FLORES, Ma. Claudine Bernadette A.

MD15-0037
Dr. Gary Grey
How Technology is Managed in the Healthcare Industry

Before the era of wireless connection and global connectivity, medical technology was focused
on improving hardware in the form of medical equipment such as noninvasive radiographic
imaging tools (e.g. X-ray, MRI, CT scan), which can offer a more targeted approach to
treatment. The development of drugs with better efficacy and less side-effects came from
medical research and the advent of technology that can produce these drugs en masse. New,
less invasive surgical techniques, came from the creation of laparoscopic tools, scopes, and
robots that allowed for better precision and lowered risk of sepsis.

Nowadays, as the world becomes more interconnected, technological advancements have

turned its attention to a more wireless approach -- information technology. Health Information
Technology has taken great leaps in the past decade alone, with the emergence of electronic
medical records (EMR), mobile health applications, telemedicine, and others. The use of emails,
Skype and other video conference platforms, have greatly reduced the cost of consultation and
improved health seeking behavior. Patients and doctors have easier access to the same
information, and many physicians are setting up online consulting practices and free websites
like WebMD were created to give patients greater control over their own healthcare.

However, the development of technology is different to its acceptance, especially in an industry

as unyielding as Medicine. Many doctors resists new equipment or new practices simply
because they are used to their tried-and-tested ways. The additional training that is needed to
properly use new medical equipment is costly, and many hospitals refuse to purchase these
new tools for financial reasons. Therefore, while medical technology is currently evolving, the
human side of medicine still has some catching up to do.

Resources:
"How Technology is Transforming Healthcare." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News &
World Report, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.
"Medical Technology." Healthcare Technology | Health Information Technology.
Healthcare Business Tech, 23 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.