- Reach Our Healthcare List Expert +1 (786) 408 5757
As technological advancements are revolutionizing the healthcare industry, some believe that Technology will eventually fill up doctors' places in the near future. However, others argue that Technology will finally allow doctors to focus on what they studied for in the first place: caring for patients and improving the medical profession. Every medical specialization will benefit from digital health advancements, and some will thrive. Throughout this article, we will look at the top healthcare specialties with the greatest potential for future development.
Artificial intelligence is a technology that mimics natural intellect, typically for learning, problem-solving, or decision-making. In healthcare, AI may perform duties that are previously performed by a clinician or other healthcare professional, such as assessing clinical data, providing insights to physicians, or operating medical systems. The word "artificial intelligence" refers to a wide range of technologies, including enhanced intelligence, robotic automation, natural language processing, and machine learning. Machine learning is a sort of AI that employs algorithms and data to mimic how people learn, synthesizing or improving a computer's "knowledge" of a subject. Healthcare workers can more quickly design pharmaceuticals, identify and cure diseases, and handle administrative operations with the help of machine learning (ML).
Source: Digital.Health
The total process of digital Technology in medicine is far more involved than just stating that robotics and AI will replace chores and jobs. As with any innovation, some areas or duties will be more influenced than others. The medical disciplines listed below will benefit the most from the digital revolution.
Sports medicine was once primarily the province of professional athletes, but increased fitness interest and the availability of health insurance aided in propelling the specialty to the top of the list of the fastest-growing medical specializations. According to the AAMC, the field grew at a rate of 55.3% between 2014 and 2019. It's developing swiftly, but with only 2,897 sports medicine specialists in 2019—72% of whom are men —still, there's space for growth.
Source: CCTE
The initial activity monitors that hit the market were primarily designed for people who exercise regularly. These trackers, however, provided only a basic understanding of their performance. Today, a whole new generation of devices geared toward elite athletes is available, such as the Polar H10, Wahoo, and Fitbit Blaze. These gadgets provide useful information about force output and movement patterns, which sports scientists can utilize to assess an athlete's ongoing performance.
Making a long-term difference in the life of a patient is exactly why many doctors select this profession. What they say is true: GPs are rewarded with great trust from their patients. However, simply seeing someone when they are ill makes it difficult to ensure their well-being and avoid sickness. It's even more difficult when the waiting area is cramped. In these circumstances, doctors have only a few minutes to diagnose an ailment, provide health advice, and devise a treatment plan.
Source: CCTE
Wearable technologies and sensors that can send data straight to a doctor's smart device, telling them if any vital signs are abnormal, would provide a wealth of information to help them provide better care. This will also help doctors to more efficiently treat patients who require specialized care. Simple therapeutic guidance delivered remotely will become a reality. As a result, the GP will have more time to treat and counsel the patient. More trust will be developed, which will encourage patients to follow their doctor's advice. Using these clever technologies, GPs will also be able to obtain expert advice on rare disorders related to other medical disciplines.
Critical care medicine has been on the front lines of the epidemic, but it was a rapidly growing specialty long before COVID. Between 2014 and 2019, the AAMC recorded a 38% growth of critical care specialists, reaching a total of 13,093 practitioners, or one specialist for every 25,314 patients. There was a projected shortage of approximately 8,000 critical care experts at the time of the study. COVID-19 has resulted in a high percentage of burnout among individuals practicing during the crisis, which is anticipated to increase the shortage for some time.
Source: JAMA Network
Medical drones have a high potential for expediting the delivery of vaccines, medications, and medical relief. This excellent idea saw Zipline deploy its medical drones to give medical aid in Rwanda. Researchers at the University of Toronto have been experimenting with the idea of automatically delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to patients who have recently experienced a heart attack via drone. The ambulance drones in the Netherlands served as inspiration for them. A recent test in Stockholm revealed that AED-carrying drones had encouraging results. They arrived with patients in one-quarter the time it took the ambulance to arrive.
When Charles Dotter noticed the promise of catheters for vascular surgery, he developed the concept of interventional radiology less than 60 years ago. Because of the high competition for fellowships, becoming a vascular and interventional radiology expert nowadays might be difficult. Nonetheless, the specialty grew 39% between 2014 and 2019. The survey included 3,875 vascular and interventional radiologists, 79% of whom were under the age of 55 and 90% of whom were male.
Source: Singapore General Hospital
Recently, narrow AI and deep learning algorithms have caused a rush in the medical imaging area. Many individuals were alarmed when they learned that Google's DeepMind AI program outperformed radiologists in detecting breast cancer. They predicted that AI would soon replace radiologists. However, it is likely that AI will improve their professions by relieving them of repetitive and monotonous activities. The future of radiologists will be much more than checking a large number of X-rays each day.
There are many to look forward to in the specialty of ophthalmology, and Novartis and Google recently suspended their contact lens research. In this discipline, science fiction technologies will be available to patients in the near future.
Source: Google Image
For individuals who have lost their vision, bionic eyes and retinal implants are currently available on the market. In 2015, the first bionic eye surgery was performed on a pensioner with age-related macular degeneration to improve his vision (AMD). In addition, six blind people's vision was partially restored last year thanks to a neural implant used in studies. Researchers in Spain were able to test another brain implant that uses toxic optic neuropathy to restore rudimentary vision.
Oncology is paving the way for customized treatments and precision medicine. Patients' therapies are already tailored to their tumor's molecular makeup and genetic background. This process is being accelerated by the use of blood biomarkers and less expensive genomic sequencing. Companies like the Illumina spin-off business, GRAIL, are developing fluid biopsies. The blood tests they have devised will enable the early diagnosis of all types of cancer. Doctors will soon be able to analyze and diagnose tumors without invasive surgery by filtering tumor cells from blood samples.
Source: Google Image
Without a doubt, Robots will take over more and more occupations in the future years. However, tremendous new opportunities will emerge, particularly in healthcare. Physicians will have more time for patients as well as the ability to upgrade or learn new skills. And there will be more understanding of disease, which the entire world will be grateful for.
