Technology and Medicine Infographic
This extremely attractive infographic address how technology has changed the medical industry. It starts off by stating “medical technology is the application of devices, procedures, and knowledge for diagnosing and treating disease for the purpose of maintaining, promoting, and restoring wellness while improving the quality of life.” On the left of the entire infographic is a timeline of technological advances in the medical industry, starting with the invention of the stethoscope in 1816 and ending with the production of the first commercial hybrid PET/MRI scanner in 2008. Check out the entire timeline for the whole scoop.
US Med Tech Companies By Segment
A pie chart shows us that a great many medical technology companies are focused on therapeutic devices, while the next biggest segment belongs to non-imaging diagnostics. The next largest segment is dedicated to research and other equipment, and the next segment (second to the smallest) is dedicated to imaging. The smallest segment is designated as “Other.” In the therapeutic devices category, the largest piece of that piece of the pie goes to cardiovascular and vascular developments, and the smallest to urology/pelvic with many other therapeutic devices in between.
3 Ways Medical Technology Has Improved Treatment Processes
1. Faster Diagnosis
2. Less Invasive Treatments
3. Shorter Hospital Stays
Survival Rate
It is noted that the survival curve has flattened because of lower mortality and has become increasingly vertical with older people because of the technological advances. A graph shows the percentage of people who lived until a certain age between 1900 and 1902, when only about 10% of people lived past the age of 85, and 2002, when almost 30% of people lived past the age of 85. Based on this graph, most people live to age 55 or older, and around 50% of people live to at least age 80.
Advances in Medical Technology
Some of the advances mentioned are wireless heart monitors, skin cell guns, the STEM microscope, Nexagon healing gel, Berkeley Bionics’ eLEGS, and the iPhone Blood Pressure Monitor. A description of each of these advances is included on the infographic.
Advancements in Health Record Technology and More
Sprint has something called M2M healthcare initiative that provides GPS tracking for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and offers faster access to more unified personal data like heath records and test results. Now there is also a “know before you go” option for hospital emergency rooms. Some hospitals place their wait times on billboards, make them available on their website, and even offer the wait time via text. Some hospitals participate in a service called InQuick ER where a patient can pay a $9.99 fee and hold a place in the ER online.
Helpful Healthcare Apps
Some of the apps listed are My Medical, which allows you to store medical histories for you and your whole family, BP Buddy, that helps you track your blood pressure levels, Glucose Buddy, which helps you manage diabetes, and iTriage, that is a diagnostic tool. Also listed is the Ovulation Calendar – guess what that does? Also, the Mediquations Medical Calculator brings 231 medical calculations and scoring tools right to your mobile device.
Scorecard
Design: A
Like I mentioned before, this is a very attractive infographic. It manages to get a lot of information across in a way that does not confuse you or frustrate you, and the colors used are easy on the eyes.
Information: A
The information given is complete and well-researched.
Source: SmallCellLungCancer.net