Technology isn’t just changing the medical world of course; but you can’t underestimate the effect it is having, and will have, on the way doctors work. Already many medical centers have electronic booking in systems that patients can access from home. Their websites provide data and advice on areas such as childhood vaccines and care of elders in cold weather. Technology certainly allows doctors to reach the community in an easier and more seamless fashion.

Technology doesn’t stand still either so processes will continue to change and be enhanced. Bob Wachter, professor and associate chairman of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal online, in April 2015. In it he commented on televisits and technology assisted homecare as being likely developments. Let’s take a look at how technology is already influencing the work of doctors, and what the future may hold.

How the CloudEMG machine is helping to analyze results and diagnose nerve damage

If you’ve ever visited a physician and been sent elsewhere for tests then you’ve probably been extremely frustrated at the extra wait and inconvenience. The good news for some patients who may be suffering from nerve damage is that these frustrations have come to an end. The experts at CloudEMG have created an EMG system which enables doctors to carry out their own EMG tests and analysis on site. These tests are used to determine whether there is nerve damage present in a patient.

Doctors are provided with a machine and laptop by the team at CloudEMG. They are also given extensive training in the use of the machine to enable them to test and anlayze efficiently. This means that patients get the expert care and diagnosis they need without having to wait for another appointment and make a trip elsewhere, before returning to their physician.

What other types of technology are helping today or coming in the future?

Much like any other industry, medicine is making the most of the explosion in innovative technology. Anything that improves on current procedures makes a doctor’s job easier and improves on treatment for the patient. Advances in technology include:

  • Databases to aid recognition of illnesses and suggest treatments. There isn’t a doctor alive that knows about every single condition that exists. Digital technology allows for the sharing of experience.
  • Digital medical records. When paper records were the only source of information there was a good chance that they could end up lost. This isn’t as likely with digital records. They are also easier to access which aids doctors with quicker retrieval of medical history to help with diagnosis and treatment.
  • 3D printed biological materials. This is still very much in its infancy so is more of an advancement for the future. That being said, embryonic stem cells have already been printed in a lab environment.

You can see that advancing technology goes hand in hand with doctor’s treatment of their patients. As technology progresses apace so should the patient experience.