The healthcare technology of the future

Insulin pumps, disposable needles, the first heart transplant, MRIs are just some of the examples of the triumph of the healthcare technology at the service of health. These advances, which began after World War II, are now taking over hospitals, but at what point is the health technology of the future and where is it going?

What is health technology?

As defined by the American Association for Advanced Medical Technology, healthcare technology is a diversity of products that combine science and technology intended for health care. These technological innovations are used for the diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of various diseases.

Thanks to it, earlier and more accurate diagnoses are obtained, less invasive treatments and the time of hospitalization and rehabilitation is reduced, thus improving the quality of health care and increasing the life expectancy of patients.

At what stage is health technology?

Healthcare technology is currently a essential instrument in healthcare, as it alleviates pain, injury and disability for patients, while improving the effectiveness of healthcare services.

Healthcare technology benefits billions of people around the world, not just in hospitals, but also in residences and in one's own home. They are part of it from disposable material, such as needles or pregnancy tests, to sophisticated diagnostic equipment, glucometers, defibrillators, less invasive surgical robots, oxygen masks, pacemakers, and a long etcetera.

Today, advances in health technology are focused on, biotechnology, telemedicine, chatbots between doctor and patient or mobile applications oriented to health, among others. According to data from the Spanish Platform for Innovation in Healthcare Technology, we have more than 500,000 health technologies designed to prevent, diagnose and monitor various diseases.

Some of these ideas and concepts, as the vanguard of your health care, are already being studied or adopted by you, a great option to always be among the first to benefit from this promising future.

Upcoming Advances in Healthcare Technology

The future of healthcare technology is exciting to say the least. Among the advances that, foreseeably, we will see in a not too distant time, the following stand out:

• The symbiosis between artificial intelligence and Big Data with the aim of developing treatment guidelines that take into account the needs of each patient, reducing the risk of side effects. A technology that began in 2018 with the first AI approved by the FDA - a test for the detection of diabetic retinopathies that offers diagnostics without human intervention - and that is already transforming the sector by leaps and bounds.
• We will see electrical bandages that will reduce the healing time of wounds by using a portable nanogenerator.
• They can be implanted artificial organs -beyond cartilage implants, blood vessels or artificial skin- with the same capacity as the original and at a lower cost, thanks to the application of 3D printing in regenerative medicine.
• There will be molecular scalpels that will detect, for example, tumor cells to attack them with the specific drug without damaging the other cells.
• Thanks to artificial intelligence and automation, in operating rooms of the future, only the patient will enter, while specialists perform the intervention remotely using surgical robots. This will make the operations less invasive and more precise.
• The color radiography It will be, in the short term, another of the great advances in Spain. With this technology, more detailed images will be obtained, which will allow a more precise diagnosis to be made.

Content reviewed by MAPFRE