Technology improving healthcare: Haney Mallemat

Haney Mallemat informs you how technology is improving healthcare. Haney’s talk is grounded in a patient experience. Jim is a gentleman from a small farm in a rural area of United States. His farm is everything to him and his wife and daughter. When Jim got seriously sick, he had to have an extended stay in a major tertiary hospital. As a result, he and his family lost their farm, which was their world. Could Jim have been treated locally with the utilisation of technology? Haney thinks technology may be the way of the future in medicine. Through the utilisation of technology which already exists, patients such as Jim can stay in their communities and have more holistic outcomes. There are three areas Haney discusses. Telemedicine Defined as medical information exchanged though electronic telecommunications to improve a patient’s outcomes. Traditionally telemedicine is big, bulky, and complicated. This brings with it resistance to use. However, with the advent of lighter and faster computers, telemedicine becomes more and more possible. It is also being compacted into our smartphones making the possibilities endless. Patients are not opposed to telemedicine – surveys show the opposite. They would prefer to not wait endlessly in clinics and travel unnecessarily. Robotic surgery This technology is truly remarkable. Fine movements are possible with precise control. This translates to improved patient outcomes. These include smaller incisions and shorter recovery times. Compounding these benefits, surgery can be performed from another continent. The possibilities for under resourced areas are endless. Mobilisation of products and services Drones are becoming ubiquitous. They have medical applications when thinking about the fast and efficient delivery of supplies, vaccines, and medications. This provides great benefits for hard to access areas, whether that is in developing countries, or across city in peak hour traffic. On top of this, ‘paramedic drones’ have been developed, delivery equipment and telecommunication hook-ups to medical professionals rapidly to accident scenes. Let Haney Mallemat educate you on the future of technology in medicine! For more like this, head to https://codachange.org/podcasts/