UPCOMING 'MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES'

'Medical Students' need to learn technologies - "Challenges of Medical Education" 

Medical technology has come a long way since the invention of eyeglasses and the stethoscope. The broader availability of mobile internet, the expansion of a more affluent middle class, and an aging global population are all driving change in the healthcare industry, and the associated technology is changing faster than ever before. According to a profile of the healthcare industry by the World Economic Forum, more than half of the medical industry’s workforce is projected to need at least some reskilling in the near future. Many of the most interesting new technologies in medicine need to be used together, and integrated attempts to do so already exist. Some tech-inspired clinics, such as Forward and One Medical, take a concierge-like approach to primary care, putting technology to use in a way that providers get more quality time with their patients. But that is just the beginning.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced healthcare into the future, and, as a result, several promising medical technologies were tested on a massive scale. In the future, the question is how those technologies can be used together in a post-pandemic world.
Upcoming medical technologies
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTS
Artificial intelligence (AI) has so many exciting applications in healthcare. One of the most important applications is in diagnosis, as there have been several situations in which AI has been able to identify diseases like skin cancer and diabetic blindness better than experts in the field. You can find out more about this in our What Are the Possibilities of AI in Healthcare? open step by Taipei Medical University. Other than diagnosis, AI can be used to perform routine tasks, manage data, design treatments, manage medication, monitor health, and more. AI can even be used on robots, and then these robots can act as medical assistants, take lab samples, assist in surgeries, and disinfect hospital rooms. Clearly, there’s a lot of room for further development in the field of AI in healthcare, and AI holds plenty of challenges, but we could see some really life-changing results. To learn more, you could try our MedTech: AI and Medical Robots course by the University of Leeds or our AI for Healthcare: Equipping the Workforce for Digital Transformation course by the University of Manchester and the NHS.
• FUTURE OF GENOMICS
Genetics is a fast-moving and innovative field in medicine, with so many possibilities. While it may be one of the more controversial medical fields, it has exciting applications, including early detection of diseases, synthetic DNA production, and faster, cheaper DNA testing. To discover more about innovations in genetics and genomics, you can try our MedTech: Exploring the Human Genome course by the University of Leeds or The Genomics Era: the Future of Genetics in Medicine course by St George’s University of London.
• ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTS
The final healthcare technology we’ll be discussing is orthopedic implants, which are manufactured devices that replace damaged bones, joints, or cartilage. The market for orthopedics implants is growing at a fast rate, with more products being released than ever before. Now, patient-specific, customizable orthopedic implants made with revolutionary 3D technology are becoming more common, so it’s an exciting area to keep tabs on. Again, our
MedTech: Orthopedic Implants and Regenerative Medicine course will teach you more about this topic.
• REMOTE DIAGNOSIS
A great example of remote diagnosis is teleradiology. AI-driven teleradiology will bring down the marginal cost of interpreting a CT scan or an MRI to near zero. Products like Zebra Medical Vision technology can read millions of scans in a day at less than $1000 a day. It is predicted that in 5 years, no medical image will be reviewed by a radiologist until it has been pre-analyzed by a machine. Similarly, today algorithms can interpret pathology slides better than pathologists. Computer vision products like PathAI advertise a lower error rate than pathologists.
• ELECTROCEUTICALS
Electroceuticals are devices that alter the electrical signals sent through nerves and could be the future for personalized, targeted medicine. Instead of targeting the body’s cells like most pharmaceutical treatments, the electrical impulses target various nerve networks – creating a new methodology of medical intervention. Electroceuticals, like spinal cord stimulation, are very useful in chronic pain management. Neuro Equilibrium has developed wearable electroceuticals which help in aborting episodes of migraine or reducing the headache intensity.
• 3D PRINTING
Of all the technologies in the digital age, 3D printing is arguably one of the most revolutionary. This technology came into prominence during the Covid pandemic, with critical parts of ventilators being 3D printed. Both outside and inside the body, 3D printing has the potential to disrupt medical technology radically, including dental implants, prostheses, hearing aid molds, surgical guides, etc. We can now print everything from bio tissues to blood vessels and even medicine tablets. The wearable devices and diagnostic equipment developed by Neuro Equilibrium are 3D printed to allow for rapid prototyping and production. In-silico methods refer to predictions using computational approaches.
In-silico trials have shown to be powerful weapons in predicting immune responses of potential candidate vaccines. In-silico analysis helped in identifying ‘spike protein’ as a target epitope for new vaccine development. We have recently published a paper in ‘Frontiers in Neurology’ on how computer simulation developed by Neuro Equilibrium helps visualize certain diseases in 3D to understand the present treatment protocols and develop new ones.
• ADVANCED TELEMEDICINE
Telemedicine took a great leap forward during the Covid-19 pandemic. In January 2020, an estimated 24 percent of healthcare organizations had an existing telehealth program. According to Forrester, an analytics firm, the country was set to complete over a billion virtual care visits by the end of the year. Forced into functionality, many of telehealth’s regulatory barriers have been removed, and healthcare organizations now have nearly a year’s worth of data on how to evaluate and improve telehealth services. By 2021, many healthcare organizations will be focusing on how best to integrate telehealth services with existing physical ones. Virtual visits will continue to be used as a way to increase access to primary care and urgent care, as well as to improve collaboration with clinics, long-term care facilities, dialysis centers, and mental
health services. All of this, however, hinges upon a more permanent lifting of regulatory barriers: the American Medical Association, and others, are urging Congress to act fast.
• NEW METHODS OF DRUG DEVELOPMENT
The development of multiple safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in less than a year may be remembered as one of the greater scientific accomplishments in human history. The process was sped along not only by regulatory fast-tracking but also by innovations in the ways medical trials are conducted: virtual clinical trials, held mostly online, eased the burden of participation. Combined with a spirit of collaboration rather than competition between pharmaceutical companies, they could pave the way for a bright future in drug development. Some of the relaxed regulatory procedures around drug development will fade with the Covid-19 pandemic, but innovative approaches to testing and collaboration could linger. An alliance between several pharmaceutical heavyweights—including Gilead, Novartis, and WuXi AppTec—has already begun collaboratively exploring new antiviral treatments and sharing preliminary data. The FDA has released guidelines for virtual trials, opening up a new frontier for the development and testing of new drugs.
• DATA-DRIVEN HEALTHCARE
Healthcare’s big data market is expected to reach nearly $70 billion by 2025, according to Bain, a consultancy firm. As the collection of health data continues to accelerate, its applications become more widespread, and its potential for improving treatment options and patient outcomes skyrockets. The biggest barrier, however, has been a lack of interoperability: one healthcare organization’s data is not easily transferred to (and easily processed by) another organization. Covid-19 underscored that problem further. Interoperability took a large step forward in November 2020, when Google Cloud launched its healthcare interoperability readiness program. Aimed at helping payers, providers, and other organizations prepare for the federal government’s interoperability regulations, it gives program participants access to data templates, app blueprints, security tools, and implementation guidelines. If healthcare organizations can get on the same page, the potential of the industry’s big data could quickly turn kinetic.
• NANOMEDICINE
Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology, the technology that operates on the atomic, molecular, or supramolecular scale. For something of such a small size, the potential is huge: nanomedicine has applications in imaging, sensing, diagnosis, and delivery through medical devices. Researchers are finding new ways to use nanomedicine to target individual cells, and in 2021, that research will be put into action. CytImmune Sciences, a leader in cancer nanomedicine, has recently completed a Phase I trial of using gold nanoparticles to target drug delivery to tumors; Blue Willow Biologics, a biopharmaceutical company, has developed nanotech that fights viruses and bacteria.
• 5G-ENABLED DEVICES
If the biggest drivers of cutting-edge technology—AI, IoT, and Big Data—are to reach their full potential in healthcare, they need a reliable and lightning-fast internet connection. Enter 5G. With a reliable real-time connection, the most immediate benefits will be seen in telemedicine, expanding access to care for millions. But that’s only the beginning. More
connected devices, with more authentic data streams, open up the possibility of a revolutionized healthcare system. With next-to-zero latency, 5G-connected sensors and medical devices can capture and transmit data nearly instantaneously. That will improve patient monitoring, which will in turn improve patient outcomes. Futurists are already considering the benefits of a marriage between 5G, healthcare, and robotics. But patients won’t have to wait long to see a change: experts say 5G-enabled devices will rapidly bring on a new healthcare paradigm, nicknamed 4P, which is predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory.
• TRICORDERS
For decades, tricorders have been medical technology’s version of the flying car: its origins are in science fiction, and the concept is both elegant and eminently useful. As far back as the 1960s, tricorders were imagined to be palm-sized devices that could quickly and accurately monitor a wide array of vital signs, while also performing simple diagnostics. Unlike flying cars, however, tricorders have finally made the leap from the screen and into users’ hands. Basil Leaf Technologies has rolled out a very real tricorder, known as DxtER. It can be used by the patient, in their own home, without any medical training. With a sophisticated diagnostics engine, DxtER pulls patient data from multiple sources and runs them through algorithms that recognize 34 different health conditions, including stroke, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and diabetes. Live long, and prosper.
• HEALTHCARE’S DIGITAL ASSISTANTS
Digital assistants like Alexa and Google Home have changed the way people interact with technology; in 2021, those digital assistants are taking on a similar role in healthcare. Natural language processing and ambient listening have natural applications in the capture, analysis, and utilization of health data. In 2020, Epic and Cerner, the designers of the two largest electronic health records (EHR) systems, began integrating voice-enabled virtual assistants on their software. AI startup Saykara has launched a new voice assistant that can listen to, and understand, a physician-patient conversation, without being prompted through voice commands.
• SMARTER PACEMAKERS
The artificial pacemaker, which dates back over 100 years, is still a critical piece of medical technology: over a million patients use them. By delivering electrical impulses to heart muscle chambers, they can prevent or correct life-threatening heart arrhythmias. Remotely monitoring these devices is an essential part of their functionality. Traditionally, that monitoring has been far from optimal, relying on complex interfaces that the patient may not fully understand. In 2021, pacemakers will get a little bit smarter. By enabling pacemakers with Bluetooth technology, they can be linked with smartphone-based mobile apps that patients better understand and utilize. That, in turn, will improve remote monitoring, and, as a result, patient outcomes. Medtronic, one of the largest medical technology companies in the world, has already rolled out its next-gen patient monitoring system for pacemakers. More will follow.
• A LAB ON A CHIP
If it’s taking too long to get samples to the lab, why not bring the lab to the samples That were the idea of researchers at Stanford University, who recently developed what they call “a lab on a chip” based on CRISPR enzyme Cas12. About half the size of a credit card, it contains a complex network of channels smaller than the width of a human hair and can deliver a coronavirus test’s results in under 30 minutes. Researchers say that the test could be modified to detect other infections, too, by recalibrating the CRISPR enzyme for a different genetic marker. As the Covid-19 pandemic taught the world, testing is the first step in combating infectious diseases. With a lab on a chip, that testing can be done quickly, safely, cheaply, and more efficiently
• WEARABLES WITH A PURPOSE
Fitness trackers have been on the rise for years: FitBit shipped 9.9 million of its wearable devices in 2019. But the next trend in wearables for medical technology is more specific. For diabetes patients, wearable continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are set to become the new normal.
New Technologies in Mental Healthcare
As Covid-19 continues to impact the population’s mental health, the demand for effective healthcare technology keeps growing. Here is a list of the most promising technologies that will define the future of mental healthcare:
• VIDEO GAME TREATMENT
Mental healthcare has also been dramatically impacted by the latest technologies. In 2020, US Food and Drug Administration permitted the marketing of the first video game for children with ADHD and similar mental health issues (source). The game is called EndeavorRx and is intended to work with young patients ages 8 to 12 years old to improve their attention problems. This solution can be combined with medication, clinician-directed therapy, and/or educational programs to further improve the patients’ well-being.
• SMARTPHONE-ASSISTED THERAPY
It is expected that smartphone-assisted therapy will become increasingly popular in 2022. Many chatbots and mobile apps are already used to analyze patients’ voice and speech patterns to indicate any signs of emotional instability. These technologies are not providing any solutions, rather provide support and redirect the data to healthcare providers.
• ONLINE SYMPTOMS TRACKING
Online symptom tracking solution enables patients to report their symptoms daily, which significantly improves and speeds up the treatment. In the past, most patients reported any new symptoms during the regular therapy visits. Now, mental health professionals have access to any updates 24/7, meaning they can come up with a treatment based on the health data they receive from the patients daily.
• VIRTUAL REALITY AS THE NEWEST HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY Virtual reality has recently started to revolutionize the healthcare industry by improving patient recovery time and hospital management. VR headsets are used in various ways:
For medical training purposes
VR headsets have become a useful tool for medical interns to improve their skills and knowledge. Medical schools do not need to rely on cadavers to help their students understand human anatomy — instead, virtual reality enables training in a completely different environment.
To treat patients;
Virtual reality is incredibly useful in complex surgery planning. For example, in case of any neurosurgical procedures, surgery teams can rehearse their planned intervention with the help of VR sets.
CONCLUSION
Medicine will advance more in the next ten years than it did in the last 100 years. The future of healthcare is shaping up in front of our very eyes with advances in digital healthcare technologies, including 3D printing, Remote diagnosis, Wearables, Electoceuticals, Digital therapeutics, Virtual Reality(VR), and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence(AI), Computer vision, etc. Health-tech startups are incorporating these digital technologies in bringing the future to the present and helping millions of patients. The most significant disruption in healthcare is the convergence of these multiple technologies, which exponentially amplifies the impact. Now that we’ve evaluated the global health situation and explored some of the innovations that exist, it’s safe to say that the future of healthcare holds plenty more scientific breakthroughs and opportunities for digital innovation. A recent McKinsey Global Institute report suggested that by 2040, the global disease could fall by 40%, and 70% of this would be made possible by preventative measures. Some of the technologies we’ve discussed today could help form part of this preventative care, so it’s worth learning more in order to secure a brighter future for us all.

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