What Is Healthcare Technology?
Healthcare technology encompasses the applications, systems, and tech infrastructure that support and enhance almost every element of healthcare. This includes patient diagnoses and treatment, consultations, scheduling, medical records, medical imaging, surgeries, and clinical research. It also supports back-office functions such as inventory management, accounts receivable, and HR. Developments like AI, natural language processing, and blockchain are improving various healthcare technologies.
Key Takeaways
- Empowering individuals is playing a huge role in how healthcare technology is advancing.
- Artificial intelligence will support providers, patients, and organizations in myriad ways.
- Notions like nanotechnology and 3D-printed cells and organs will become accepted parts of healthcare journeys.
- Efficiency and cost savings are key drivers behind the adoption of health technology.
The Evolution of Healthcare Technology
The move from paper to digital records has been a major industry breakthrough. Sharing information online allows medical researchers worldwide to collaborate and drive progress. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines that could take up to a decade to develop were created in just months.
Benefits of Technology in Healthcare
- Improved Efficiency: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can be accessed by all medical providers, improving treatment timeliness.
- Enhanced Communication: Online patient portals let people access test results and prescriptions, and contact their medical team.
- Advanced Diagnostics: Diagnostic systems help clinicians determine diseases by analyzing patient data and medical history.
- Personalized Treatment: Customizing care to each patient’s unique physiology and medical history improves outcomes.
- Patient Empowerment: Technology gives patients greater autonomy and access to health information.
- Reduced Medical Errors: Healthcare technology reduces errors through systems like Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) and Clinical Decision Support (CDS).
- Medical Research and Innovation: Technology speeds up medical research by connecting experts and analyzing data.
- Cost Savings: Technologies like telemedicine and remote monitoring reduce healthcare costs.
Understanding Types of Healthcare Technology
Health organizations are adopting technologies like AI, cloud computing, and blockchain. Key applications include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Used in diagnostic systems, robotic surgeries, and population health management.
- Blockchain: Enables secure sharing of medical data and verification of medical credentials.
- Cloud Technology: Provides real-time access to information and reduces the need for on-premises infrastructure.
- Telemedicine: Allows remote consultations and improves patient engagement.
- Remote Monitoring: Enables care providers to track patient conditions remotely.
5 Healthcare Technology Applications
- Administrative Health Tech: Applications manage administrative processes like scheduling and billing.
- Surgical Technology: Technologies like robotic arms and 3D printing improve surgical procedures.
- Drug Development: AI and other technologies speed up drug discovery and clinical trials.
- Fitness Technology: Wearables and connected devices track patient health metrics.
- Diagnostics and Error Reduction: Advanced diagnostic systems reduce medical errors.
Trends for the Future of Healthcare Technology
Emerging technologies shaping the future of healthcare include:
- Generative AI: Used in digital assistants and drug development.
- Nanotechnology: Applied in diagnoses and treatments at the molecular level.
- Digital Therapeutics: Software-based interventions for managing and treating diseases.
- Chatbots and Virtual Care: Natural language chatbots assist with patient care and administrative tasks.
- Digital Twins: Digital representations of physical assets or human physiology for testing treatments.
- Bioprinting: Creating biological tissues and organs for transplantation and research.
Oracle Health offers a comprehensive platform for healthcare organizations to improve patient care and operations. By combining clinical capabilities with industry-leading back-office applications on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Oracle is helping to transform the healthcare industry.
