Tech Forward: 3 Ways Technology is Changing the Medical World

Some of the changes that technology has given society are hardly noticeable while others truly revolutionized the way things are done.

21:47 27 February 2018

In the year since he took office as President of the United States, Donald Trump has proven to be far more competent than people had thought.  At the moment, the health care system is going through its own revolution, thanks to certain technology. The following are three ways technology is beginning to introduce new ways of providing care to patients. 

 

1. Next Level Staffing

 

Health care centers and medical offices throughout Australia are starting to feel the pressure to staff their locations with the right people. Clinicians such as nurses are getting harder to staff. This is an issue that IoT is attempting to solve.

 

Sure, getting people involved in the industry is vital to solve this issue, but effective staffing can also play a major role. The health care system is adopting principles from the shared economy, which is creating a different way of shuffling clinicians where they are needed the most. Software is connecting clinicians to staffing needs in real time, giving the clinician the option to take the job at a higher rate.

 

In essence, the clinician is able to help a hospital or medical center as an independent contractor. The pay is considerably higher, and securing a job is easier. Staffing has always been taken care of by staffing agencies, but that is changing for the better with technology.

 

2. Private Insurance App Choice

 

Most Australians know about the medicare levy surcharge but sometimes overlook the importance of purchasing private health care when they have passed the threshold. This may become a big issue later on. Several private insurance companies are demanding that the surcharge be increased because it simply does not create enough incentive for people to search for a private insurance company when they need to.

 

Technology is attempting to solve this problem by bringing private insurance companies to Australians in a simpler way. There are several smartphone applications becoming quite popular in the country that allow individuals to see their choices and compare them. This should help Australians avoid the surcharge, especially if it rises in the future.

 

There are some companies adopting a number of helpful technologies to make it easier for individuals to choose them over others. Some are using algorithms to ensure that coverage focuses on the person's needs and nothing more. This helps reduce private insurance costs and helps people avoid the surcharge.

 

3. Truly Secured Records

For the most part, technology has made things a lot more efficient but that does not mean issues have not sprung up. Many Australians may not know that medical records are not as secure as some might think. There have been numerous breaches that have exposed personal data to the black market.

 

Australians personal information is not only sold but is used by numerous companies out there to change the information presented to you or to block certain opportunities. Part of the reason medical records are vulnerable deals with the IPv4 problem. This is the fourth Internet Protocol used for internetworking and is severely outdated. Hackers have upgraded to IPv6, which can easily penetrate IPv4 security.

 

Thankfully, many developed countries like Australia are making the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 routers. This should make it harder to steal vital information from hospitals or medical centers. The people of Australia are doing their part to ensure telecommunications companies make the transition, no matter how hard it may be.

 

The changes that technology are bringing feel pretty revolutionary and help the medical industry in a number of ways. Keep in mind that these represent some of the many changes technology is presenting. For one, smart wearables are making health more trackable. Furthermore, medical appointments through video calls will likely become more popular in the coming years. There is no telling how far technology is going to take this industry, but it is worth paying attention to it.