Category Archives: Technology

Tsunami in Technology

November 3, 2016

The wave of healthcare technology is surging into view, akin to a tsunami: as it rapidly rushes towards the landscape of medicine, the cost of tools are dropping at the same rate that options are growing.

At the Cleveland Clinic’s annual Medical Innovations Summit last week, Daniel Kraft—an oncologist, and chair of medicine and neuroscience at Singularity University—asked his audience a critical question: are the right platforms and infrastructure in place to catch the proverbial ‘wave’?

Kraft described the bridge between medicine and technology: how popular, widely-used and accessible consumer devices can potentially deliver molecular-level disease diagnosis and treatment. A smartwatch can collect all the data that intensive care manages; an ultrasound can be done for a fraction of the price with a device that plugs into a smartphone. Hundreds of apps and startups have produced, and are continuing to deliver, massive amounts of data. With the advent and proliferation of this digital technology, it is possible to make more effective and personalized healthcare the new golden standard.

Yet if digital tools can ultimately solve several of healthcare’s overarching problems, how do we prepare the foundation to most effectively utilize them, and manage the immense quantity of data?

Register for MedTech Impact, and be on the frontline of medicine. MedTech Impact is a conference that gives healthcare professionals the ability to learn best practices and techniques while viewing and learning about the latest emerging technologies in the medical field. Through educational sessions, case studies, keynote addresses, and an exhibit hall that showcases technologies like wearables, biosensors, and 3D printing, attendees can immediately harness the technologies in their practices, and effectively improve patient service.

Wireless & Wearable Technology

October 27, 2016

A recent study at the 2016 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons confirms the burgeoning theory that wearable health technology, an innovation that has progressively gained traction in medical and consumer arenas, can positively affect healthcare and patient wellness.

By utilizing a wireless activity tracker, physicians now have the ability to monitor their patients’ postoperative recovery: the device is capable of detecting real-time changes in surgical patients’ functional recovery, states principal investigator Virginia Sun.

The simplicity behind wearing a fitness wristband, and any wearable health technology, can more easily help surgeons detect which patients are at risk for complications. The evidence-based study has demonstrated that the integration of wireless technology strongly correlates with ‘postoperative quality-of-life data,’ and reinforces research that surgeons should consistently track their patients’ results and quality of life.

These findings reaffirm the belief that surgeons have the capability to routinely measure patient-centered results–including anxiety, postoperative pain, and the ease with which patients can perform daily tasks and activities. While surgeons do not regularly practice this type of aftercare, and follow up on patients’ recoveries, this monitoring system establishes an exciting and inventive kind of versatility, portability, and ultimate healthcare awareness that should be incorporated and put into practice.

Learn about the latest emerging technologies of innovative medical equipment at MedTech Impact, a conference and exhibition that focuses on the latest trends in healthcare.