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HOW DOES NEW AND IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY AFFECT THE PARADIGM OF MEDICINE/HEALTH?

Technology has changed the way things are normally done in medicine and healthcare. Sometimes for the better, other times for worse. Technology has made collecting data and managing of health records easier with computerized methods instead of the age-old, hard copy hospital file which is quite difficult to find at times. Technology also makes us aware of ailments of global importance with social media updates to inform us of spread of these ailments and prevention techniques. Improvements in technology has aided to the discovery of cures for many diseases and better treatment methods for conditions such as cancers.


All these may affect the paradigm of medicine we are used to in some ways. The true challenge however is the scourge of the internet and mobile phone applications that tend to replace the actual visit to the hospital or the input of a health professional. Doctor visits can be expensive and a bit inconvenient at times so why not just use the internet or an application to diagnose yourself. The age of technology has brought answers — sometimes unsubstantiated and not evidence-based — to health questions to the fingertips of patients. Patients can google up symptoms and be served with a host of possible illnesses that correlate with their symptoms.

So in effect, there are positives and negatives with respect to technology in medicine and  the healthcare delivery sector. Patients can now attain more knowledge on conditions that they have been diagnosed with to aid in their recovery. They can also look up side effects of drugs they have been administered and check their mechanisms of actions. They can also be aware of undesirable reactions to some treatments they may or will be subjected to. On the other hand patients may also misdiagnose themselves and give the physician a hard time during their consultation visits. Due to the lack of proper laboratory analysis to confirm the symptoms, a gastroenteritis may be misdiagnosed on an internet search as an appendicitis. Only a board-certified doctor should give medical advice on diagnosis, treatment and prognosis!



Some technological applications like Khealth, ask a series of questions to eliminate some conditions and try to narrow the patient's symptoms to the most possible illness. It uses an online database to compare symptoms to predict the illness.  In addition, the application provides other differential diagnosis with percentage possibilities of those conditions being the cause of the patient's symptoms. There is also an option to chat with a board-certified doctor on the application. The application however fails to address cancer, burns, pregnancy, and other clinical conditions.
            These applications and web browsers bring the practice of medicine out of the hospitals and clinics and into the patient's hands. They, however, do not fully intend to replace the importance of seeking the expertise of a physician when ill. In this technological era though, they do give doctors a good run for their money.


Author: Sonia Essel


REFERENCES

 Bloch, A. (2019, June 3). Part 1: The Origin of K [Blog post]. Retrieved 19th July, 2019 from https://www.khealth.ai/post/the-origin-of-k-health

Chesrown, S. (2019, July 18). Part 3: How K is reimagining the Primary Healthcare experience [Blog post]. Retrieved 19th July, 2019 from https://www.khealth.ai/post/part-3-how-k-is-reimagining-the-primary-healthcare-experience

Rab, S. (2019). The Paradigm Shift in Medicine and How It Affects Technology. CIOReview. Retrieved 18th July, 2019 from https://healthcare.cioreview.com/cioviewpoint/the-paradigm-shift-in-medicine-and-how-it-affects-technology-nid-3823-cid-31.html

Shaul, R. (2019, June 3). Part 2: How K Delivers Free Personalized Healthcare Information [Blog post]. Retrieved 19th July, 2019 from https://www.khealth.ai/post/how-k-delivers-free-personalized-healthcare-information


Author: Sonia Essel

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