A new world that demands new doctors in the fourth industrial revolution

Green Engaged and Mobile. Scribe at the World Economic Forum on Latin America in Panama City 2014. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Jakob Polacsek

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mr João Victor Villa, man academic of the first year of Medicine at Santa Marcelina College (FASM). He is also affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). However, the opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

There is an era of innovation, every now and again a new software or gadget comes from Silicon Valley to the homes of millions of people. With medicine no different, both doctors and patients are surrounded by new technologies, from applications such as MediSafe, which resemble the time, storage location and dose of a drug that can be used by a patient, to cognitive computers, Such as IBM Watson, who can analyze thousands of cases and think about the best cancer treatment for each patient.

About these innovations, physicians and the medical education will have to reinvent themselves to remain competitive in the labor market.

As Dr. Bertalan Meskó says in his books “My Health: Upgraded” and “The Guide to the Future of Medicine”, many technologies that previously only existed in science fiction films are already reality. This march towards innovation can not be stopped, technological development has become self-sustaining. This will lead to many changes in medicine as we know it.

A radiologist can not compete with a software that is capable of analyzing hundreds of exams in a much more accurate and quicker way than anybody could get. However, this does not mean that this professional will be without a job. With the optimization of the mechanical work of analyzing an examination, the same radiologist can focus on the patient and not on the patient’s problems and perform a high quality care, in the words of Hippocrates. “It is more important to know what kind of person has an illness , Than to know what kind of disease the person has. ”

However, it would be impossible to say that there would be no losses. Many doctors and students will not participate in this revolution. As stated by Emmanuel Fortes Cavalcante, 3rd Vice-President of Federal Medical Council of Brazil (FMC), in the last resolution of FMC “It is a dynamic theme, which requires continuous monitoring.” The medical professional or student must be willing to renew himself at all times.

Which does not mean that everything has to be assimilated immediately and without thinking about the consequences, that would be disastrous. However, those who remain purists will be replaced, just as many taxi drivers were when passengers started using apps like UBER and Cabify.

In this way, the attitude of the doctor and medical students is the most important. Relying solely on the knowledge and technique of medicine is no longer acceptable, any computer can store this in its hard drive.

The technology serves to assist the doctor. Currently it is no longer necessary to know all the dosages of medicines, for example, there are already applications for this, however it is required that the doctor knows the options available in the market and seek the therapy that best suits the patient. Faced with this, doctors and students who stay close to the inevitably human side of care, the patient should not be afraid of being replaced.ps all the moments.

About the author

João Victor Villa is an academic of the first year of Medicine at Santa Marcelina College (FASM). Born in 1997, always interested in the history of medicine and its progress. In 2016 he enrolled in medical school. Currently he is part of the International Federation of Medical Student Association (IFMSA) of Brazil, in the Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP). In the future we plan to work in the field of Management in Public Health, for it seeks to keep up to date on changes in the medical world.