These days, we all know just how important it is to continue with developments in the medical world. Without continually moving forward, it will be almost impossible to come up with new treatments and recovery processes in the healthcare sector. Not only that, though, but the diagnosis of certain diseases will never be able to be improved. So, there is really no wonder why so much cash is being pumped into developing the entire world of medicine.
If you take a look over even just the past couple of decades, you can see just how far these progress and developments have come. For instance, our knowledge of various illnesses and health conditions has greatly increased, and this better understanding has made it much easier to discover new medicines. Take a look at the current cancer rates as an example – over the past decade, the fatalities for certain types have been steadily falling as diagnosis and treatments become a lot more efficient than what they once were.
Thankfully, it looks like all of this development within the medical world is set to continue for some time to come. And that is mainly down to tech developments, which can help us push forward with fantastic research and new studies. However, we need to ensure that all of this great development continues well into the future so that we can continue to eradicate some health conditions and illnesses, and strive towards a sustainable healthcare.
But how can we do that? Read on to find out exactly what the healthcare world is doing to ensure it continues!
1. Automated Communications
One thing that has always slowed down certain diagnoses and treatment processes is the use of traditional communications within the world of medicine. For instance, doctors and hospital sisters would send out letters to their patients which could take a few days to arrive. This slow communication did no favors in speeding up diagnoses.
Thankfully, it looks like all of this is about to change as medical communications are currently being developed so that they can be automated. So, rather than wait for a week to receive a letter, patients can now very quickly hear back from consultants and doctors thanks to email and instant messaging. This also helps to reduce patients’ stress as well, as it means that they aren’t left waiting without any answers for too long.
2. Raising Patient Awareness
One of the main things that healthcare professionals and organizations need to do to encourage development is to raise patient awareness. Once patients are aware of the impact that their treatments and diagnosis processes are having on their health, then they can do everything that they can to help with their own treatment.
Plus, it’s important to inform the public to get checked out by a doctor whenever they think something is wrong. They shouldn’t sit on any symptoms for too long, as this can delay diagnosis and treatment, which can lead to the disease progressing. Ideally, doctors need to see the disease in its early stages so that they can watch how it progresses or is treated – this can help them further their knowledge and understand how to further research into such health conditions.
It is also a good idea to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling. For instance, if a patient doesn’t finish the entire course of tablets they are given, they should know that they can return them to a pharmacist. That way, they can be properly disposed of or recycled. This is much better than when the patient simply throws them out in the garbage.
Many healthcare professionals will find that by simply raising patient awareness, they will be doing a big bit in moving to a more eco-focused way of caregiving. And when patients are taking care of their own recycling, doctors have a lot more time and energy to focus on their research.
3. Deal With Medical Waste More Effectively
One other area of the medical world that needs to be developed further how to deal with medical waste. Most of the time, it is incinerated in a very hot fire. Of course, this isn’t the best way to dispose of anything as all of the fumes and carbon from the fire and incinerator will mix into the atmosphere and could speed up the greenhouse effect. Not only that, though, but harmful and toxic chemicals from the incinerator could easily leak into the surrounding environment.
So, what should health organizations do with their health waste? The best thing we can do right now is to try and reduce medical waste as much as possible. One way to tackle that is to only prescribe patients the absolute minimum amount of medicine that they need. That way, they won’t ever be left with too many tablets or medicines that they need to dispose of themselves.
Thankfully, there is also some research into hospital incinerators to see if they can be created in a way that doesn’t pollute the environment so much.
4. Fund Research Into Drugs Trials
Without any drugs trials, there would be no way that the health world would be able to develop new drugs and treatment methods. Not only that, though, but many doctors are now in favor of shortening the clinical trials that most drugs need to go through before they are available for use by patients.
Right now, trials can take a number of years, and many people who could benefit from these drugs are dying before they get the chance to take them. But not only is the length of time of these trials and tests a big worry for healthcare professionals, but the cost is too. It is extremely expensive to research new drugs and produce them.
Big pharma companies are investing heavily into certain areas of drug research, but there are still some that are really underfunded. As a result, the patients who suffer from these under-researched diseases have to suffer with only the very basic of drugs and treatments. Thankfully, there are many ways you can help improve the funding for these areas of medicine.
The first thing you might want to try is to write to your member of parliament and ask them to back an increase in the funding available. It’s also a good idea to take part in some fundraising for a charity that helps with funding vital drug research. There are lots of ways you can fundraise for your charity of choice, such as by running a marathon or taking part in a different challenging event.
5. Work On Cross-Species Treatments
I’m sure that you will already be extremely familiar with treatments such as organ donation and tissue transfers. These occur between two people – one individual donates a healthy organ or piece of tissue to a patient who needs a replacement in their body. With some organ donations, the donor needs to be deceased while some can take place with a live donor. This is now a very familiar branch of medicine as it has been used for a few decades.
However, thanks to recent research and developments in the medical world, it now looks like cross-species transplants – more commonly known as xenografts – are a possible treatment for a range of conditions. Knockout mice are one such example of a xenograft that is making huge waves in the medical world. When it comes to a xenograft, the other species’ tissue is taken and placed in the human patient.
Even though it isn’t such a common treatment right now, it looks like it should hopefully be common place within a few years. This is one development that could revolutionize the world of healthcare!
6. Vital Role of Video Technology
Doctors and other health experts regularly travel around the country to various conferences and health expos. Some of them even take international trips to meet other experts from other countries to swap notes on research. But all of that travel can drain a huge part of their budget. Plus, it takes them away from their patients for excessive periods of time. So, why not rely on tech and start taking part in video conferences?
Thanks to state of the art devices, online conferences now feel like they are happening face to face, and doctors can continue to collaborate with experts elsewhere in the world without leaving their post. Plus, it gives them the chance to examine and consult patients who might not be able to attend their practice or get to a hospital.
For instance, a patient who lives in a very remote area and is unable to drive can still speak to a doctor and be seen about their symptoms. This way, everyone can benefit from treatment, no matter where they may be. Hopefully, the use of video communications is developed further as it is proving to be necessary tool in this field.
As you can see then, there are lots of areas of the healthcare world that need to be continually developed for major improvements to be made. Thankfully, some of these developments are already taking place.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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Thanks for sharing this excellent article.