AsianScientist (Feb. 13, 2018) – Once regarded as the defining tool of the medical profession, the stethoscope now appears somewhat dated among the multitude of technologies used by doctors to diagnose disease and recommend treatments. Using an MRI machine, clinicians can look inside the human body without having to cut it open. With genetic testing, patients can be prescribed medicines that are more likely to alleviate disease.
These innovations in the healthcare sector could not come sooner as societies the world over face a rising tide of chronic ailments and a silver tsunami of aging individuals. But more than just augment physician capabilities, technology is also changing our approach to healthcare—it is empowering doctors to advocate for prevention rather than treatment, to deliver personalized medicine and to care for patients beyond the clinics and hospitals.
Asian Scientist Magazine takes a look at these three trends in healthcare and highlights key technologies that are enabling these paradigm shifts.
Trend #1: From treatment to prevention
By the time someone needs to visit a doctor for a chronic condition such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, damage to specific tissues and organs has already occurred, placing a strain on the healthcare system for long-term care. From both medical and economic standpoints, prevention is indeed better than cure, and this may be possible if people are encouraged to take charge of their own health.
Wearable health monitoring devices
The first step towards preventive action is monitoring. Wearable health monitoring devices, which allow non-invasive and convenient health tracking, are key to enabling individuals to take charge of their own well-being. For example, Huawei’s range of watches and smart bands can perform activity tracking, sleep monitoring and continuous heart rate measurements, granting the wearer real-time health insights.
Also notable is the Apple Watch Series 4, which has been granted FDA approval as a medical device to detect falls and irregular heart rhythms. As wearable technology improves, earlier disease diagnosis and faster response to medical emergencies become possible.
Mobile apps
Given the rapid increase in smartphone penetration in Asia, mobile apps offering digital healthcare services are helping doctors reach their patients remotely. In Japan, Internet of Things (IoT) firm OPTiM and medical information platform MRT, Inc. have teamed up to offer Pocket Doctor, which lives up to its name by affording its users medical consultation on the go, regardless of their physical location.
Pocket Doctor can also be configured to receive data from wearable health monitoring devices and transmit the data to medical centers registered on the platform, allowing doctors to make accurate and detailed assessments of their patients’ health without having to be physically present.
