Hospital Tech
Which technologies are changing hospitals?
By Joe Fernandes, founder and CEO, BuzzStreets
If you are a film buff or sci-fi aficionado you will be aware of the many technologies that have been imagined by creative writers. The automatic door first thought of by H.G. Wells, the wireless headset worn by Uhura in Star Trek, to name but two.
However, designing and manufacturing such futurist technologies does not just happen; the present needs to have a vision of what the future might be. And within the health sector there is currently an impressive amount of vision.
The top five answers to a Family Fortunes question about things associated with hospitals would likely lean towards Doctors, Nurses, Patients, Beds and Medicine, and that is unlikely to ever change. But what about the rest of the top ten. Ambulances? Bedpans? Masks? Needles? Wheelchairs? They are probable answers now, but in the future, the top ten may include Artificial Intelligence, Nanomedicine, Robotics, Wayfinding and 3D Printing.
Artificial Intelligence
Healthcare use of artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to grow rapidly. Examples of ways that AI could reduce and/or mitigate risk include: helping to detect high risk patients by identifying those in need of medical intervention and triggering alerts to medical staff; and helping to deliver personalised recommended dosages by factoring in the unique body chemistry and associated environmental factors associated with individual patients.
Nanomedicine
Nanomedicine applies the tools of nanotechnology to the treatment and prevention of illness. It involves the use of nanoscale materials for the delivery of therapeutics (including vaccines), biomarker discovery, bioimaging and for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Robotics
Surgical Robots are machines that execute surgical tasks. But they are not autonomous. A (human) surgeon performs the surgery using robotic instruments that they guide via a console. Although tiny wristed instruments move like a human hand, they have a much greater range of motion. The small size of the instruments means surgeons can operate through one (or a few) small incisions, helping with complicated operations by allowing greater precision and flexibility than traditional techniques.
Globally, da Vinci surgical systems is the oldest and most widely used system in this field.
Wayfinding
Wayfinding is an important step forward in making hospitals become more patient-oriented. It also saves the hospital time and money.
More than 85% of patients ask for directions when they go to a hospital or other public health facility, and 30% of first-time visitors get lost (Source: Deloitte Digital). Wayfinding enables patients and other visitors to navigate from outside the hospital all the way to the specific location they need, whether that is a bed on a ward, a consulting room, the café, or the pharmacy.
This saves staff time; many times a day doctors and nurses are stopped (and therefore delayed) by visitors asking for directions; and often patients are late for appointments as they are lost within the hospital. Indoor Wayfinding solves both these problems.
Global positioning systems are part of everyday life and, in normal times at least, help to guide millions of people and vehicles down roads and pavements every day. Since the arrival of Google Maps, we are used to reliable digital navigation outdoors, so it’s an obvious next step to take this navigation indoors.
For example, BuzzStreets technology helps people navigate easier through a hospital as well as giving them a more independent experience. The navigation app can personlise the route, so if you want to avoid the stairs it will show you how, it can also choose the fastest or least busy route for you, plus it can highlight interesting features along the way, for example, it can tell you more about the art on the walls of the corridors.
BuzzStreets also includes features such as a communication system between patient and doctor, the possibility of scheduling appointments, receiving medical scans and prescriptions in the app, heat maps, contextual notification, updated and edited locations, appointment reminders, and multilingual voice guidance. All of these features, and indoor Wayfinding in general, have a direct and positive contribution to the experience of patients, staff and visitors.
The BuzzStreets system can be found in a few pioneering hospitals, including the Chelsea and Westminster in London.
3D Printing
Additive manufacturing is where a digital file is used to create physical objects by adding multiple layers – it is more commonly called 3D printing. The origins of the concept are found in the early 1980s and since then more than a dozen methods or technologies have evolved, with examples of 3D printing in medicine (actual and potential) including: organ and tissue manufacturing; personalised medical equipment; customised implants and prosthetics; anatomical models for education and surgical planning.
The future as they say, starts now and an agile approach to the development and adoption of new technology has allowed the NHS to reimagine what is possible. These five technologies and others will continue to influence how our hospital will be in the years ahead.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joe Fernandes, founder and CEO of BuzzStreets, an award-winning navigation platform, that enables organisations (hospitals, shopping malls, airports, offices, stadiums, etc.) to offer their customers an indoor way-finder that allows them to navigate inside the building. The client arrives at the entrance or reception and then uses the bespoke app to navigate to the specific location (room, shop, check-in, office, or even seat) they need. BuzzStreets also supplies movement analytics that can help improve building efficiency and keep track of vital equipment.
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References:
3D PRINTING
AI
https://healthcareweekly.com/health-technologies/
ROBOTICS
NANOMEDICINE
https://www.nature.com/subjects/nanomedicine
ORAGNAOVO
https://www.dr-hempel-network.com/digital-health-technolgy/top-10-companies-in-medical-3d-printing/
VECOY
https://www.medicalstartups.org/top/nano/
BABYLON HEALTH
https://medicalfuturist.com/top-artificial-intelligence-companies-in-healthcare/#
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