It’s no secret that technology is changing the way we do almost everything. From banking to sports to healthcare, we have more automated systems and technological assistants than ever before. In the medical field, especially, this is changing the way that professionals provide care to their patients and the very educational system bringing young doctors into the world each year.
Electronic Medical Records
Electronic medical records, also known as electronic health records (EHR) are perhaps the best example of how technology and computer software has been thoroughly integrated into the daily lives of medical professionals and the patients who seek their care. Specialized programs have been developed for specific practices. Behavioral health EHR, for example, is explicitly designed to streamline the healthcare process for both provider and patient.
More Than EHR
While electronic health records are one of the most significant changes implemented in medical practice, students and doctors alike are exploring other technological strategies as well. The sheer number of medical diagnostic technologies being developed and improved is astounding. Plus, individual practitioners are learning to opt for a more tech-savvy approach when interacting with their patients.
Technology in Medical Education
For example, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine features a program called TIME (Technology in Medical Education). This program’s iPad initiative, which began in February 2017, provides medical students entering their clinical rotations with an iPad fully loaded with medical references, apps for patient learning, and other tools which will help to improve both the student’s and the patient’s experience at the bedside. Students can use these iPads for both their education and growth as future physicians while also using the provided resources to educate their patients.
From behavioral health EHR to the use of iPads for patient education and understanding, technology is revolutionizing the medical field in ways that the world has never seen before, and there’s much more to come.
