Everything you wanted to know about…medical technology

From scanning technology to artificial skin, medical technology is taking us in directions people couldn’t have dreamed of before.

What do you do when you feel unwell? Chances are that you go to visit your doctor. While there, he or she will probably examine you using a number of devices (to gauge your blood pressure or temperature). And then, if you’re lucky, you’ll be sent home with just some good advice and maybe some medicine. If your condition needs a little bit more attention, then maybe you’ll go to the hospital and have some blood tests or scans done.

All of this is such a common occurrence that you probably take it for granted…but you probably shouldn’t.
 
Some of the cleverest people around have brought medical technology to a point that was unimaginable 10, or even five years ago. Now, we have a far better chance of getting to the root of our medical problems far sooner. And the future looks even better. Giant leaps forward with technologies such as telemedicine, biomaterials and intelligent medication – to name but a few – have taken us to a point where healthcare is one of the most dynamic, fast-changing and exciting, not to mention important, areas around.

Welcome to the new healthier you, as supplied by medical technology.

Biomaterials

You’ve probably heard of hip replacements, but did you know you could ‘grow’ new bone synthetically?
Engineers can design biomaterials – using natural or synthetic materials – to replace or ‘patch’ tissues or organs in the body. Sometimes, due to conditions like arthritis or an accident, the body needs some help in recovering. This is where biomaterials come in.

Biomaterials can be anything as basic as material for filling in a tooth, or as complex as replacement skin. The key factor is that they are compatible with the human body and can help it to heal.

Telemedicine

It’s probably not a surprise to say that doctors are very, very useful people and that we can never have too many. Sometimes, however, there is a problem with finding one when you really need one. For example if you live in a remote part of the world, it can be big deal making your way to a doctor’s surgery for what might be a routine check-up or treatment for a small ailment. Similarly, in the event of an accident, the first few minutes are the most vital and there isn’t always a doctor to hand. This is where telemedicine comes in.

Telemedicine allows patients to receive rapid diagnosis - and sometime an actual medical treatment - by a doctor via the internet or a phone.

In Uganda, for example, the government is working on a programme to provide health support for rural communities. Because of the remote nature of some villages there, many people do not have access to specialists. To see if the wellbeing of their people can be improved, the Ministry of Health is piloting a project whereby mobile phones are used to make referrals and to gather and collate patient data and histories. The systems could, for example, be used to collect and distribute information on children’s inoculations.

There has even been one case where a patient’s life was saved by a British doctor thanks to SMS medical advice sent to a doctor performing an amputation.

Prosthesis

A prosthesis in an artificial extension used to replace a missing body part. Sometimes, when people have accidents for example, they may need a new arm or leg. Whereas, in the past, these may have been simple inflexible rubber units, prosthetic limbs can now be incredibly sophisticated and allow users to do all the kinds of things they did with their original biological limb.

Robotic prosthesis, for example, can use signals from the wearer’s nervous system to activate biosensors. These then relay an instruction to a controller in the limb which make it move in the right way.

Scanning and imaging

Scans and medical imaging can help doctors examine or diagnose disease without having to ‘open up’ the patient through surgery (which is called invasive). Think of it as a painless way to have a look inside someone.
 
Scanning and imaging technology has improved massively over the last few years and looks set to continue to improve.

Imaging technology works in a variety of ways. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for example, uses radio frequency waves and a strong magnetic field to gain an internal picture of organs and tissues.

Nuclear medicine relies on radioactive isotopes to find and treat diseased areas. The patient is treated with radioactive substances with the resulting emissions being monitored and analysed to produce an image for doctors to use.

Medicine is one of the fastest moving technological fields and we can only guess at where it will go next…but that can be up to you. Do you want to play a part in making the world a healthier place?
 

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