Today, suppliers can no longer go to work with a stethoscope and their well-trained mind and hands. In a medical center or a workplace, few of us need a black leather bag. But we do need information, and in methods we never experienced in our training. Technological innovation is fast changing how we approach patient care. Decision support tools are still in their beginnings. Within a very short time, I believe we will be using technology to help us improve the patient care methods we have not yet fully considered. There are two dimensions of technology that I believe will considerably improve patient care and the connection with our sufferers.
First, bedroom diagnostics, ultrasound evaluation has quickly become the standard of proper care for experts to place lines. Now, convenient ultrasound is available for the bedside physical evaluation. Most doctors currently usually spend most of their time on worldwide medical volunteer missions. They have a convenient ultrasound that is only a little bit larger than the normal smartphone. The sensor / probe looks like a tiny flash light. In towns in remote Nepal, they are able to ultrasound sufferers to help identify serious diseases that may require transportation to tertiary care organizations. As internet and mobile cell phone availability enhances throughout the world, there are places where they can deliver the pictures to radiologists in the United States to assist with decoding and making an analysis. I think the normal doctor in western world will soon carry a pocket ultrasound for use throughout the day, whether hospital or office-based.
Second are the incredible opportunities to use mobile phone technology to enhance the care of chronic diseases. The concept of “crowd sourcing” allows sufferers and their providers to share information that can considerably improve chronic illness. Ninety-one percent of people keep their smartphone within 3 feet of them 24 hours a day. An early experiment in patient care with inflammatory bowel illness has produced impressive improvements in the illness by tracking individuals’ activities through their mobile cell phone GPS and accelerometer and responses to scheduled text messages.