Healthcare IT and Preparing the Future of Medicine

Many people eagerly await the day that virtual reality becomes a staple in entertainment forums like television, movies, and video games. However, the technology is already transforming the medical field from the ground up.

Experience in operating rooms is seldomly given to medical students. For very good reason we might add. Students only get to experience the tension and technique through distanced observation. This causes predictable issues when these fledgling surgeons are called to assist in practical training.

Virtual reality is providing students the opportunity to train in a risk-free environment. While it isn’t a 1-to-1 recreation of the operating room, they can gain experience in various surgical procedures and the tools required in each one.

A clinical validation study tasked two groups of trainees with repairing a fractured tibia. Only one of the groups practiced using the Osso Virtual Reality platform. The results were remarkable. Trainees who underwent the VR training operated an average 20 percent faster with fewer errors than their non-VR trained counterparts.

The immersive nature of virtual reality has seen some effects as a treatment tool as well. A small study, in Turkey’s Acibadem Maslak Hospital, placed VR headsets on women in labor. Reported levels of pain, using a scale of 1-10, dropped by 0.58 in the women viewing virtual reality landscapes. While the results of virtual reality in treatments are scarce, there are enough to bet on its future uses in the industry.

BACS gets you in touch and sets up solid VR services in your clinic. Due to its current function as an educational device, having the equipment isn’t enough. The proper software needs to be acquired and patched constantly for optimal use.

Just as surgical breakthroughs occur, they need to be represented in the virtual landscapes. After all, there is little to be gained in practicing outdated procedures.

If you want to improve the skills of new employees or update your existing knowledge, then virtual reality is the perfect tool for experiencing “real” situations. However, if you’re interested in a technology whose uses are more rooted in treatment, then consider augmented reality.

The slightly less exciting brother of virtual reality. Augmented reality is a technology that overlays the physical world with virtual elements. A popular example of it would be the massively popular mobile game, “Pokémon Go!” which shook the world in 2016.

Although the technology may seem less “futuristic” and impressive than virtual reality, its practical application is undeniable. Through augmented reality, physicians could accurately see broken bones, veins, or tumors in your body without needing to reference an x-ray.

Imagine a surgeon with the ability to accurately see your organs or your bones before cutting into you. The blood loss, incision accuracy, and risk to other organs would all undoubtedly improve. In 2020, augmented reality was applied to a spinal operation to preplan screw placements.

From the patient’s side, augmented reality can provide a clearer understanding of their illness. An x-ray attached to a backlight isn’t the most jarring scene. Augmented reality allows practitioners to show the problem directly on the patient’s body. A cracked femur, a ruptured vein, or a tumorous mass can be more meaningfully explained.

With the already existing, practical benefits of augmented reality, you need an IT service who’s already prepared. This is where BACS’ healthcare IT support shines brightest. We update our resources constantly for our clients so you won’t experience any wasted time while your IT service scrambles to get everything together. Once we understand the state of your service, we can get your technology up to date right away.

It’s likely that, at some point in your life, you’ve taken a vitamin or a painkiller. You trust these small packets of chemicals to deliver results to your body without doing harm. But would you trust your body with nanotechnology?

The word conjures up images of microscopic robots with little blinking, red lights all over them. Something akin to invisible parasites entering your body. However, despite the name “nanobot,” this technology is the product of physics, chemistry, and biology rather than robotics.

Scientists manipulate materials at atomic and molecular levels to “program” them to perform certain functions. This has limitless applications in healthcare. From supplementing failing vital functions to increasing the absorption rates of a drug treatment.

Let’s take cancer for example. Possibly the most important determinant of survival rates for cancer patients is how early the cancer was detected. Cancer patients with early diagnoses are many times more likely to survive for more than 10 years.

Nanoparticles have the potential to detect cancer signs much earlier than traditional methods. Probes are attached to the ends of nanowires and pick up cancerous biomarkers. This level of sophistication would tremendously increase the leeway a patient has to save their life.

Nanotechnology is still a relatively new field compared to indoctrinated treatment methods. It allows an unprecedented degree of influence within the human body and will alter the entire industry in time. Getting your clinic or hospital ready for the associated technology is vital for remaining at the top of your field.

While certainly useful, the cost and complexity of developing nanotechnology are extremely high. Many of the larger advancements will occur many years in the future unlike the pace of augmented and virtual reality. Timing will be a key component to maximizing your budget and giving your healthcare service a competitive advantage. BACS’ healthcare IT experts employ long-term planning systems that predict technological timelines and prepare for tomorrow without wasting your budget today.

Robots are the most tenured technology on this list. Known for precision, it’s no surprise that robots were first utilized for surgical assistance. Today, the accuracy of robotic surgeries is unmatched and allows for minimally invasive procedures.

In recent years, particularly in the COVID pandemic, many other practices have more heavily integrated robotics. They’re deployed for various tasks around hospitals to reduce human contact when dealing with infectious diseases.

Part of what makes robotics so useful is their compatibility with another entry in the article. Artificial intelligence. Through machine learning, a robot can take care of monotonous tasks and free up human personnel for more specific jobs. They learn information like what room needs what medication and at what time.

Robotics isn’t limited to large hospitals. They have their place in prosthetics, rehabilitation, and social caregiving. The field is constantly growing even forty years after it was first introduced in surgical settings.

Despite its many benefits, robotics-based innovations are highly expensive. Even more so if its purpose is to treat a single patient. When dealing with such costly technology, it becomes vital that your IT services work with your financial state in mind. BACS pays special attention to your budget and works to keep your practice on the cutting-edge without squandering it on non-relevant tech.

Innovating technology, by its very nature, means venturing into the unknown. There’s no way to perfectly predict what shocking revelation is going to come and turn the medical industry upside-down. However, there are predictors we can pay attention to. Trends to follow.

Even if ground-breaking technology is developed, it needs to go through certain steps before it is widely accepted. What’s important is being among the first to utilize the technology once it is. That’s where BACS’ technology planning and roadmap alignment services truly shine.

We pay attention to the whispers of innovation happening in the industry. This allows us to make accurate, educated guesses on what to prepare for you. So, if something does come along that shocks the world, BACS healthcare IT services will have the proper programs and equipment locked and loaded.

If you’re interested in introducing or preparing for emerging technologies, then schedule a free consultation with BACS.