With progress in technology, people’s lives improve. This is n more apparent than ever in the healthcare industry. There have been amazing new developments in medicine and healthcare, and many people’s lives have been saved and improved as a result.
Other aspects of healthcare are also improving thanks to new technological advancements. This certainly includes the ability of doctors and nurses to inform patients about their medical conditions as well as different medical procedures they may undergo. Below are a few examples of how this is happening in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and medical clinics thanks to new technology.
The Patient Portal
One of the most common ways doctors and other healthcare professional communicate with patients about their conditions via technology is through the use of patient portals. A patient portal is an online website that patients can access that provides them with an array of information regarding their health. In accordance with government regulations, these websites are designed to be secure and require a patient log-in with a unique ID and password to access that private health information.
There are all kinds of information a person can access through such a portal. A few examples include discharge summaries, lab results, information regarding recent doctor visits, a list of the patient’s allergies and more. Accessing this information through a patient portal can add convenience and cut down on the need for printing so many documents.
Computer Animation
Many health procedures can be extremely complicated. Simply explaining them to patients may not be enough to fully inform them on what is happening or going to happen to parts of their bodies. In this case, it may be best to show them a short video to ensure they are better informed. However, actual real life medical videos of procedures can be disturbing for many people to watch. Some people may, in fact, not want to go through with the procedure after watching such a video.
Instead, there needs to be a certain level of detachment. This can be provided by animation. Computer animation, in particular, can accurately provide the important information regarding a medical procedure or health condition in a way that is cartoonish and surreal enough that a person will not be as disturbed by it as would be the case after watching real life medical videos. Showing the patient short computer animations on a monitor or tablet can help to better inform them of what a procedure for a health condition entails than only a conversation can.
Mobile Apps
Smart phones have changed the world. They can allow anyone to connect to the internet from pretty much anywhere. 77 percent of Americans now own a smartphone, and 52.2 percent of internet traffic is mobile. Healthcare professionals are now beginning to realize the smartphone is an excellent way to communicate with patients.
There are a number of apps now on the market that allow doctors and nurses to communicate directly with patients. Patients can use such apps to receive consultations or to ask questions that would otherwise have to be done in-person or over the phone.
Charts and Graphs
You should also consider other visualization tools that can help patients better digest important information regarding their health. Charts and graphs can certainly help to provide data in a way that is more understandable to the average person as many people are visual learners. One bar on a graph being twice as high as another may do a better job explaining an increase in the amount of palettes in the blood than simply using numbers can. New software has made producing these kinds of visualizations on the fly far easier than has been the case in the past. As soon as you get the data regarding a patient’s health information, you’ll be able to produce a chart or graph to show to that patient.
Overall, technology is the driver of progress. This is also the case for the healthcare industry. New medical technology helps save and improve lives. It’s also educating the public on their health in a way that was impossible only several years ago.
