The term “digital” can mean different things to different people. In our generation, the word “digitised” has become synonymous with accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness. More recently, however, the word has come to refer to high-tech medical devices. One such high-tech device is digital imaging equipment. This technology provides a way to produce high-quality images that are vital in making important decisions about patient care and treatment.
As an industry, digital health care provides many stakeholders with important opportunities to control costs and improve quality of care. The term “digital” in this context usually refers to digital devices and procedures that include digital radiography, digital x-ray, digital gastroscope, digital ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scanner, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, mammography or ultrasound scanner, or computerized tomography (CT) scanner. Digital medical devices and modalities have become so important in the practice of medicine that many stakeholders cannot afford to ignore them.
For example, clinical laboratory equipment manufacturers have designed new and improved models of digital medical diagnostic devices for physicians to use in examining patients. New and improved models of these devices enable physicians to acquire and interpret detailed information about a person’s health history at a much faster rate. The information gathered by these new and improved devices can be shared between doctors, surgeons, and other health care professionals with immediate access to the information and results. New and improved models of these devices are now routinely used in various types of specialties including cardiology, dermatology, orthopedics, pediatrics, neurology, radiology, gastroenterology, and infectious diseases. This kind of medical device is used widely in the field of cardiology and is considered as a breakthrough in medical imaging.
Research has been ongoing since the mid-1990s on how to improve upon and further the capabilities of diagnostic imaging devices. One goal was to develop digital technologies that can provide images at higher resolutions that can be read by people with poor vision as well as by those with nearsightedness or farsightedness. Another goal was to develop technologies that will make it easier for visually impaired individuals to navigate and operate electronic machines. Public health experts have also sought to address concerns on issues such as the well-being of patients when in the care of such patients, especially those with long-term health conditions.
There is an emerging field of medical devices and modalities that are focused on enabling users to control and utilize digital technology to improve their well-being. The advances in this field include the development of devices that have the ability to measure heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and perspiration. Some of the benefits of these types of medical devices include:
The benefits of digital technology for improving patient care are substantial. The advances in this technology allow for a greater level of accuracy when performing these tasks, what are the benefits of digital health technologies? What are the focus in digital health technologies? These are questions that health experts continue to answer.