Last week I was at a medical conference that was focussing on the advancement which are being made in medicine and the technology that surrounds it. I was fortunate enough during my time there to be able to have a chat with Dr. John Kang, a brilliant surgical oncologist and probably the most professional, kind and ethical man that I know. We spoke for over 20 minutes about the conference and the impact of the internet in particular. I wanted to share with you what the great John Kang MC had to say about the power of the internet with relation to the world of medicine.
Online Information
Under the moniker John Kang WebMD, Dr. Kang regularly contributes to the website WebMD which he believes is one of the best examples of what the internet can do for patients. This website features information directly from medical professionals and it can greatly help to inform patients about a wide range of illnesses and diseases. Furthermore patients can also check their symptoms on the website, which can often help to allay fears that they may have.
Virtual Doctors
One of the most exciting developments which we may see in the next couple of years is the emergence of virtual doctors who can hold consultations via video link. The benefits of this will be that many patients with minor problems can avoid going to the hospital to check their symptoms, which is beneficial for both the hospital and the patient. Hospitals have a great problem when it comes to waiting times and in the most part this is because the patients that are waiting have minor issues which can easily be resolved. The patient can also benefit from this because they will no longer need to attend a hospital or medical centre, they can have the consolation straight from their mobile device.
Implants
Probably the most exciting tech development that we will see in the next few years is the meegrgnec of implants which can be controlled via the internet. For example at the moment there is an implant which people with diabetes can have installed, which monitors blood sugar levels and releases insulin when they are low, this device can be controlled via internet and it means that users can check their levels from their own device whenever they want to. We also have some heart implants which report data in this way, helping doctors and patients to keep an eye on heart rhythms. Finally we could even see implants placed which monitor a huge number of bodily functions, and can send real time information to the user so that they can give their body what it needs. The implant is likely to be the future of medicine and it will be huge breakthrough for both patients and doctors who can better monitor what is going on inside the body.
