How Technology Affects the Medical Fields

Technology nowadays plays a vital role in field of medicine. Me, as a medical student, use technology for studying, and on top of that, it takes my skills sometimes to its highest potentials. Basic knowledge on the use of a computer is already a “necessity”, and should be implemented in all basic curriculums, especially in Elementary.

Perhaps the single greatest influence in medicine is Technology. The advent of technology and its byproducts have allowed us to enter an era when medicine has greatly evolved to what it is today. The discoveries of many illnesses, diseases and conditions, as well as the advancement of today’s medicines and equipment we use today are product of technology.

I have watched an episode of a series which I don’t know on television, about 5 years ago, showing a surgeon who lives or works in another state in the U.S., performing a surgery on another state through robotic arms, and having a control center at his work of place where he stays. The only downside of this system is when power shortages happen, or internet traffic is high. See the advent of technology on medical practice, making remote surgery possible.

The use of medical equipment like the XRAY, CT Scans and MRI make it possible to detect of the many pathological and non-pathological conditions there are nowadays. The use of ECG machines recording the electrical activity of the heart, which is impossible to do without these machines. All of them, technology, as we know it.

With the advancement in computer technology, physicians and other healthcare personnel will be able to give orders and carry out orders remotely, through the use of the computer and/or PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants). One that I would mention would be the automated system where a nurse would just type the name of the drug the doctor has ordered into his'/her computer and the drug would automatically be ordered in the pharmacy, ready to be picked up and to be given to the patient. That would lessen much paperwork and the order and usage of the drug would already be added to the patient’s hospital bill, through networking in the hospital. Everything would be automated just by a single click.

Imagine a world where doctors are fully literate about computers, Internet services, and the latest software, tools that enable them to expedite the delivery of vital medicine without bureaucratic delays or unnecessary paperwork. This will enable them to efficiently use their time and maximize their capabilities at work.

The only difficulties arising would be that we are still using the traditional methods of doing things. These advances in technology have already been introduced to the medical field, but still some doctors prefer to use the old methods known to them. Of course, we must encourage them to embrace the era where technology plays already a vital role in the field – as an integral part of their professional lives. Learning a new language, as that of computing, electronic communication and software development should not be feared, but embraced, as this should set a new stepping stone and further advancements in technology.

As a medical student, I would say that technology is an integral part of my learning, and this would help me to better understand what medicine is, and what I can do about it, helping people in need with regards optimum level of functioning, or in simpler terms – HEALTH.

Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.