Technology has become so common in our everyday lives that we hardly notice it anymore. Because of its prevalence, it’s easy to miss how technology weaves throughout our day and serves as a glue that holds everything together.
This fact is valid in all walks of life, including how we interact with the healthcare sector. Doctors, pharmacists, and patients—they’re helping—everyone benefit from the tremendous tech advances in recent years. With vital functions like communication and delivery seeing notable improvement, the question remains—are there gaps that still need to be filled? What advancements in technology are coming to fill those gaps?
The Approach to Patient Care
Technological advancements have dramatically changed the hurdles patients must overcome to receive care. While it was common in the past to fill out what felt like endless amounts of paperwork or to go to every doctor's appointment in person, many of those barriers are gone due to tech advances.
For example, in the past, patients may have had to request medical records, wait extensive periods, and perhaps be forgotten about. Now, it’s become common for patients to access their documents with a single click. Minor but significant differences like this are improving the patient experience, making it easier for patients to get timely and personalized care.
Improving Pharmacy Efficiency
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New technology has turned the modern pharmacy into a well-oiled machine. Pharmacy management systems, which automate tasks and manage patient data, have improved pharmacists' accuracy, timeliness, and efficiency.
Many complex regulations revolve around pharmacies and how they’re run, so these systems help pharmacists control inventory and process prescriptions, ensuring they’re compliant and operating legally.
A notable advantage of pharmacy management systems is their ability to integrate well with other modern pharmacy technologies. One way they help pharmacists is by linking to electronic health records, which gives them access to the patient’s medical history.
These tech advantages help pharmacists closely monitor every detail as they fill a prescription. They can spot the potential for an adverse reaction to a new medication and ensure patients are accurately diagnosed.
Email Encryption
Over time, email communication has become continually more secure. By implementing email encryption, healthcare professionals can ensure the safety of sensitive patient data during transmission. With this technological advancement, professionals can more confidently follow HIPAA laws when communicating with patients and other providers.
Virtual Consultations
With new virtual communication technologies, healthcare professionals no longer need to hold every in-person appointment. This is incredibly convenient for people who may live far from the medical facility they’re consulting with or those with low mobility. Even for something as simple as the flu or cold, patients can stay home and rest, taking the appointment virtually instead.
Virtual consultations have a wide variety of applications as well. In the past, healthcare professionals may have been more challenging to access, but now they can prescribe medication, examine patients, and monitor progress over time.
Improving Communication Between Patients and Healthcare Providers
Improvements in communication don’t end at virtual consultations. A variety of other technologies have made healthcare providers more accessible and have strengthened the channels of communication between professionals and patients.
Many practices use patient portals, which offer diverse functions, including accessing healthcare records, checking test results, and keeping track of treatment plans—all online.
Some doctors even work collaboratively with patients to track their health data through phone apps and wearable technology. Some apps give patients reminders to track their medication, monitor their heartbeat, and various other health signals that can help doctors catch potential issues as they arise.
Incorporating AI into Healthcare
AI is revolutionizing nearly every industry, and healthcare is no exception. With AI, vast data sets can be sifted through instantly and accurately, which helps doctors diagnose patient issues more efficiently.
AI analysis can catch things doctors might miss. By analyzing medical images, AI algorithms can detect early signs of severe diseases like cancer. With a big-picture view of patient data, AI tech can even predict results and help improve treatment plans.
On the pharmaceutical side, AI is used for simple tasks like inventory control and more complicated tasks like assisting in developing new drugs.
The Future of Healthcare Tech
The potential for technology to advance healthcare to an even greater degree as time passes is limitless. We’ll likely see greater AI implementation assisting patient care, weaving through each system, monitoring, and completing simple and complex tasks.
The previously mentioned wearable technologies are becoming more accurate and advanced each year, and we will likely see improvements in the live monitoring of patient data. With this information, healthcare providers can stay ahead of the curve and adapt to new situations as they appear, creating a proactive approach instead of a reactive one.
Blockchain technology is also on the rise. While it’s currently known primarily as the technology that allows cryptocurrency transactions to function, the blockchain can potentially increase the security of healthcare data and decrease fraudulent activity. These are just a few examples, but one thing is clear: the future of healthcare technology is bright, and we look forward to seeing how it improves patient outcomes.
Bridging the Gap
With the implementation of modern technology in healthcare, many past gaps have been filled. With pharmacy management systems, virtual consultations, and the continual rise of AI, healthcare professionals have become more accessible, accurate, and proactive than ever before.
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