Applying the Tech World to the Medical Office

With the growth of technology, new healthcare developments are improving the healthcare sector. New breakthroughs in communication, research, and treatment options have allowed medical offices to find new ways to work with patients and practice medicine. Here are six of the biggest ways that technology has had on medical offices.

Healthcare Websites

While eight million seniors use the internet, only 66% search for information online. Five years later, 24 million Americans had similar findings. This means that more patients are using the internet to research their health issues. Not only are they searching for symptoms, but they're reading about prescription medication and treatment options.

The internet has helped patients make more informed decisions about their healthcare options. You can make use of this technology by having your own healthcare website that provides information on some of the most common health problems, including symptoms and treatment options. The goal of your healthcare website should be to educate, inspire, and build trust with your patients in order to increase new patients, revenue, and volume.

Social Media

More medical offices than ever are reaching out to new and existing patients on social media. Medical offices are using social media to answer common healthcare questions, establish contact with former patients, launch public awareness campaigns, and perform community outreach.

Some social media channels even include chats with doctors and nurses about healthcare problems. There are some that even have patient reminders for those who need regular tests and vaccinations. Some of these features have spread to mainstream social media channels such as Facebook since more seniors are on there now.

Better Treatment

Technology has improved the healthcare sector. More medical offices are introducing new equipment, medicines, and treatment options that can save lives and decrease the death rate. Not only do some of these medical offices allow patients to heal at faster rates, but improved technology also has improved research so healthcare is more effective. Lives are being changed every day thanks in part to technology.

Improved Patient Care

Technology has also made patient care safe and reliable. Doctors and nurses can now use a handheld computer or tablet to observe a patient's medical chart and ensure they're administering the right treatment.

Lab tests, medicine orders, syndromic testing, and vital signs are now available on an electronic database that can be used later. As more medical offices are embracing electronic health records, patients have immediate access to their information so they understand these treatment options.

This allows them to make more informed decisions about their health. These electronic health records are also being used for medical research. Scientists can now find a cure for common cancers and ailments by studying trends. This means more breakthrough cures than ever.

Mobile & Telecare Services

Thanks to smartphones, doctors are now easily accessible. Technology has made it possible for doctors to communicate via email, text, video, and conference calls from around the world. This practice is known as telecare services, which is useful for patients who live in rural areas or under-developed countries. Doctors can diagnose, treat, and observe conditions without seeing the patient in the hospital. Telecare services have been integrated following the 2010 Haiti earthquake and have become an important part of the future of healthcare.

Online Databases

Online databases allow doctors to predict healthcare trends. Major search engines such as Google have been able to predict recent trends such as the flu and measles outbreaks. By determining how often a search query is used, Google can estimate how much of that disease is circulating in certain regions around the world.

This allows doctors and medical experts to react to disease outbreaks quicker than ever before. As more patients use the internet to research their health issues, these search engines will have more information that can be used for scientific research. This allows medical experts to take preventative measures to help or lessen the spread of these diseases.