When it comes to finding a new way to treat and monitor chronic conditions, there is only so much you can do when not being observed by healthcare professionals, but now that technology has advanced this far, it’s giving people who need that extra bit of help the chance to treat themselves in the comfort of their own homes while giving them the freedom to relax and not clock watch. They can live normally and only when they get an alert do they need to take the steps necessary. Technology has been a real lifesaver for these people but at the same time, it takes the pressure off health care providers.
Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure are two of the most common and significant burdens on the healthcare system. In the United States alone, just under 60% of the adult population and 40% of the United Kingdom's population could be victims of a chronic condition. This strain has been such a burden that the management costs of these chronic conditions are creating a huge dent in healthcare expenditures in multiple countries.
Before we get into how healthcare services are slowly being saved and supported by technological advancements, let’s have a mutual understanding of the basics.
What Are Chronic Conditions?
While the specific definition might vary depending on the chronic condition itself, overall, for the sake of this article, a chronic condition centres on the need for long-term, ongoing medical attention to avoid a significant deterioration in the patient's quality of life.
As a result, many of these conditions tend to be incurable, and even with our advances in medicine, there are still things we haven't cracked the code for. If untreated, patients can be left with negative physical and mental consequences for not only the patient but their carers and local healthcare providers.
Smart Technology and Its Impact on Chronic Conditions
Artificial Intelligence
When it comes to the practicality of artificial intelligence, while it might not be preferred in some professions, it seems very useful for the healthcare industry. In a matter of seconds, you could list every symptom of the patient and it could run through every possible diagnosis. Its AI-powered algorithms and machine-learning models are cutting the time in half and half again for health professionals. Although further analysis is always safe to do, the combined intelligence can make diagnosing patients with chronic conditions a quick process.
This is good news for both patients and doctors. For example, you might have better luck or take treatment if it’s caught as soon as possible, but things can be harder to make comfortable for you if it takes weeks or months to find the correct diagnosis. This can save healthcare professionals endless amounts of time and relieve some of the pressure that comes with giving the correct diagnosis.
Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth
After the pandemic, telehealth was utilised to its maximum, and through that, it has followed beyond the pandemic as a quicker way to get through appointments and combat the crisis of being overbooked and lacking slots.
Telehealth essentially allows patients to speak to their healthcare provider about what’s concerning them, as not all trips to the general practitioner need to be face-to-face. Therefore, it’s saving time on both ends—no more waiting rooms but also no longer having to wait 6 weeks to be told it’s a cold. This can make sure that people are being treated for chronic conditions quicker and filter through some concerns that don’t need face-to-face care.
Geometric Medicine
Advances in geometric medicine have brought medical professionals a step forward into a better understanding of the genetic factors that come with chronic conditions like type 1 diabetes. With the decreasing cost of genome sequencing, it’s becoming more accessible for individuals suffering from these side effects to invest in personalised treatment plans that are based on their unique genetic makeup, contributing to a better quality of life.
Avisa Smart Hospitals
Smart hospitals represent the cutting-edge of healthcare innovation. These Avisa smart hospitals leverage state-of-the-art technology to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and improve overall hospital efficiency. From advanced electronic health record systems to AI-driven patient care, smart hospitals are revolutionising the patient experience.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation and Surgery
AR and VR technologies are transforming surgical training, patient rehab, and pain management. Surgeons have utilised this technological advancement to visualise 3D models of the patient's autonomy during surgery, making procedures more precise. For a patient suffering from a chronic condition or disease, these steps make all the difference if they are able to prepare for high-risk surgery with these tools that can lower the risk and ensure that they are giving the best effort trying to make their patient's quality of life that much easier.
VR is currently being used for pain distraction therapy. They do say that when you fixate on the pain, it gets worse so essentially, it’s a placebo and a temporary fix, like medication. This is a helpful and healthier way to get the body to do some of the work and become less reliant on medication.
Predictive Analytics for Disease Outbreaks
Predictive analytics and machine learning models are helping healthcare organisations prepare for and respond to disease outbreaks more effectively. This is extremely helpful for those suffering from chronic conditions that are affected more severely by things like the common cold. Through this predictive analysis, you can understand the times of the year to be careful when in public spaces and so forth.
Robotic Surgery
Robotic-assisted surgery is becoming more sought after and utilised in the healthcare sector. Robots can perform minimally invasive procedures with remarkable precision, resulting in shorter hospital stays, seamless recoveries and less pain trauma after the procedure itself. This not only gives doctors the time to put their efforts elsewhere but also makes these smaller surgeries covered to better standards.
A Real-Life Example of Smart Tech’s Application
The minitti-Smartho-D2 stethoscope has been created to achieve intelligent auxiliary diagnosis, remote monitoring and patient chronic condition tracking. It has been useful for diseases such as coronary heart disease, obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, vasculitis and much more.
Its innovative and dynamic health management system works hand-in-hand with AI assistance, expert port, and patient self-management. While this tool is used to work alongside medical care under the guidelines of healthcare professionals, its application has been able to reduce the need for frequent hospital visits and emergency room admissions, leading to a light load on the healthcare system and peace of mind for the patients, who know that if something does look out of the ordinary, they can visit in time.
Final Thoughts
While there are many technologies developed in the last couple of years, there are still things that chronic patients need to consider and contribute to take a further strain and work hand-in-hand with these remarkable tech advancements, like stopping smoking, drinking and other unhealthy habits that could tarnish the hard work these professionals put in and make your quality of life better.
For the future of smart technology, there is still much more in development, from smartwatches to robotics. Hopefully, there will be newer and greater things that can make those suffering from chronic conditions that much easier. With the percentage on the rise, it’s more important than ever for people to do their part, from eating healthy right through to fitness.
To make things easier if you have just been diagnosed and need to stop your unhealthy habits, look for healthier alternatives such as non-alcoholic beverages, velo pouches or even an accountability coach to keep you in check during those stressful moments to avoid relapse.
