Medical technology: Its influences on healthcare in the time of pandemic
Summary
Even the states with well-funded and strong healthcare sector were shocked by the unprecedented influx of patients and reported a wide range of pandemic-related issues, such as the shortage of PPE, equipment and medical staff, overwhelming paperwork and poorly developed processes. Corporations such as Apple and Google and several countries including Norway, Australia, China, Singapore either work on or have already launched different COVID-19 contact tracking apps to keep the spread of pandemic under control. Other emerging medical technology such as wearables, smart hospital equipment, mobile apps for patients with chronic conditions, robots and drones completely eliminate human interaction in the cases. Among good examples are drones delivering medication, self-adjusting vitals tracking hospital beds, autonomous insulin delivery devices, assisting apps for people with mental health issues, etc. It helps remotely track patient vitals including respiratory and heartbeat rate, collect and analyze condition data, detect the risks of deterioration and notify doctors and caregivers in time.
