Technology isn’t just for playing video games and making video calls or spending time surfing social media. While there are plenty of entertaining ways to utilize technology, it has also drastically increased the quality of life for many people and influenced important industries. The advancement of technology has completely revolutionized the way the medical field operates and how patients receive medical care. When compared to a few short years ago, technology has made a massive difference.
Fast answers to medical questions
The advent of the internet has provided people with the ability to self-diagnose their own medical conditions and illnesses. They do this by using medical websites available across the internet. The utilization of websites that accumulate and share medical information is not only a free service but it also provides this information immediately to ease concerns and fears that people have regarding a sudden onset of distressing symptoms.
The downside to the use of medical information websites is that it can create more anxiety and stress in people as symptoms can be attributed to any number of benign or serious medical conditions. There are also plenty of websites and forums out there that do not have accurate medical information.
However, in addition to using a website to seek answers about medical concerns, patients can also contact doctors and other professionals with relative ease. There are websites that have communities of doctors to answer questions or some features that allow you to text a professional with a simple question. While you should always see a doctor in person for serious concerns and questions, sometimes a quick answer is beneficial.
Medical results streamlined
Before the advancement of technology, a patient could wait weeks or even months to receive the results from their medical tests. This wait was due to the fact that medical results would have to be compiled, printed, and mailed over long distances since some medical laboratories are not in the same state as the medical facilities who use them. Technology has allowed doctors and patients to receive their medical test results within a few days or even a couple of hours. Many modern medical facilities use online web portals that compile the information of a patient’s test results, appointments, and procedures so that the patient can access them from home and examine them at their leisure. These web portals can also store a patient’s medical records, billing information, and medical scans, making it much easier to share information amongst doctors.
Pinpointing epidemics and outbreaks
All searches made using an online search engine are stored in a databank at a secure area. When a virus or bacteria outbreak occurs, scientists are able to pinpoint the epicenter of the outbreak based on the location of internet searches conducted by those who contracted the illness using the information in these databanks. This has proven to be invaluable when it comes to detecting flu outbreaks that happen every year. This information allows for extra flu vaccines to be sent to high-risk areas and for local hospitals to be put on alert for an increase in patients stricken with the flu.