The evolving role of technology and informatics in healthcare

Healthcare technology and data are taking on more diverse roles than ever before

Technology changes healthcare treatments and solutions every day. With rapidly developing life-saving tech and informatics systems, healthcare providers are better able to accumulate and apply data for beneficial results. 

Modern tech makes this evolving system of informatics possible. A single medical study can gather 100 terabytes of data — that’s as much as 21,300 DVDs worth of information. This data can then be analyzed and applied using smart tech to improve the state of healthcare for everyone. 

In the course of the healthcare evolution, technology and data are taking on more diverse roles than ever before. Now, nursing informatics is being developed to protect patient health, safety, and privacy. 3D-printing techniques are making it possible to reproduce organs. And telematics is allowing for more comfortable, accessible care, especially during the pandemic. 

Here, we explore how the evolving roles of technology and informatics are shaping the healthcare industry.

Nursing informatics, safety, and privacy

Nursing is one of the most vital careers to maintain a healthy society. As the frontline of healthcare treatment, nurses manage the difficult task of juggling patient care with data systems. In the course of this work, they discover, treat, and record patient health. 

By integrating evolving informatics technology into the traditional role of nursing, these caretakers of public health are better able to find effective solutions while protecting sensitive patient data. Healthcare data is a primary target of cybercriminals due to its valuable nature. Because of this, nurses shoulder the evolving burden of managing data protections alongside care provisions. 

In the scope of this protection, the specialist role of nursing informatics has emerged to help bridge the gap between the technical aspects of nursing and the clinical side. A nursing informatics specialist combines technology with the care and communicative aspects of nursing to customize software and hardware for care solutions. 

Through pairing data and smart tech with the human aspect of care, care solutions are evolving. Informatics in nursing makes this possible.

Take, for instance, the pathology and personalized medicine solutions being created by healthcare company Paige. The smart tools this company is producing can assist in nursing and pathology to present genomic information at a glance for better immediate communication and treatment. Through computer analysis of tissue, Paige’s tech can give care providers diagnostic information almost instantly without destroying a genomic sample. 

Solutions like these are made possible by big data. A database is analyzed, then an AI system guides nurses or pathologists to a correct condition or treatment plan with better accuracy. 

This assists in communication with other healthcare providers while allowing nurses to provide more specialized immediate care. On the whole, the evolution of nursing informatics tech is making care more efficient. 

3D-printing and the future of healthcare

Like something out of science fiction, 3D-printing is arriving on the healthcare scene to create previously unfathomable care solutions. The role of 3D-printing tech is evolving into a life-saving component of regenerative and personalized medicine. With the ability to print organs for transplant using simple tissue and blood draws, this technology is the future of healthcare.

Dr. Anthony Atala and his team were able to grow human organs and tissues using additive manufacturing processes and collagen substrates. Combining human cells with 3D-printing allowed them to form replacement organs like heart valves, trachea, livers, and even genitalia.  

The lifesaving implications of this tech are astounding. With a relatively simple design and usability process, medical professionals can more safely conduct transplants. Building personalized organs removes the painful threat of bodily rejection. Additionally, waitlists for transplants could become a thing of the past. New organs grown directly with a person’s bodily tissue mean miraculous recovery for millions of patients. 

Telematics and accessibility

In a world facing a pandemic, finding innovative healthcare solutions like these is more important than ever. Evolving technology makes healthcare accessibility possible. Regardless of geographic location, vulnerable patients can receive treatment in the form of telemedicine and telematics. 

Telematics gathered and applied through virtual conferencing have proven especially vital due to COVID-19, where each healthcare visit presents a risk in itself. As a result, the field of telemedicine is growing all the time.

Care providers using smart tools can meet virtually with patients, analyze issues, diagnose problems, and assign treatment. In the pandemic environment, this means no risky face-to-face meetings where they can be avoided. This keeps some of the most vulnerable individuals safe. 

Telemedicine is a viable solution for a wide number of healthcare visits. Vein restoration through telemedicine is even possible, with physicians able to virtually assess varicose veins through a video call, connecting with patients in real-time to provide treatment. 

Providers like TeraPractice make virtual care a focus of their practice. This allows them to provide convenient access to patients while managing costs for everyone. With such a beneficial combination of results, telematics and telemedicine is evolving as a key element of healthcare’s future.

Final thoughts

Issues abound in the healthcare system that have yet to see bipartisan agreement. This makes progress on the regulatory side of healthcare slow. However, new technology that addresses issues like accessibility means improvements in care for millions.  

The role of technology — while always vital — has evolved to prove that the future of healthcare is already here. Through smart tools, nurses can better integrate data and communicative solutions. Meanwhile, 3D-printing has real life-saving potential. In the wake of a global pandemic, these tools alongside telematics make healthcare safer, more accessible, and more affordable for everyone.

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