How Technology Improve Healthcare

As time went by technology has and continues to greatly improve health care. It has made it easy for efficient for Doctors and patients. Developing new medical devices has cut time down on researching cures and treatments, as well as medical results.

A good example of how new technology has changed the treatment and prevention of a disease over time was the Cardiac units. Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the U.S. In the 1970s, cardiac care units were introduced, lidocaine was used to manage irregular heartbeat, beta-blockers were used to lower blood pressure in the first 3 hours after a heart attack, “clot buster” drugs began to be widely used, and coronary artery bypass surgery became more prevalent.

In the 1980s, blood-thinning agents were used after a heart attack to prevent reoccurrences, beta-blocker therapy evolved from short-term therapy immediately after a heart attack to maintenance therapy, and angioplasty (minimally invasive surgery) was used after heart attack patients were stable (“new patients room”.)

In the 1990s, more effective drugs were introduced to inhibit clot formation, angioplasty was used for treatment and revascularization along with stents to keep blood vessels open, cardiac rehabilitation programs were implemented sooner, and implantable cardiac defibrillators were used in certain patients with irregular heartbeat (“Snapshots: How Changes in Medical Technology Affect Health Care Costs”). In the 2000s, better tests became available to diagnose heart attack, drug-eluting stents were used, and new drug strategies were developed (aspirin, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, statins) for long-term management of heart attack and potential heart attack patients. From 1980-2000, the overall mortality rate from heart attack fell by almost half, from 345.2 to 186.0 per 100,000 persons.

In addition, of how advances in technology have changed health outcomes over time is in the treatment of pre-term babies. In1990, changes in technology, including special ventilators, artificial pulmonary surfactant to help infant lungs develop, neonatal intensive care, and steroids for mother and/or baby, helped decrease mortality to one-third. This medical develop has saved countless of babies and given them the opportunity to grow up and their life.

Finally, one major technology improve in healthcare was Electronic databases. It stores patient’s information. Physicians and nurses can easily pull up a patient’s medical history, lab test results, records of vital signs and prescription orders from the database, as well as store new information to be view at any moment. Patients have better access to their own health information with the use of patient portals, which allows them to understand their procedures better. There are even smartwatches that allows anyone to view their heart rate and numbers of they walked. It is very convenient for anyone to carry, it allows them to monitor their health all day long without even having to go the Doctor’s office.

In conclusion, technology has and will continue to improve the healthcare industry. Whether it is finding a new cure, treatment or creating a medical machine, or decreasing researching cure. It will help save thousands of lives all over the globe, helping researcher’s find better treatments for diseases and viruses.

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