Innovations in telecommunication and wireless technology have pushed medical treatment well into the advent of a new era. Beginning with the burgeoning field of remote, robotic surgery and medical imaging, physicians are now capable of treating and monitoring their patients without necessitating their physical presence. Diagnosing patients through video-calls and remotely monitored physical exams are becoming more commonplace for physicians who are not easily accessible to their elderly patients. Many elderly patients are confined to their beds or homes, creating difficulties surrounding transportation to and from the doctor or medical facility. Videoconferencing is now capable of producing high-definition images paralleling what a medical professional would view having their patient sitting in a treatment room. Preliminary trials in videoconferencing have found little to no differences in diagnosis between a doctor who views a patient on a high-definition monitor and one who sees the patient in the flesh. The next steps, once videoconferencing leads to diagnosis, would be to move the patient to a medical facility where they could receive hands on instruction and direction for treatment of any condition.
Apple’s iPhone has changed the way many consumers view their personal phones and data storage devices. Medical professionals have been positing on the potential uses for the iPhone in patient care and monitoring medical records for as long as applications for the handheld device have been available. One obvious benefit of iPhone applications for medical professionals is the unit’s tendency to be carried at all times. The ability to reach a physician in urgent situations to interpret an x-ray image via picture mail or research potential drug interactions and allergies could have lifesaving implications. Medical professionals are carrying many wireless devices nowadays with similar capabilities to the iPhone, though the popularity of the iPhone is yet unmatched.
Programs to monitor diagnostic cardiac devices and other devices monitoring bodily functions are effective in affording a doctor a real-time look at their patient’s well-being. Additionally, physician’s using medical applications on their iPhone’s have access to the most current medical information, including alerts for breaking news of drug recalls and other medical emergencies. Wireless technologies, tools for remote diagnosis and robotic surgeries are all going to increase the comfort of care for elderly patients by minimizing their need to travel for care and screening.
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