How Medical Devices are Rapidly Changing

Technology is always changing in all areas and especially when it comes to the medical field. If one field needs to improve its use of technology as quickly as possible, it is the medical field. Improving and upgrading technology can help everything in a hospital run more smoothly, including everything from the recording keeping to gene therapy. Keep reading to learn how medical devices are rapidly changing from the 2010s onward.

UDI Data Records

First things first, one technology that is seeing updates is the Unique Device Identification, also known as UDI. This technology words to categorize and keep track of medical technology. This is incredibly important because without UDI data records, it would be more difficult to keep track of the rest of the medical technology at the hospital.

UDI data records use Global Trade Item Numbers, also known as GTINs, to identify each piece of technology. The GTIN is one of the most popular ways of identifying technology. The GTINs can also be used along with the Global Data Synchronization Network (gdsn). This network is used by hospitals, technology manufacturers, and other similar groups to exchange product data.

Wearable Mobile Health Monitors

In recent years, wearable mobile health monitors have become more popular. These monitors usually look like watches. They can also work as apps on smartphones or tablets. One of the most famous watch/app is FitBit.

FitBits, and similar technologies, can track and record data for a variety of health concerns. These wearable health monitors are most famous for recording steps, calories burned while exercising, and a person's heart rate. More advanced models can do more, including recording the hours of sleep a person gets.

While you don't need to work in medicine to own one of these mobile health monitors, they can be of great help to doctors. These devices can give your doctor accurate measurements of how much activity you get each day. When a doctor has this accurate information, rather than just a guess, they can better understand your health.

Gene Editing Technology

One of the craziest and science fiction-like new technologies (as recent as 2019) are new updates in gene-editing technology. A famous gene-editing technology is called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). This technology works by studying DNA and the immune system. The technology then learns how to remove infected DNA from a strand to improve one's health.

How does editing DNA using gene-editing technology help to improve a person's health? Some defects and inheritable diseases are rooted in a person's DNA. So, if the DNA can be edited, the disease or defeat could possibly be cured. One example of this comes in the form of breast cancer. While breast cancer itself is not a 100% inheritable ailment, women who have a family history/other women in their family who have had breast cancer. If there is something in the DNA that shows an increased likelihood of having breast cancer (or a certain type of breast cancer), then the gene could be edited (in the future) to reduce the risk of getting cancer later in life.

Digital Doctor's Visits

Moving from a crazy idea to something easier to grasp is the new trend of having digital doctor's visits. Not every health concern warrants a trip (or the expense) of going to the doctor's office. Health professionals are well aware of this, which is part of the reason why digital doctor's visits have become more popular in recent years.

These doctor's visits work much like a video chat you might have with your friends. You would call up a doctor and ask your question. From online, your doctor may be able to tell you what your ailment is and what to do about it. If the ailment is not serious, like a stomach ache, the doctor may simply tell you the right medicine to use. If the ailment is something more serious or if it cannot be determined online, then the doctor may refer you to an in-person visit.

Technology is rapidly changing. Who knows what the next big upgrade will be?