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Most Innovative
Advancements in
MEDICAL
and
HEALTHCARE Technology
Wearable Technology
Reports by Consumer Electronics Association claims that the sales of smart watches and fitness trackers shall reach $1 billion in the year 2014.
Wearable Technologies have transformed the way Big Data is accumulated.
A new range of health electronics have sprung up in the market, one of them being the asthma pump, which records the climatic conditions and the time of usage.
This novel approach towards collecting data shall greatly reduce the money that goes into data collection for researches.
Optogenetics
Optogenetics that derives its name from the Greek work optos (visible) is a technique to modulate the function of neurons that are sensitised to light. Neuroscientists have experimented it by regulating a single light sensitive neuron in a mouse’s brain. This neuron is made active by introducing light activated proteins/genes into the genome.
This technology may serve as one of the ways to study the human brain and the way nerve impulses are received and sent and what degeneration in the nerves leads to nervous disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In 2010 it was acclaimed as “The Method of the Year” and 2013 has added more substantial research to this invention.
Digestible Sensors
We know that microchips are everywhere, but the surprising factor here is that many of us are perhaps soon going to eat them, what may be referred as ‘digestible microchips/sensors’.
These sensors are either embedded in the medicine, or are taken along with them. They are 100% food-grade and get activated upon ingestion.
The patient needs to wear a disposable patch that records the current heart rate and receives signals, as soon as the microchip reacts with the stomach juices. This information is then transferred via Bluetooth to an electronic device.
Microchips Modeling Clinical Trials
Using this microchip modeling method to perform clinical trial on artificial microchip organs instead of animals or human beings (The 4th phase of trials).
Microchips more closely resemble live tissue, cell types and realistic three-dimensional interactions occurring in the human body than do other forms of clinical testing to date.
Scientists and doctors have been able to reconstruct organs like the human lungs by focusing on the use of complicated systems of microchips to emulate these bodily systems.
3D Printed Biological Materials
The medical uses of 3D printing are extremely practical and overtime could really solve ongoing health issues once it’s figured out how to accurately apply them to people.
Here are seven applications of 3D printers in healthcare that could have an important impact in the future:
1. Embryonic Stem Cells
2. Printing Skin
3. Blood Vessels & Heart Tissue
4. Replacing Cartilage & Bone
5. Studying Cancer
6. Patching a Broken Heart
7. Replacement Organs
Hybrid Operating Rooms
A hybrid operation room is a new innovation where a traditional OR is outfitted with advanced medical technology to improve the care delivered to patients and enhances the skill-sets of medical practitioners when it comes to administering treatment.
• Less invasive approach to treating cardiac problems
• Patients who undergo procedures in the Hybrid Operating Room typically experience less trauma, less scarring, a shorter hospital stay and faster rehabilitation.
• Hybrid Operating Room also supports a multi-disciplinary approach so that surgeons from different areas of specialty can work together to treat multiple medical issues in a single episode of care.
Electronic Aspirin
A technology under clinical investigation at Autonomic Technologies, Inc., (Redwood City, CA) is a patient-powered tool for blocking SPG signals at the first sign of a CH-2 cluster headache.
HOW IT WORKS?
The system involves the permanent implant of a small nerve stimulating device in the upper gum on the side of the head normally affected by headache. The lead tip of the implant connects with the SPG bundle, and when a patient senses the onset of a headache, he or she places a handheld remote controller on the cheek nearest the implant. The resulting signals stimulate the SPG nerves and block the pain-causing neurotransmitters.
Needle-Free Diabetes Care
Echo Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA) is developing technologies that would replace the poke with a patch. The company is working on a transdermalbiosensor that reads blood analytes through the skin without drawing blood. The technology involves a handheld electric-toothbrush-like device that removes just enough top-layer skin cells to put the patient's blood chemistry within signal range of a patch-borne biosensor.
The sensor collects one reading per minute and sends the data wirelessly to a remote monitor, triggering audible alarms when levels go out of the patient's optimal range and tracking glucose levels over time.
Robotic Check-Ups
Telemedicine is well established as a tool for triage and assessment in emergencies, but new medical robots go one step further—they can now patrol hospital hallways on more routine rounds, checking on patients in different rooms and managing their individual charts and vital signs without direct human intervention.
The RP-VITA Remote Presence Robot produced jointly by iRobot Corp. and InTouch Health is the first such autonomous navigation remote-presence robot to receive FDA clearance for hospital use. The device is a mobile cart with a two-way video screen and medical monitoring equipment, programmed to maneuver through the busy halls of a hospital.
A Valve Job with Heart
The Sapien transcatheter aortic valve is a life-saving alternative to open-heart surgery for patients who need new a new valve but can't endure the rigors of the operation. Manufactured by Edwards Life Sciences (Irvine, CA), the Sapien has been available in Europe for some time but is only now finding its first use in U.S. heart centers—where it is limited only to the frailest patients thus far.
The Sapien valve is guided through the femoral artery by catheter from a small incision near the grown or rib cage. The valve material is made of bovine tissue attached to a stainless-steel stent, which is expanded by inflating a small balloon when correctly placed in the valve space. A simpler procedure that promises dramatically shorter hospitalizations is bound to have a positive effect on the cost of care.
The electronic health record
In 2009, only 16 percent of U.S. hospitals were using an EHR. By 2013, about 80 percent of hospitals eligible for CMS' meaningful use incentives program had incorporated an EHR into their organizations.
While the EHR has already created big strides in the centralization and efficiency of patient information, it can also be used as a data and population health tool for the future.
mHealth
Mobile health is freeing healthcare devices of wires and cords and enabling physicians and patients alike to check on healthcare processes on-the-go. An R&R Market Research report estimates the global mHealth market will reach $20.7 billion by 2019, indicating it is only becoming bigger and more prevalent.
Smartphones and tablets allow healthcare providers to more freely access and send information.
However, mHealth is not only about wireless connectivity. It has also become a tool that allows patients to become active players in their treatment by connecting communication with biometrics.
Telemedicine/telehealth
Studies consistently show the benefit of telehealth, especially in rural settings that do not have access to the same resources metropolitan areas may have. A large-scale study published in CHEST Journal shows patients in an intensive care unit equipped with telehealth services were discharged from the ICU 20 percent more quickly and saw a 26 percent lower mortality rate than patients in a regular ICU.
Telemedicine clinics will also reduce time out of office costs for employees and employers by eliminating the need to leave work to go to a primary care office.
Portal technology
Patients are increasingly becoming active players in their own healthcare, and portal technology is one tool helping them to do so. Portal technology allows physicians and patients to access medical records and interact online. This type of technology allows patients to become more closely involved and better educated about their care.
In addition to increasing access and availability of medical information, portal technology can be a source of empowerment and responsibility for patients. "It's powerful because a patient can be an extraordinary ally in their care. They catch errors,”. "It empowers the patient and adds a degree of power in care where they can become an active participant."
Self-service kiosks
Similar to portal technology, self-service kiosks can help expedite processes like hospital registration. Patients can increasingly do everything related to registration without having to talk to anyone. This can help with staffing savings, and some patients are more comfortable with it. Automated kiosks can assist patients with paying co-pays, checking identification, signing paperwork and other registration requirements.
There are also tablet variations that allow the same technology to be used in outpatient and bedside settings. However, hospitals need to be cautious when integrating it to ensure human to human communication is not entirely eliminated. If a person wants to speak to a person, they should be able to speak with a person.
Remote monitoring tools
At the end of 2012, 2.8 million patients worldwide were using a home monitoring system, according to a Research and Markets report. Monitoring patients' health at home can reduce costs and unnecessary visits to a physician's office. The example of a cardiac cast with a pacemaker automatically transmitting data to a remote center is offered. If there's something wrong for a patient, they can be contacted.
It's basically allowing other people to monitor your health for you. It may sound invasive but is great for patients with serious and chronic illnesses.
Pharmacogenomics/genome sequencing
Personalized medicine continues to edge closer to the forefront of the healthcare industry. Tailoring treatment plans to individuals and anticipating the onset of certain diseases offers promising benefits for healthcare efficiency and diagnostic accuracy. Pharmacogenomics in particular could help reduce the billions of dollars in excess healthcare spending due to adverse drug events, misdiagnoses, readmissions and other unnecessary costs.
Before a full-fledged system of pharmacogenomics comes to fruition, the healthcare industry needs a tool that can aggregate and analyze all the big data and digital health information, Mr. Hoover says. "When we really start to have the ability to study a lot of that data, it's going to transfer how we match up that information at the population, individual and macro levels," he says. "The ability to actually compare that information is going to be valuable as we move forward, making sure medications we are taking are going to work for us."
Big DataWe are seeing new phenomena where stored data is now accessible and useable. Big data isbeing analyzed to gain valuable insights into ways to become more cost effective, and acceleratepatient care. The focus has shifted to individual quality of care and increased access to relevantmedical data enables a greater depth of knowledge. As Electronic Health Records evolve, and arecapable of working with outside apps, more relevant critical information is captured andrecorded. Data from all sources needs to be integrated for more efficient access, to help providea more complete view for patient problems, diagnosis and treatment. Patients are also able toaccess their information from almost any device at any location. More hospitals and medicalfacilities are able to enter information into mobile devices and computers as it is obtained fromthe patient. The ability to combine all types of information entered through mobile devicesincreases the relevance of mobile technology. There is no longer a reason to avoid technologybecause it is perceived to get in the way of care.
Tablet computers can be taken into the consulting room, while many hospitals now haveterminals outside each hospital room or a hub in the hallway with easy encrypted single sign onfor all medical staff. Access to comprehensive health data also enables more accurate prognosisand treatment decisions. Healthcare providers a realizing the benefit of big data and large-scaledata analysis to deliver better care at lower costs as well as more customized treatment plans.There has been a resistance to change in the healthcare industry, but big data is playing a vitalrole that cannot be ignored. EHR systems are more affordable and information can be exchangedmore easily than ever before.
Mobile Apps are on the rise
Medical professionals rely upon their mobile devices to work effectively. They access mobile apps to quickly garner many types of information to make them more efficient. Patients use apps to monitor many aspects of their health, like counting calories, and measuring heart rate, to more complex regimens like managing chronic disease. Mobile apps will continue to be developed as they target specific needs. This means innovative apps, especially within healthcare, are beginning to surface that can aid with more than just healthy lifestyle decisions, they will start monitoring more serious medical conditions.
Medication adherence apps will help remind patients to take their medication through smart phone reminders. EHR’s are also evolving with better usability to work with outside apps for data input and monitoring. Health systems are developing and implementing their own apps to help improve the patient experience. Apps are being developed to span many different devices, and will play a vital role in healthcare now and in the future.
References
• http://attunelive.com/blog/top-3-recent-innovations-in-healthcare-technology/
• http://getreferralmd.com/2013/11/health-care-technology-innovations-2013-infographic/
• http://getreferralmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/the-future-of-medicine-infographic.jpg
• http://www.csc.com/cscworld/publications/65429/65814-10_emerging_healthcare_technologies
• https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/bioengineering/top-5-medical-technology-
innovations
• http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/10-biggest-technological-
advancements-for-healthcare-in-the-last-decade.html
• http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/healthcare/articles/2014-tech-trends.html
