Technology - Boon for Medicine

Every single day of our lives is filled with unexpected surprises. The worst ones are those which concern the health and well being of our close family and loved ones. I am one of those people who is on the other side of this table.

Yes, being a doctor, I have seen and felt the anxiety, frustration, worries and fears of people facing a health problem. Now one might think what all this has got to do with Technology??? Let me tell you, technology has made things a whole lot simpler for doctors like us. I can go on and on about how it has been a blessing for medicine, but will limit myself to a few fields.

Ultrasonography Machine

Ultrasonography : This machine was first developed in 1956 by obstetrician Ian Donald and engineer Tom Brown. Ever since then it has been one of the most widely used means to reach and confirm diagnosis of various diseases in different parts of the human body. I am sure most of our readers have availed the benefit of this wonderful technology which was originally to detect flaws in ships!!!

ICU Monitor

Electronic Monitors : 

These electronic appliances are a life saver, especially in places like the Intensive Care Units, where multiple patients are under the care of a single doctor. They reliably convey vital information about the patient and can also be set to alert the staff and doctor with alarms for untoward events.

Endoscopic Procedure

Fibreoptic Endoscopy : Optical fibres are transparent, flexible fibres made of silica and were used instead of metal wires as the loss of signals which traveled along them was much less. This technology had been the greatest boon of all to medicine as this led to the invention of an array of endoscopes. These endoscopes could be made long, flexible and most of all "maneuverable". These could reach any cavities in the body, controlled by the doctor. This has made a whole lot of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures minimally invasive and hence less traumatic to the patient.

Laparoscopy : These set of Endoscopes and instruments lets surgeons (with the required expertise) to perform almost any major surgery with just 3-5 small incisions in the patient's body. This helps the patient to recover better as there is less pain, looks less ugly compared to a huge scar and of course helps one get back to normal life in almost half the time required to recover from an "open" surgery.

Video conferencing & Internet : Thanks to this wonderful technology, patients in far flung villages and areas without access to super-speciality centers can gain consultation and remedies from experts via Tele-conferencing and video chat.

Whatsapp : We cannot undermine the huge advantage that this application has

given medical practitioners. Patients and doctors can exchange reports, prescriptions when needed in times of emergency. There have been so many life-saving incidences, where timely treatment was possible because of access to an expert through this application.

So as you all can imagine, the list is endless. We, the medical fraternity, cannot be thankful enough for all the technological advances that have made our jobs and lives easier. As a patient, I would be even more thankful for it, as it has spared me a lot of pain, hassles and anxiety!!!

----ByMocktailMommy Prasanna

This post is part of "Thankful Thursday 36: Thankful For Technology"