With the world moving at a pace faster than ever and the increasing risk of new diseases at every corner, medical lab science technologies need to be adaptive and developed to keep up. This is not only for the betterment of the patients and the treatment that they get but also for the convenience of the scientists who are working in the labs.
Such technologies are developing and reaching new heights all the time. Here are some of the latest medical lab science technologies.
Remote Patient Monitoring
With more developments and the increased popularity of remote patient monitoring lab science technologies, doctors and patients now have an easier time communicating with each other. Doctors do not have to make in-patient visits for minor cases anymore. Moreover, it is also helpful for older people who cannot make it to the hospital all the time but run the risk of frequent illnesses.
The COVID-19 pandemic especially showed the importance of having remote patient monitoring as a more widespread utility. With the increased need for blood pressure monitoring, oxygen saturation, and such, more and more people also got acquainted with various devices.
Remote patient monitoring includes common things like weight measurement, blood pressure checking, and more, like heart rate and blood sugar level monitoring. There are many convenient devices to help you with them as well.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is the next big thing in almost all industries and lab science technologies is definitely not the one falling behind on the trend. AI can help analyze the humongous amounts of medical data that most labs have to handle. It can make the entire process quicker and more precise.
Artificial intelligence can also reduce the chances of human error. The days where AI can put out treatments might be too far ahead and not the most full-proof idea, but analyses can certainly be made with the help of it. It can save time and effort on the labs’ part as well.
Although there are reservations about AI being in medical technology, it can be used effectively. It does not necessarily have to be for treatment at this stage. AI can still be used for a lot of data-driven things, which in turn can save time and effort for the actual treatment to take place.
Digital Therapeutics
Digital therapeutics entail software management programs that monitor specific health concerns. They can even be accessed as mobile apps in some cases. These programs are thoroughly tried and tested for the concern that they seek to analyze, prevent, or treat.
These digital therapeutic programs are a convenient way of simultaneous communication as well. Even if the doctor and patient cannot meet face to face, updates from the program can inform about the current condition. This saves the time and effort of both the parties concerned.
Some of the most common conditions that use digital therapeutics include mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, substance abuse, diabetes, and even cancer. It is not only about finding a solution with digital therapeutics. With effective use of it, it can monitor symptoms and can also help the patient look for preventative measures.
Data-Driven Healthcare
There are tons of data being entered into multiple lab systems all across the world every minute. That is a lot of data to be handled and to do it efficiently, data-driven healthcare is one of the easiest ways. It not only helps in individual cases but guides doctors, researchers, and communities to share and study data together.
It does require cooperation among organizations and communities to share data to labs and such. However, if it does turn out to be successfully inclined together, there is great potential for combined research for the overall betterment and advancement of medical facilities.
Nanomedicine
The combination of nanotechnology with medicine is one of the latest developments in terms of lab science technologies. Nanomedicine comprises the use of nanotechnology in biological and biotechnological devices. Nanotechnology has helped make developments in the diagnosis, and analysis of medical data. It also helps in precise and effective physical therapy.
The future of the use of nanomedicine is also full of potential. The industry is continuing to grow with increased investments like in nanomedicine labs. More commercial and widespread application, especially in terms of imaging and therapy using nanotechnology is being focused on. Nanotechnology labs should be going hand in hand with medical labs for more effective developments in the field of new medical lab technologies.
Useful Wearables
Gone are the days when there was a simple watch whose only purpose was to tell the time or, at the most, the date. Watches these days are most probably equipped with various kinds of monitors and fitness trackers. With more brands focusing on bringing innovation to the medical front, the wearables industry is an important place to look into in terms of new medical lab science technologies.
With wearables already being an established trend, the next trend that this tech is looking at is the potential to cater to more specific needs such as blood oxygen level monitoring or blood sugar level monitors. Wearables are compact and affordable devices that are often used by most people, making their market potential great.
Moreover, there is potential for them to be connected to associated technologies including with other data-driven enterprises. If the data from the wearable can be connected to other programs, they can help the wearer track their habits, store the data for future medical use, or even communicate the data to their doctors for remote analysis.
Conclusion
There is immense potential in the above lab science technologies and many more similar ones. They are only developing more and more each day, making it a great market to look into. The pandemic has already proven how much more robust our healthcare systems need to be in order to battle such unprecedented attacks. Therefore, new medical lab technologies must be looked out for, in order to develop them most efficiently and use them most effectively.