Seeing the Development of Health Technology in the Digital Era – Health technology continues to develop. Apart from health applications, various technologies in the health sector have also been born to make things easier for patients.
Have you ever heard of the term industrial revolution 4.0? This is a new period of development in which several technologies, such as digital, physical, and biological technologies, achieve unprecedented progress. Of the three, advances in digital technology are considered to have the greatest influence, including health technology.
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Development of Health Technology in the Digital Era
In the last decade, the world of health has experienced quite large changes or disruptions. Technological developments in the health sector will make it easier for patients to obtain health services.
In the past, patients had to get closer to health care providers. Now, it is the health care providers who are getting closer to the patients.
Imagine, patients can consult a doctor only through an online health application on
Combined with online transportation services, patients don’t need to go anywhere to get medicine, information and health services. Just sit while playing with your fingers on your smartphone.
In fact, now there is a system for making online doctor consultation appointments where patients can create, view or change consultation schedules according to their needs just via a mobile application or via SMS.
In Indonesia, technology in the digital health sector began to develop in the 90s with the introduction of the term telemedicine . Namely, the practice of health services using audio, visual and data communication devices for the purposes of consultation, diagnosis, care and treatment.
Entering the millennium era, health technology in Indonesia appears to be increasingly developing with the emergence of medical records and electronic prescribing. Health information sites are also increasingly mushrooming and are equipped with real-time online consultation features with doctors and online pharmacies.
It is becoming easier for patients to obtain health information through popular social media.
Health Technology in the Future
One of the focuses of health technology developments in the future will be directed at facilitating patient access to health services. Apart from that, the world of health and medicine will also become more sophisticated with the development of the following technologies:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (AI) allows machines to carry out various functions like humans. In the health sector, AI can take the form of a chatbot or virtual assistant that can function as an administrator or customer service .
AI can also be a machine to diagnose certain diseases or examinations. In fact, robots are now being developed to assist doctors in carrying out operations with a high level of precision.
Wearables or Devices Worn on the Body
The development of health technology requires data to be processed so that it can provide accurate advice or input to its users.
You may already be familiar with wearables, such as smart bracelets. The main function of this bracelet is to measure the frequency and targets of various types of physical activity, assess sleep patterns, and measure heart rate . With this, you can have a reminder when your lifestyle is not good.
In addition, there are also devices that are able to provide up-to-date monitoring results for high-risk patients, to assess the chance of serious illness.
For example, an oximeter to monitor the amount of oxygen in the blood and a sweat meter to assess blood sugar levels in diabetes sufferers .
Medical Devices Based on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
In 2018, the emergence of AR and VR-based health technologies changed the way patients were treated and treated. For children with autism , for example, this technology helps them learn how to navigate the world.
For Alzheimer’s and dementia patients , AR and VR technology can help bring back memories and pleasure by returning them to times, sounds, experiences and important events of the past.
In the field of medical education, this technology helps doctors hone their skills. For example, to prepare and simulate complex operations, without having to practice on humans.
Blockchain
If you have to change doctors or be referred to a specialist, you know how complicated it can be to transfer existing medical history. However, with blockchain technology , this process can be automated.
Doctors can also see the patient’s complete medical history so that you can immediately receive the necessary care and treatment.