Mobile technology saving lives: How simple technological solutions can improve our health care system

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Shweta Tilante, currently in her final year of undergraduate study in European university (faculty of medicine) Tbilisi, Georgia. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. 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.

From robotic nurses and live-streaming surgery to 3D printing and wearable smart devices the future of healthcare is evolving more than we can imagine, and mobile technology has found a pertinent specialty within this development to do its part in making the world a more beneficial and more secure place to live. Mobile technology is a colossal piece of this developing pattern in the healthcare and wellbeing sector over the world. Indeed the evolution of mobile tech in healthcare is predicted to play a large role in saving lives and influencing preventative medicine.[1]

Measuring and monitoring Wounds through an app

Many doctors are currently using an innovative mobile app that permits them to measure patient wounds in both acute and chronic conditions and monitor them over time. With this app, even a single scan of a wound can help physicians make rapid diagnoses or plan for the medical procedure before the patient even shows up to the emergency room. The app can analyze different types of wounds based on size, shape, edging and color differentiation, etc. A predetermined algorithm is used to identify wound scans and convey the subsequent analysis to the clinical staff in record time. [2]

Use of Machine Learning for Early Diagnosis  

Early diagnoses save lives when it comes to deadly diseases. With headways in artificial intelligence, specialists can find diseases sooner and accomplish a higher level of precision in their judgments. Google is using the potential of a computer-based hypothesis to detect breast cancer, training the tool to look for cell patterns in slides of tissue, similarly the same way that the brain of a specialist may work. According to new findings this approach — gathering machine learning, predictive analytics, and pattern recognition — has achieved 89% accuracy, compared to a 73% accuracy score of a human pathologist. [3]

Virtual reality for surgeons and patients

VR is being utilized to train future surgeons and for actual surgeons to rehearse operations. According to a recent study by Harvard Business Review VR-trained surgeons had a 230% improvement in their overall performance and were also faster and more accurate in performing surgical procedures, compared to their traditionally-trained fellows. [4]

VR technology is also helping patients in effective pain management. During labor, women are being equipped with VR headsets to visualize soothing landscapes to help them get through labor pain.[5] Patients suffering from gastrointestinal, cardiac, neurological and post-surgical pain have shown a reduction in their pain levels when using VR to distract them from painful stimuli. [6]

Healthcare trackers, wearables and sensors

In addition to a smartwatch, various mobile applications are now available to track all kinds of health-related activities for example- people with diabetes can now monitor their blood sugar without pricking their fingers.[7] And patients at high risk or recovering from a heart attack can get significant serenity by using “pocket EKGs” on their mobile devices. 

With the ability to monitor one’s health at home and share the results with their physician from the comfort of their own homes, mobile technology empowers people to take control of their health and make more informed decisions.

References

1. EZ Texting. (Nov, 24, 2019). Saving Lives With Mobile Technology. Retrieved From https://www.eztexting.com/blog/saving-lives-mobile-technology
2. Kiziyan, S. (2019, may, 22). How Medicine And Technology Change (And Save) Lives. Retrieved from https://www.healthitoutcomes.com/doc/how-medicine-and-technology-change-and-save-lives-0001
3. Stumpe, M., & Peng, L. (2017). Assisting pathologists in detecting cancer with deep learning. Google AI Blog, 1-11.
4. Blumstein, G. (2019). Research: how virtual reality can help train surgeons. Harvard Business Review, 16.
5. Wong, M. S., Spiegel, B. M., & Gregory, K. D. (2020). Virtual Reality Reduces Pain in Laboring Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal of Perinatology.
6. Tashjian, V. C., Mosadeghi, S., Howard, A. R., Lopez, M., Dupuy, T., Reid, M., … & Rosen, B. (2017). Virtual reality for management of pain in hospitalized patients: results of a controlled trial. JMIR mental health, 4(1), e9.
7. FDA approves first blood sugar monitor without finger pricks. (2017, SEPTEMBER, 28). Retrieved from https://www.statnews.com/2017/09/28/fda-approves-blood-sugar-monitor-without-finger-pricks/

About the author

Shweta Tilante is currently in her final year of undergraduate study in European university (faculty of medicine) Tbilisi, Georgia. She is an active Member of Georgian medical students association (GMSA) national medical association affiliated to IFMSA. She has huge interest in healthcare and medicine, especially in infectious disease and microbiology. She decided to join medical field to help people as much as she can.