The Role Of Healthcare Technology In Medical Education

The era of new age technology has brought along a lot of changes in the world. The advents in technology and science have redefined healthcare and increased the life expectancy. These innovations and advancements have not only helped in the better treatment of patients but have also enhanced medical education models and healthcare practices for professionals. The current technologies in medical education and implementation of continuing e-learning for students and medical professionals have also raised the bar high. There are nearly 1.4 million doctors in India across more than 80,000 hospitals and 460 medical colleges with a combined capacity of providing medical education to over 64,000 students. The figures are promising, and with new age technology, innovations, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the goals for modern medical education are set even higher to facilitate the best healthcare to Indian nationals. 

MedTech – the new educational dimension

Medical schools and colleges are redefining their health system based curriculum to bring forth new innovations and current technologies in the education system. The aim of facilitating new biomedical innovations and learning in the medical course is to impart the latest knowledge to medical students for the prevention, diagnosis, and cure of diseases. Not just this, the medical technology is also getting greater acclamation by regular medical training of working medical professionals and doctors as well. The new improved technology, devices, and medication taught at the medical schools will help to enhance the health factor of the public. Globally, the medical technology industry stands at some 400 billion USD and taking this technology to medical classrooms will not only help in upgrading the medical education model but will also make the healthcare facilities better for citizens. 

The inclusion of technology in healthcare education and medical practice

 In recent years, the impact of Artificial Intelligence on healthcare and medical education has grown to a great extent. These developmental steps will improvise the training and education of medical staff and doctors. Internet of Things (IoT) has also opened new avenues for medical practitioners. The latest technology helps medical students and professionals to experience and understand even complex surgeries performed live in another corner of the world right in front of them. Worldwide conferences and seminars on new age technologies and medical advancements add to the betterment of the medical education models. Also, the edge provided by healthcare information technology has realized the dream of providing health care services in every corner of the world through E-Healthcare. The modern medical education is greatly benefitted through the studies done by scientists, clinical academics and practicing physicians.

The greatest role has been played by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning where surgical procedures and diagnosis are performed with ultra-precision using the newer technologies. Right from robot-assisted surgery, cardiac diagnosis, clinical training, drug safety, drug administration, controlled behavioral study, and therapeutic treatments medical and nursing education is incorporating the learning of current technologies in healthcare to up-skill the medical staff and practicing doctors.   The system of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has also changed the complete scenario in the healthcare industry for patients, doctors, and medical students as well. Furthermore, Big Data science has sourced and managed the data clouds, enabling medical students to understand case studies and analyze with utmost accuracy. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have also come useful for medical students to a great extent. The E-learning models and classroom practices incorporating AR and VR in medical education and training, surgical simulations, rehabilitation treatment, pain management, and behavioral therapy helps students to understand and become expert medical practitioners providing advanced treatment to patients. Mixed Reality (MR) has also projected its application in future nursing and medical health field. 

Although the goals for modern medical education and quality universal healthcare facility are yet to be achieved, the inclusion of new age technologies in health system based curriculum will address the challenges posed to the healthcare industry. Apart from improvising the medical study and learning for students, the latest developments are also building a new infra of E-Healthcare and telemedicine with great medical ethics and better patient-doctor communication. The future seems glorious, yet more efforts need to be put on a public-private partnership basis to create a perfect medical education and healthcare infrastructure.

Dr Ashutosh Tiwari

Guest Author Dr. Ashutosh Tiwari is the Chairman and Managing Director of VBRI innovation and technology group headquartered in Sweden. Under his excellent leadership, the company that began with small publishing activity in 2002 has become a multi-national company expanding its outreach into the research segments of education, health, energy, technology, agriculture, and environment. He is responsible for the functioning of the organization in India and on the International frontier. Dr. Tiwari has adroitly framed VBRI to facilitate social welfare and rural upliftment across the world, especially India.