How Innovations in Technology are Improving Medical Care

Technology in Healthcare: Recent Innovations and Their Implications

Although the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has abated in the United States somewhat, its adverse medical effects are still creating a significant public healthcare burden, most especially in emerging economies. The introduction of multiple innovations in healthcare technologies in recent years, however, has facilitated the ability of practitioners to improve patient care in more efficient ways, including responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of a recent study by Kodali and Das (2021) was to evaluate the range of innovative digital healthcare-related technologies as well as how they are currently being used and what constraints exist to their widespread adoption by practitioners.

The range of healthcare-related technologies that have been introduced over the past 20 years or so includes mobile health applications, telemedicine, point-of-contact devices, electronic healthcare records, clinical decision-making programs and global positioning systems, all of which have contributed to the improvement in the provision of high-quality and timely healthcare services. To their credit, the authors provide a concise but comprehensive description of each of these technologies together with an assessment concerning their ability to improve the delivery of healthcare services in various settings. In addition, Kodali and Das (2021) emphasize that various new healthcare-related technological innovations are being developed at an increasing pace, and it is reasonable to conclude that the future of modern medicine will be technology-driven.

Based on their findings, Kodali and Das (2021) make the point that recent technological innovations have been especially important for developing nations whose healthcare infrastructure was already stretched to its limits prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this regard, Kodali and Das (2021) point out that, “The pandemic provided a window of opportunities to leverage existing information technology solutions and find new ones. These IT solutions can facilitate the achievement of sustainable development goals, specifically those concerning health” (p. 637). Given the scope of the scope of the public healthcare problem and the challenges that confront healthcare practitioners in many developing nations, innovative technologies offer a cost-effective solution that holds significant promise for the future (Kodali & Das, 2021).

An important point made by Kodali and Das (2021) concerns the wide range of digital technologies that have been developed for the healthcare sector in recent years, many of which provide viable solutions to the financial constraints to the provision of high-quality healthcare services that are ubiquitous in many developing nations today. For instance, Kodali and Das (2021) report that, “The technologies used in healthcare vary from simple hand-held mobile phones/wearables to highly advanced satellite technologies, enabling the health systems to collect, record and transmit health information, facilitate decision-making and provide healthcare” (p. 638). Likewise, Kodali and Das (2021) note that these technological innovations have combined in ways that can streamline the delivery of multidisciplinary healthcare services, thereby further enhancing the quality of care.

Finally, Kodali and Das (2021) also note that there are some significant constraints to the greater diffusion of recent technolo0gical innovations in healthcare services, including most especially economic considerations. As Kodali and Das (2021) conclude, “While the opportunities are ample, the deployment of these technologies is faced with slow diffusion, limited adoption, digital illiteracy, technical, human resource and financial challenges” (p. 642). In sum, the authors present a useful assessment concerning the uptake and diffusion of recent technological innovations in healthcare services as well as what challenges still remain to realizing the full range of benefits that can accrue to their widespread use.