The healthcare technology scene is currently dominated by two major strategies: electronic health records and mobile personal health monitoring. Medical technology has advanced in such a way that medical professionals can now take the role as experts who have quick access to a patient's entire medical history, while the patients themselves can take care of themselves much better through the use of apps and other techniques for tracking their own health and fitness. The end result is a healthier population who uses hospitals far less frequently, and are treated with the utmost levels of quality of healthcare and attention to detail. While this ideal may still be a few years away, here are some of the headlines from just this past week's developments in the field.
Mobile healthcare is making big strides in how doctors can care for patients, as remote monitoring allows doctors to keep track of their patients' health from anywhere. Tools like diabetic bracelets can transmit blood sugar level data directly to a doctor's office while high-tech pacemakers can immediately alert emergency personnel in the event of a cardiac arrest. Even appointments and check-ups are enhanced through mobile healthcare, as telemedicine enables the entire visit to be done through a video conference. This trend is growing, and while around 2.8 million patients worldwide used connected medical devices in 2012, that number is expected to pass 9.4 million by 2017.
Meanwhile, the InfinityQS group has recently fulfilled a million dollar pledge to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital five years ahead of schedule. InfinityQS is a global manufacturing intelligence group aimed at providing healthcare centers with the best technological and financial resources possible. The money used from this fundraising will be donated to the treatment and research of childhood cancer and other terminal illnesses. It will also be used to alleviate some of the costs that the patients' families have been burdened with.
Apple has been making forays into the healthcare industry, and has recently unveiled a dedicated HealthKit as part of the upcoming iOS 8 operating system. The operating system, set to be released for iPhone 6 as well as many of Apple's other mobile devices, is set to include the HealthKit as part of the deal, absolutely free. This kit will help unify the several apps already available on the devices into a single program.
In fact, Apple's HealthKit is already expected to make big changes in the lifestyles of Apple users. Known as the Healthbook, the program will serve as a form of a dashboard for various health-related data, and is primarily aimed at helping set fitness goals while monitoring vital signs.
