Technological development has always consistently redefined the way medicine is practiced. In the current era, with the introduction of automation and artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical techniques, testing mechanisms, and medical practices are witnessing unprecedented advances. These medical technologies are improving quality of life and expanding the life-span of human beings.
However, there is a dearth of awareness of these technologies among the non-medical population. Before seeking healthcare facilities it is extremely crucial to be aware of all the new technological developments in the field of medicines.
It not only allows you to understand the treatment you are receiving but also to make informed decisions to ensure the best treatment outcome. The following section of the blog would discuss top 5 technological advances in the field of medicine.
Top Cutting-Edge Medical Technologies
Technological advances in the medical field have facilitated improved diagnosis and treatment plans. Let’s check out the leading medical technologies in the field of medicine in 2024.
1. Precision Medicine
Precision medicine, as the name suggests, refers to the personalized treatment plan for individual patients. Every human being has a unique genetic composition and structure for which we react differently to different medications and drugs. Thus, the traditional one-size-fit-for all treatment approach often involved severe side-effects and prolonged hospitalization.
Precision medicine allows doctors to obtain individual patients’ genetic profiles through Pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) and come up with customized treatment plans and medications. This significantly reduces the chances of severe side-effects, relapses and rebound effects of diseases and re hospitalization.
Some of the fields of medicine that are benefitting from precision medicine and PGx testing are oncology, rare genetic diseases, cardio-vascular diseases and many more. Thus, before seeing your doctor get your pharmacogenomic testing at home to provide detailed genetic information to your doctor.
2. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality helps to provide medical information in a comprehensive and interactive way to patients allowing them to perceive their body, problem areas and treatment plans. It is mainly used to treat a wide range of psychological issues like dementia, autism, Alzheimer, depressions and many more. Additionally, it also helps medical practitioners to manage physical pain perception of patients by manipulating patients’ thought process and perception of pain.
On the other hand, VR has enhanced the training process of medical professionals. Apart from these its potential has been proven in the areas of preventive healthcare, rehabilitations, assistive living, oncology and surgery.
3. Artificial Intelligence
AI is revolutionizing every aspect of our life and professional fields. Medical science is in the forefront witnessing the rapid introduction of AI in their practices and diagnosis. AI enables fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment opportunities. For instance, AI assists in early cancer diagnosis with 99% accuracy allowing doctors to offer life-saving treatments.
On the other hand, AI assisted robotic surgery is making its way into the medical field. Robotic surgery reduces the risk of surgical fallacies and facilitates fast recovery. Drug research and discovery has been highly enhanced with the help of artificial intelligence. It also significantly reduces the wait time to make a drug available in the market.
4. Telemedicine
Telemedicine has been popularized during the Covid-19 pandemic from the year 2020. Due to the need for social distance telemedicine was the only way to provide and receive healthcare services. It allowed patients to share their problems with their doctor via online video calling and to receive online prescriptions.
This was extremely effective for remote healthcare facilities and allowed cross country medical consultation. On the other hand, it was very cost effective as it eliminates travel costs; reduces waiting time in a cue. Additionally, it reduces the risk of exposure to infected people and illness, and allows doctors to see more patients in a day.
5. Neurotechnology
Neurotechnology is the recent development in the field of brain study and treatments. It allows doctors to understand the brain activities of patients in order to improve neural activities to cure brain diseases. The latest example of neurotechnology is Elon Mask’s Neuralink that is developing a device that can be embedded inside the human brain.
This device would automatically transmit information regarding the brain to a computer wirelessly, helping doctors with precise information regarding neural functioning. It is predicted that it has the potential to eradicate diseases like parkinsons and dementia.
Conclusion
The technological development in the field of medicine is increasingly getting incorporated by the medical practitioners. Having proper ideas and knowledge regarding these medical technologies would enable you to play an active part in your healthcare decision without blindly depending on the doctors and the systems. Additionally, these technologies provide new hope for terminally ill patients. They can enhance their condition and longevity by availing treatment based on these technologies at a treatable stage.
