Technology has transformed the way businesses and organizations operate in one way or the other. It has opened new avenues for each type of industry, and healthcare is no exception. Today, technology sits at the core of the healthcare industry. Medical science, health equipment and technology go hand in hand for transforming patient care, increase accuracy in performing medical procedures, improve patient outcomes, and streamline mundane hospital processes.
From medical research to diagnostics, patient monitoring, medicine administration, and virtual patient visits, technology has brought a landscape change in the healthcare industry over the years. Technologies like robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence isn’t a replacement for the human workforce. Instead, it is meant to free up vital human resources so they can efficiently perform everyday tasks, spend more time providing quality care to patients, and improve overall efficiency. Continue reading to explore some of the best medical equipment and technologies transforming patient care today:
So, without further delay, let us jump straight to the topic and discuss it in detail.
5 Best Equipment And Technologies Transforming Patient Care
Barcode/Medical Scanners
Barcode readers have been around for many years, but their true potential in patient care, medicine administration, and laboratory management has just started unveiling. Leading companies like Code® have introduced state-of-the-art medical scanners and barcode readers designed to streamline routine healthcare procedures.
Barcode or medical scanners benefit the healthcare industry and nursing staff. Nurses can use these scanners and smart mobile devices to scan medicines and ensure patients receive the correct medication, dose, and route. These devices help nurses reduce medication errors traditionally caused by manual data entry or miscommunication.
At hospitals and laboratories, medical scanners can verify a patient’s identity and correspond particulars with patient data to ensure they receive precise medical treatment. Barcode scanning can automate many laborious procedures in a hospital, making the workflow more efficient. It enables the collection and analysis of data in real time, which can help hospitals make better choices and improve patient outcomes.
Medical scanners also help hospitals keep track of their medical supplies, equipment, medicines, and other inventory, resulting in efficient inventory management and a significant reduction in operating costs.
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Smart Rooms And Beds
Today’s hospital rooms and beds defy traditional medical room designs and provide the finest individualized patient care. Smart rooms are equipped with the latest communication mechanism with point-to-point screens that allow nurses to communicate with the patient constantly. These rooms can adjust to patients’ preferences, such as room temperature, light, and ventilation, to improve comfort and boost recovery.
Smart beds can help monitor patients’ vitals, like blood pressure, pulse rates, blood sugar, and oxygen levels, in real time. This allows healthcare providers to respond quickly to changing health conditions in patients.
Motion sensor alarms and pressure sensors can detect a patient’s movement. If a patient makes an effort to get out of bed, smart rooms and beds can alert healthcare professionals, minimizing the risk of falls and other accidents. These devices also have built-in nurse call buttons, pagers, and door alarm kits. Such sensors, accompanied by alarm systems, benefit patients 65 and older.
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Wearable Medical Devices For Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring has radically changed patient care, empowering healthcare professionals to provide quality care to patients from distant locations. Wearable devices allow for continuous monitoring of patients’ vitals, which also helps detect and diagnose various healthcare conditions.
Wearable devices send real-time information to doctors and nurses, which helps them monitor patients’ progress and examine patients’ responses to certain medications. They can also track medication adherence and send reminders to patients to take their medication on time. This results in improved overall health outcomes and reduced medication errors.
Healthcare professionals recommend medical wearables to patients with chronic health conditions and diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and dementia. This helps them make informed decisions about patient treatment and improve medication outcomes.
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Telemedicine
Telemedicine is swiftly gaining popularity among patients and healthcare facilities worldwide. From January to March 2020, the number of patients using telemedicine increased by 154% across the United States.
It has played a vital role in containing COVID-19 spread during peak infection rates in the last couple of years. It has effectively demonstrated its far-reaching benefits for patient-centric procedures.
Telemedicine can increase access to care for patients irrespective of their physical location. Patients can consult specialists and general healthcare practitioners over video or audio calls. Hospitals can access real-time patient data and monitor patients with chronic conditions without needing patients to visit hospitals.
It can significantly reduce outpatient load, which helps in cutting healthcare costs and freeing up resources for other critical medical services.
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Cloud-Based Information Systems
Cloud-based technology has permeated every business owing to its excellent benefits, which can also be noticed in the healthcare field. Subscription-based SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS have replaced the conventional client-server models in healthcare settings, which has helped hospitals significantly reduce operating costs for maintaining and installing complex IT infrastructure. Cloud-based systems can improve hospital patient care by providing a collaborative platform to all users and access to updated data.
Cloud-based systems facilitate better communication and collaboration among healthcare providers, paramedics, laboratories, pharmacies, and administrative staff. Patients and healthcare professionals can access relevant data from any location, at any time, and through any device. Moreover, real-time data analysis makes it easier to make better decisions.
Cloud-based systems ensure that data is highly encrypted to ensure security and privacy. These systems can provide patients with secure access to their health information and allow for better engagement in their care, resulting in increased patient satisfaction and trust.
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Final Thoughts
In today’s world, technology plays a vital role in almost every industry. Technology continues to benefit the healthcare industry with more precise diagnoses, better treatment, and improved patient care. The technologies and medical equipment mentioned above are only a glimpse of how technology can transform healthcare practices. It is also predicted that AI, machine learning, and blockchain will be used in every field of life in the next couple of years, resulting in a healthcare revolution.
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Images by Amazon, Mohamed Hassan, Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
