Technology

Where Has Technology Landed Medical Care?

When you stop to think about healthcare and its advances, technology may not be the first thing to come to mind. Once it is mentioned, your mind might wander straight to technological devices, such as monitors and x-rays. While these are obviously some of the beneficial devices that have occurred due to technology, you are probably also forgetting others in the process. Contraptions and devices are not the only technological advances; technology has also played a part in nearly every other medicinal breakthrough. The list below will give you quite an idea.

    • CT Scans: This scans are very important, especially when it comes to medical questions or diagnosis possibilities that include the brain. These scans are composed of a large series of pictures taken at different angles. Therefore, small problems can be caught and evaluated quickly and easily. Before such imaging technology existed, it was nearly impossible to verify problems in the brain.
    • Electronic Cigarettes: Yes, this is not necessarily a medical device, or treatment procedure. However, electronic cigarettes help to prevent diseases and cancer, making them a preventative measure in medicine. Electronic cigarettes do not contain tar or other harmful compounds like tobacco does, making them a preferred alternative. Many health professionals are enticing their patients to make the switch, so that they can eventually lead healthier lifestyles and abandon their nicotine addictions.
    • Gene Therapy: Many may not be acquainted with gene therapy, but it is a very helpful diagnostic tool in the medical world. With gene therapy, doctors can identify and flag genes that may result in a health problem, whether it could affect the individual or be handed down to children.
    • Antibiotics: As microbial and microscopic research advances, more antibiotics and serums are being developed to battle illness and disease. There is also hope for other debilitating disorders, such as AIDs as research continues. Antibiotics are one of the most common treatments, and must occasionally be altered to stay potent. When a single antibiotic is used across millions of people to treat a particular illness, that bacteria or virus can become more resilient and dangerous. Antibiotics must change with them in order to be effective.
  • DNA Testing: DNA testing is used in many different applications, from forensics to paternity. While it is not as common in medical applications, it can still apply from a distance. For example: should a child display particular traits of a disease, and genetics tests do not match up, a claimed parent could be questioned. In some cases, the proposed father may not actually be blood related, leaving the family to find the paternal father. This can allow for more accurate testing.

Thankfully, medicine continues to make bounds and leaps. As it gains ground with new ailments and treatment techniques, we will continue to see an improvement in the way that the public is taken care of. The next time you find yourself in the doctor’s office, take a look around and observe the ways technology has affected it.