It’s no shock that most of 2020’s healthcare news focused on the coronavirus pandemic and innovations made to fight it. Yet, other healthcare research and development soldiered on all the while.
New medical technology is driving massive changes within many medical specialties. Take a look at this list of medical technology trends you should know about.
1. More Accurate IVs, Phlebotomy, and More With Vein Viewers
All good medical professionals try to insert IVs and draw blood with as little discomfort as possible. Needles and blood bother or terrify many patients. It doesn’t matter whether the pain is a factor or not.
As hard as we try, it’s hard to avoid discomfort 100% of the time. Your hand could shake a little, and some patients’ flinch and squirm. These and other factors lead to some issues and discomfort during the procedures.
Vein viewers help medical and beauty professionals target blood vessels with more accuracy. This medical innovation is a game-changer for all professionals trying to decrease patient misery.
2. Digital Modeling With 3D AR Technology
Augmented reality (AR) has long been popular in the gaming and film industries and now fills several needs in healthcare.
AR’s most notable medical use is in pre-surgery prep, and its role saves lives. Surgeons have long hit the books and pored over patients’ 2D scans before operations. Studying helps them decide on a detailed plan before making the first incision.
Those study techniques save lives by themselves. Adding modern medical technology takes pre-surgery prep to the next level. 3D body scans combined with augmented reality goggles give surgeons major insights.
Up until recent years, books and models limited surgeons. Those old-school tools are vital for studying basic structures and the relationships between them. Yet, they don’t wholly reflect the insides of patients’ bodies.
No book or computer program can account for infinite variation. No matter how much surgical teams research before operating, there’s still an element of surprise.
Within the last few years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AR headsets. Surgeons view body scans and diagrams during operations. They can focus on particular structures and systems using fluoroscopy.
The more surgeons can see before and during operations, the better. These innovative medical devices could make the difference between success and failure in some operations.
AR is also useful for medical students without access to in-person cadaver dissection. Virtual 3D modeling and AR can a lot of the variation real dissections are best for, more so if professionals get consent to catalog many actual bodies’ anatomy. 2D diagrams and older plastic or computer-generated 3D models can’t compare.
3. 3D Printing for Anything and Everything
Progress in modeling isn’t limited to augmented reality. Additive or 3D printing technology is easier for medical practitioners to use and cheaper than ever.
A small sample of medical uses for 3D printing includes making surgical mesh and even printing human tissue. Engineers keep perfecting these uses as the 2020s begin.
In the industry’s early years, getting something 3D printed meant contacting an outside company far in advance. You had to wait for them to send you the finished product. Nowadays, doctors don’t need to plan models so far in advance.
Printers are affordable and small enough for clinics of all sizes to keep on hand. They also print faster and with more accuracy than older models. Home users can also print medical devices including but not limited to open-source face shields and prosthetics.
Medical modeling is another use for additive printing technology that doesn’t get as much press outside of the industry. 3D printed models are valuable for medical professionals and patients alike.
These models are useful for picturing natural variation, similar to how medicine uses digital modeling and AR. Surgeons and other medical professionals use them to better understand patients’ bodies and procedures.
They also help show patients what’s going on inside of them. It’s easier for patients to imagine procedures when they have a 3D view—even more so when they can hold a model in their hands. This use of 3D printing helps demonstrate internal issues like blood clots and tumors.
4. Building Progress in Gene Editing
Ever since the ambitious Human Genome Product started in 1990, it filled peoples’ heads with dreams of gene editing and its possibilities. Over thirty years later, the technology is closer to being commonplace than many thought possible.
Scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in the field. They discovered the CRISPR/Cas9 enzymes used as “scissors” to clip sections of DNA.
Some critics of this fast-developing medical science cite concerns about playing god. This concern is far from unique to genetics, but a common issue skeptics have with many medical innovations including vaccines, life support systems, and more.
Others, including disability advocates, point to the long history of eugenics as a reason to be cautious. They base their concerns on centuries of anti-disabled (ableist) discrimination and violence.
Yet, gene-editing technology has many possible uses that don’t fall into those traps. One ultra-futuristic use is a proposed COVID-19 test using your smartphone. After this experience, CRISPR technology could help put a faster stop to future epidemics and pandemics.
CRISPR/Cas9 technology also holds hope for targeting common genetic disorders such as sickle cell disease.
5. AI Assistants, Chatbots, and More
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is one of the fastest-growing technology fields. It’s making inroads in most fields but may have the most potential to improve medicine.
Companies pushing AI and “smart” products and the clinics testing them are learning lessons about hacking the hard way. In the worst cases, patients bear the brunt—and can even lose their lives.
Infinite kinds of medical AI are in use and under development, ranging from surgical assistants to chatbots and beyond. Healthcare must learn more about information security and fix security problems before making AI an industry standard. Still, there are some handy ways to use AI in medicine while waiting for those things to happen.
One use is for help prescribing and trialing medication. Doctors writing prescriptions have to consider patients’ bodies, chronic conditions, allergies, current and previous medications and any reactions, and all manner of other factors. Prescribing this way takes a long time and tends to involve a lot of trial and error.
AI assistants make the process faster and cut down on oversight. They can help doctors pinpoint which drugs to try. A program could suggest a drug the prescribing doctor didn’t remember or didn’t know based on a patient’s specifics.
In a similar way, AI can work as part of medical imaging systems, offering possible diagnoses and courses of action. This is another use that could minimize effects in the event of security breaches.
6. Telehealth and Apps as the New Normal
Telemedicine was a growing field before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. At the start of 2021, it’s a new standard in the healthcare industry. Even when in-person meetings are safe again, long-distance appointments can save time for both providers and patients.
While insurance was reluctant to cover some telemedicine at the pandemic’s outset, coverage is more common every month. When insurance won’t pay, many patients prefer long-distance appointments that cost less than in-person.
Telehealth can save clinics money, too—Staff needn’t set up exam rooms for telehealth patients. Long-distance appointments don’t often drag on as in-person ones do, so they can also help providers see more patients in a day.
One thing licensed practitioners should keep an eye on is the rise of for-profit health apps. Counseling is the most targeted field, with many popular apps offering chat partners and generic advice on topics like mindfulness and stress relief.
Many of these programs are a great help for people trying to weather the pandemic and day-to-day stress. They often aren’t suited for people coping with major trauma and mental health conditions. Most aren’t run by licensed practitioners.
Counseling apps and other businesses advertise more than actual providers tend to. That’s because they put money first, not the quality of care. Flashy ads and the promise of no face-to-face appointments can draw in those afraid to seek help.
Mental health providers and other medical professionals contending with apps like these should stay aware of this trend and make sure people know the benefits of their services.
Secure the New Medical Technology Your Hospital or Clinic Needs
Watch for these key medical advancements as 2021 continues. Keeping up with new medical technology trends is a must for any dedicated medical professional.
As you decide what equipment your hospital or clinic should buy this year, consider what Outpatient Supply can do for you. We provide medical professionals around the world with the latest technology they need to give top-notch, modern care. If you have any questions or want to set up an order, don’t hesitate to contact us.