How Technology is Already Applied in Healthcare 

Even though it may be a new year, there is still a very serious and very deadly pandemic still wreaking havoc on the human population. During times like these, it is imperative that people have access to their doctors and other medical experts. People are naturally hesitant to go and see their doctor and now that fear is just elevated with the presence of the coronavirus pandemic. That is why it is quite essential for there to be a way for people to see their doctor whenever and wherever they want. Everyone deserves to see their doctor, no matter where they live.

•  Telemedicine

One of the largest and growing industries out there is telemedicine. Telemedicine allows patients to see their doctors through zoom meetings on their phones or computers. This takes out the hassle of people having to get in their cars, drive a decent amount out of their way, pay for parking, wait in the waiting room, and then once your appointment is over, you have to drive all the way back home. Instead, all they have to do now is login into whichever telemedicine website or app that they use at the time of their appointment. This cuts their wait time down significantly and they no longer have to worry about sitting in a room with people during a deadly pandemic. Now, they can sit in the comfort of their home, as safe as possible, and wait for their doctor to log in as well and begin their online appointment. 

Like all things, telemedicine comes with the good and the bad. These are things to consider when looking up the cost to make a healthcare app. The biggest pro to telemedicine is that everyone has access to their doctor. That is a huge positive because that is very important. Another positive is that you cut down on the costs it usually takes just to get into the office. No more parking and gas expenses just to make sure you are okay. The ability to see your doctor in the comfort of your own home is another huge plus when considering telemedicine.

When it comes to cons, the biggest thing you will need to worry about is the security of the users on the app. The last thing anyone wants is to have both their financial and health information stolen because the telemedicine app they used was not secure enough. You also will have to worry about the glitches that can come along with using a telemedicine app. A bad experience for the patients could lead them to not coming back again.

In the end, getting people to see their doctors is the most important thing. There are just as many reasons for people not to see their doctors as there are for people to see them. Telemedicine is one of the ways that you can cut down those reasons not to see the doctor and get people as healthy as they possibly can be. 

• Artificial intelligence

We believe that artificial intelligence has the potential to redesign healthcare completely. AI algorithms are able to mine medical records, design treatment plans or creates medicines way faster than any current actor on the healthcare palette including any medical professional. 

Atomwise uses supercomputers that root out therapies from a database of molecular structures. In 2015, the start-up launched a virtual search for safe, existing medicines that could be redesigned to treat the Ebola virus. They found two drugs predicted by the company’s AI technology that may significantly reduce Ebola infectivity.

More recently, Google’s DeepMind created an A.I. for breast cancer analysis. The algorithm outperformed all human radiologists on pre-selected data sets to identify breast cancer, on average by 11.5%!

These are only two of the many examples of companies using A.I. to advance healthcare from designing new drugs to disrupting medical imaging to mining medical records. We’ve collected our favorite examples in a recent article. With all these tangible examples, imagine what horizons would open for humanity if early utilization of AI results in such amazing discoveries! 

• Genome sequencing

The whole Human Genome Project cost approximately $2.7 billion for the US government, which is an insanely huge amount of money. Especially if you consider that in January 2017, DNA sequencing giant Illumina unveiled a new machine that the company says is “expected one day” to order up your whole genome for less than $100. Last year, the company’s CEO reiterated that Illumina is still working towards that benchmark. This would mean that you might have a cheaper genetic test than a general blood test (for which prices vary between approximately $10-150). Mind-blowing!

Such a test has so much potential! You can get to know valuable information about your drug sensitivity, multifactorial or monogenic medical conditions, and even your family history. Moreover, there are already various fields leveraging the advantages of genome sequencing, such as nutrigenomics, the cross-field of nutrition, dietetics, and genomics. Some companies such as the California-based start-up, Habit, are offering personalized diets based on genetic codes. 

We also took the Atlas Biomed’s genetic test which proved to be quite insightful. Its analyzes, despite some being difficult to understand, provided practical calls to action. It showed us that we should have a higher intake of vitamins A and E and iron and that We don’t have any lactose, gluten, or alcohol intolerance. In addition, it also revealed conditions to which we can be at risk, which is informative so as to take preventive actions. 

Thoughts

We are truly living in revolutionary times for healthcare thanks to the advent of digital health. Our mission is to spread the knowledge and developments in healthcare that will usher in the real era of the art of medicine. Join us in this mission by sharing our articles and your thoughts with us!