Van T. Jackson Jr. is a healthcare administrator who is passionate about the use of advancing technologies in the industry. In the following article, Van T. Jackson Jr. discusses how technology is transforming the healthcare industry, allowing doctors to provide better care for their patients, targeted therapy and treatment, as well as accurate surgical assistance and medical records.

The greatest medical advancements over the past 10 years would not have been made without improved technology.

Gene editing would not be possible without CRISPR, which has the potential to lead to increasingly effective treatments for everything from sickle-cell anemia to blindness.

Gene therapy is also seen as a vital tool to develop ways to kill cancer cells explains Van T. Jackson Jr. Vaccines for COVID-19 and Ebola would be non-existent. With mRNA technology, doctors are able to jump-start a body’s immune response to viruses and types of cancer.

And Van T. Jackson Jr. says that’s just the beginning. Medical technology is no longer the stuff of science fiction. It’s just science. Here are just some of the ways technology will continue to transform healthcare this year and beyond.

More Accurate and Sharable Records

The rise of electronic health records isn’t just making it easier for hospitals to keep track of patients. It’s increasing the speed and quality of patient engagement and is saving lives.

Organizational benefits aside, EHRs also provide healthcare workers with a bigger, more detailed window into a patient’s health and treatment history.
That usually leads to more accurate diagnoses and more refined treatment plans. And if a patient needs to receive treatment elsewhere, a hospital can transfer records within seconds.

Van T. Jackson Jr. says that technology has also improved doctor-patient communications, with virtual platforms like apps and web messaging leading to faster conversations and interventions.

Wearable Devices

Going away quickly are the days of having to book multiple in-person visits to gain insight into one’s health for preventative reasons.
Now, wearable technologies are king, helping doctors glean important insights through wearable heart rate and blood pressure monitors, sweat meters, and an array of fitness trackers.

Targeted Cancer Therapy

Curing cancer isn’t just a pipedream, and the technology behind such treatments as PSMA-targeted therapy for prostate cancer is part of the cancer wars’ frontlines.

Through PSMA PET scans, doctors can locate biomarkers for the condition through a radioactive tracer, effectively locating previously undetectable cancer cells within the prostate.

Van T. Jackson Jr. says that early detection is key to treating the estimated 200,000 Americans who are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

AI

Yes, artificial intelligence frightens many who believe it will eliminate jobs and take over whole industries. But within medical care, AI has endless potential to improve care according to Van T. Jackson Jr.

Through automated tasks and machine learning, AI has the power to review huge amounts of medical data into distilled and pertinent treatment approaches. Diseases may be detected earlier than ever, as can an individual’s risk of developing a certain condition.

AI can even comb through millions of medical images and identify changes that may have been missed.

Van T. Jackson Jr. says that AI has even aided in detecting sepsis early. Through algorithms, AI can pinpoint numerous risk factors for potentially life-threatening conditions in record time.

Telehealth

Telehealth wasn’t just a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It proved that effective health care can be achieved seamlessly when conducted virtually.
Patients have given telehealth high marks for not just convenience but flexibility in making appointments and receiving treatment follow-ups from medical professionals. That’s especially true for patients who live in remote areas without quick access to a hospital or find it difficult to fit in medical treatments with work schedules.

With telehealth, Van T. Jackson Jr. explains that patients can receive X-ray and lab test results, speak with specialists, receive prescriptions for conditions such as urinary tract infections, skin inflammation, and migraines, and receive support for physical therapy.

Surgical Assistance

Technology’s ubiquity within medical care has extended to surgical techniques. Surgeons are increasingly using 3D technology to plan detailed surgeries before a real tool is ever picked up.

Such information offers guidelines for more accurate surgical incisions that can be viewed by multiple doctors ahead of time.

Van T. Jackson Jr. says that technology also allows doctors to monitor a patient’s blood by using infrared techniques. In the future, advanced technology may be integrated into surgeries through robots carefully controlled by surgeons in and out of the operating room.

3-D Printing

The quality and availability of prosthetics have dramatically increased thanks to 3-D printing. It also happens to help hospitals cut costs and offer less expensive treatment options for patients. The technology is simply amazing.

Through 3-D printing, companies can do everything from repairing tissues to making artificial bones. 3-D medical work can help support the health of transplanted organs.