrative business opportunity in this health field. Some sources even earn about $ 700 million in profits in 2011, which is seven times higher than in 2010. Rock Health predicts that business development in the digital health market will be worth more than $ 38 billion by 2016.

Who are the users of these apps? There are three types of consumers who usually take advantage of the sophistication of mobile devices and health applications. First are those who use the application through a health approach. Usually, they use the application to diagnose, record and treat the illness suffered. The two are those that utilize applications for fitness as well as sports. They take advantage of fitness programs and find friends practicing. Third are those who utilize the application with a healthy approach and lifestyle. This last type usually uses the application to determine the level of calories and nutrients that enter into their bodies. In the United States alone, some health organizations have urged regulators to make standard rules on mobile applications and mobile devices are rampant today. And until now it is still a debate of its own.

The rapid development of information technology has penetrated into various sectors including health. Although the world of health is an information-intensive field, the adoption of information technology is relatively lagging behind. For example, when electronic financial transactions have become one of the standard procedures in the banking world, most hospitals in Indonesia are just in the planning stages of billing system development.
Here are some information technology applications to support health management:

1. Computer-Based Medical Record (Computer-Based Patient Record)

One of the major challenges in the application of information and communication technology in hospitals is the application of computer-based medical records. The definition of a computer-based medical record, however, is principally the use of a database to record all medical data, demographics and every event in the management of patients in the hospital. Computer-based medical records will collect patient clinical data from physician examination, digitization of the diagnostic tool (EKG), radiology, etc.), conversion of laboratory examination results and clinical interpretation. Complete computer-based medical records are usually accompanied by a decision support facility (SPK) that allows alerting, reminder, diagnostic and therapeutic help for doctors and clinicians to adhere to clinical protocols.

2. Portable Data Storage Technologies

One important aspect of health services using referral approach is continuity of care. In this concept, primary health care services have a high level of connectivity with a reference level on it. One of the conditions is the existence of medical data communications easily and effectively. Some approaches that are done using information technology are the use of smart cards (smart cards that allow temporary data storage).

A simple portable data storage application is a bar code (or barcode). This barcode is widely used in the industry as a unique trademark marker. This is obviously easier for supermarkets and warehouses in retail and inventory management. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required all drug manufacturers in the US to use barcodes as drug markers. The use of barcodes will also be beneficial for pharmacies and pharmacy installations in hospitals in accelerating inventory processes. In addition, the use of barcodes can also be used as a unique marker on the card and the patient's medical record.

The unique marking technology that is now increasingly popular is RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​which allows identification of identity via radio frequency. If using barcodes, the hospital still requires a barcode reader, the use of RFID will eliminate the use of the tool. Any items (such as drugs or medical record files) that are accompanied by RFID will send a continuous signal into the computer database. So identification will run automatically.

3. Wireless Technology

Utilization of computer networks in the medical world has actually been released since nearly 40 years ago. In 1976/1977, the University of Vermont Hospital and Walter Reed Army Hospital developed a local area network (LAN) that allowed users to log on to multiple computers from one terminal at the nursing station. At that time, the media used is still a coaxial Cabell. Currently, wireless networks are excellent because users stay connected to the network without hampering their mobility by cable. Through wireless networks, doctors can always connect to the patient database without having to be disrupted by mobility.

4.Komputer Handheld (PDA / Personal Digital Assistant)

  Today, the use of handheld computers (PDAs) is becoming increasingly commonplace in medical circles. In Canada, fifty percent of physicians under the age of 35 use PDAs because they can be used to store a variety of clinical data of patients, drug information, or specific clinical therapy/handling guidelines. Some sites on the internet provide examples of clinical applications that can be used in PDAs such as Epocrates. Utilization of PDAs that have been accompanied by a telephone network allows doctors can still have access to patient databases in hospitals through the internet network. One example of the application of telemedicine technology is the delivery of patient radiological data that can be sent directly through the GSM network. Furthermore, doctors can give interpretation directly PDA and give feedback to hospital.

Current technological developments have had a mixed impact on a wide range of life domains including in the health realm. This revolutionary change in health is due to the incorporation of technology in the field of health that can lead to various innovations in medical techniques and we have never seen before. Maybe we never thought that we would be able to detect diseases such as strokes and cancer just from a smartphone, but it turns out that all can be done alone by us today with ease, cheap, and fast.

  The revolution in the field of health through its integration with technology has created a variety of treatment techniques that had previously been unthinkable. Nowadays complicated operations with high precision needs can already be done using robots. Even today with the invention of 3D printing technology there is the possibility that humans will be able to repair damaged organ components by creating damaged parts with 3D printing technology.

  Technological advances in the health sector can provide many benefits, especially in the equitable access to and information on health, but many are also concerned about the adverse effects that will be generated from this. An example is the development of technology for health information providers or health diagnostic tools that can be used alone will bring a concern to the existence of the medical profession and other health workers in the community. However technology remains a tool for human life, if it is not wise to use it will still bring bad for human life.