Satish Kannan is a pioneer in the online healthcare industry. With a singular focus to bring a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry, he has, in a relatively short period of time, ushered his organization to a leadership position. He is well on his way to achieving his goal of making high-quality healthcare accessible to everyone across the nation. Satish Kannan or SK as he is popularly known is an alumnus of IIT Madras – B.Tech & M.Tech in Electrical engineering. After completing his education, SK started his career with Philips Healthcare, being involved with Research and Development on specialized devices, used by cardiologists for conducting surgeries.
Medical technology fueled by technological developments has been transforming and reimaging the medical ecosystem, progressing it to new heights. Timely innovations have enabled people to get access to better quality healthcare amenities and have aided in improving health and quality of life.
Pushing boundaries of traditional healthcare parameters has opened doors for new opportunities. It has made advancements in medical systems that have helped cure illnesses, monitor vitals remotely, facilitate better patient records, consult doctors virtually and so much more. It has expedited processes and has overall had a positive impact on numerous healthcare practices.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine has helped the medical industry reach new horizons. It has allowed healthcare professionals remote delivery of healthcare services. It has also enabled them to proceed with consultations, diagnosis, and treatment virtually, without the need for an in-person visit. Patients can easily connect with certified specialist doctors via designated telemedicine platforms for their concerned problems and can receive medical guidance in real-time. This has empowered people residing in remote areas, where the availability of quality healthcare services is scarce. It has created an offset system that has the potential to bridge the disparity in the availability of medical amenities that has existed for ages.
Even today in remote and underdeveloped parts of the country, the availability of basic medical infrastructure and amenities is absent. Due to this, they are often forced to travel to distant places for medical help. However, with telemedicine people can access doctor consultations and other healthcare services.
It is also a much more cost-efficient option for patients as they are only required to pay the basic consultation fee. It also helps save time, which is why it is increasingly becoming a popular option amongst the urban population. Given the hectic lifestyles they lead, making time to visit a doctor can be challenging for people. To add to it, the city traffic and the long waiting period can be very overwhelming. Hence, via telehealth portals, individuals can conveniently make appointments to their liking and can consult with medical specialists without even stepping out.
Electronic Medical Records
We are slowly morphing into a digital world, where we can nearly get access to all possible things digitally and conveniently. Thanks to technological advancements, patient records and treatment of history are also going digital. This eliminates the whole process of finding the physical file, which also has a high risk of getting misplaced or damaged. With digital records, you can easily feed in the patient history in the system and can access records hassle-free anytime.
This seamless integration of technology does not only make the process convenient for both doctors and patients, but it also results in better care for patients and enhances the overall experience.
Leveraging VR & AR in Training
In the past few years, several mediums of eLearning have been used to impart information and educate medical students. One of which is noteworthy has been the inclusion of virtual reality and augmented reality. Through virtual reality, practitioners can experience real-life scenarios via stimulated counterparts to gain practical knowledge.
VR-based learnings help doctors comprehend the better understanding of anatomical positioning. It gives them a comprehensive perspective of the interior functioning of the human anatomy. It also allows them to consider different scenarios and possibilities that could arise in complex surgery.
VR and AR embedded learning prepare doctors better, is cost-effective, and significantly reduces anxiety. It is a safer option for learning. With the pandemic, it has ensured that learning continues without any major hurdles.
Remote Monitoring
With the advancement in medical technology, new devices have been developed that enable healthcare professionals to monitor the patients’ vitals without admitting them to the hospital. For patients with chronic conditions, disabilities, mobility impairments, etc. frequent visits to the hospital can be extremely time-consuming and laborious.
Through monitoring devices, patients can significantly reduce the number of visits made to the hospital and also the need for hospitalization. There is more transparency between the patient and physician about the concerned patient’s health. It aids the doctor in monitoring a patient’s health remotely and also makes home care more viable and efficient.
AI predicting outbreaks & detecting underlying diseases
Artificial Intelligence with deep learning, large data analysis, and algorithms has the potential to predict the next outbreak or epidemic. They can gather and analyze large quantities of data about public health such as underlying diseases, symptoms, regions affected, people at risk, etc. It can also predict the speed of viruses spreading, symptoms evolving, geographical regions, and the severity of outbreaks.
AI in analyzing an individual patient’s medical history, drugs administered, symptoms, course of treatment, body reaction, etc. also helps recommend the most suitable course of treatment for the patient. It can also detect diseases in undiagnosed patients with common as well as rare and complex diseases. This has been an extremely effective tool in identifying diseases in the preliminary stages and ensuring that the patient receives timely treatment.
3D printing
3D printing technology helps create a three-dimensional solid object by adding layers from a digital file. This technology has enabled to manufacture of an array of medical equipment in a cost-effective and faster way. More customizable and flexible devices can be manufactured, which has enabled building prosthetics for patients more conveniently. With taking the patient’s measurements and sourcing the material required, the printer can print out prosthetic devices made custom fit for the patient. What would have taken weeks together to produce one model, can now be easily produced in a couple of hours/days.
Apart from prosthetics, customizable dental implants, surgical equipment, human organs; -tissues can be produced using 3D printing technology. 3D printing using depositing living cells acquired from the patients themselves is used to mold organs and tissues in specific shapes. This also reduces the risk of the body rejecting the organ, as it is made from the patient’s cells itself.
3D printing technology has streamlined the manufacturing process in the healthcare industry. It has brought down costs and increased accessibility for all. It holds great potential in the medical sector that could further ease processes.
Health & Fitness Monitoring Gadgets
Health and fitness monitoring devices are increasingly gaining more popularity amongst people. These gadgets allow individuals to monitor their basic health vitals such as their heart rate, oxygen, blood pressure, sugar level, etc. It also helps you track your daily step count, calories burnt, and sleeping pattern. These gadgets developed for personal use are an effective way for individuals to monitor their health and keep track of their fitness. Given the fact that most individuals lead a busy lifestyle, these devices precisely allow them to monitor your health with little effort.
To conclude, technology in the field of medicine has saved countless lives. With developments constantly underway, we can hope that it continues easing processes and improving healthcare for all individuals.