How Today’s Technology Shifts Us from Treatment To Prevention

Preventative Care

Many emerging technologies have begun expanding the ways we manage health conditions. In the field of digital health, care delivery for diseases and disorders has started to shift from treatment-focused protocols to prevention-focused ones. These rapid advancements in healthcare have changed the way people experience healthcare, especially through digital mediums such as telemedicine and other software-based solutions. So, why is the healthcare industry focusing on prevention more so than treatment? Well, a quick look into our digital history may provide those answers.

How Digital Technology Has Transformed Healthcare

Computerized data back in the 1970s often complimented biological research into diseases and disorders, and due to the advancement of these technologies, new areas of scientific disciplines helped form new scientific research and treatment possibilities, such as computational genomics focusing on the cells in complex organs such as the heart and lungs. In learning more about the biological system, many studies can begin working with simulated approaches for new drug treatments instead of in vitro studies, which has helped many doctors learn more about the biological systems and their behavior.

As these models become more robust and studies into the more complex biological systems begin to rise, the availability for treatments will begin to increase, especially once the gaps between patients and these studies decrease. In many ways, intervention methods, new drug prescription studies, and treatment management software will begin to help many patients experience more opportunities for immediate treatment. This may ultimately reduce emergency hospitalization, mortality rates and potentially decrease chronic disease rates over time.

So, now what does all this have to do with prevention methods? If the general population’s ability to receive better access to technologies that support more advancement in chronic care and disease treatment, then the next logical step is to move towards population-level prevention and lifestyle changes.

Producing Better Outcomes For Future Generations

As digital methods for healthcare rise, future generations can become more health-conscious over time. This includes more transparency from healthcare companies, better access to personal records, and better chronic disease management. Right now, the digital landscape encompasses aspects of digital healthcare, including:

  • Telemedicine: Telemedicine has helped hundreds of patients gain better access to care through digital mediums, increasing practice transparency and unnecessary costs for treatments.
  • Patient Management Software: Improvements in data collection systems can help reform how patients interact with their medical practices.
  • Monitoring Systems: For those with chronic conditions, monitoring systems for nutrition, fitness, and well-being have become a vital part of today’s healthcare.

These digital methods have shifted the healthcare industry drastically already, but with further advancements, this means that the needs and demands of patients can be better treated, and healthcare providers can experience more progressive solutions in providing their services. At the end of it all, companies can hopefully work with small practices and help these new technologies become more relevant as time goes on. However, only time will tell where these digital technologies will go in the next ten years, and it’s an exciting venture to explore.

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Linda Clark, NP

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