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Medical Technology Advancements

Medical advancements have led to new, innovative ways to treat disease and injury. In just a few years, medical technology advancements have changed, and we can expect even more to come in the future.

Electronic Health Records
The Bush Administration promised in 2004 that within the next ten years health records will be standardized and electronic. Currently, a patient's medical information is scattered across many files, which are located in various hospitals. This makes it difficult for doctors to locate a patient's files, which, in turn, makes it difficult for them to most effectively treat a patient.

Electronic health records would allow doctors to examine their patient's complete medical records at anytime from any location that has Internet access. Since the doctors will be able to quickly learn a patient's allergies, prescriptions and past medical history, there will less of a chance that they will misdiagnose a person.

Cellular Regeneration and Stem Cells
It is not surprising that scientists are achieving many medical advancements by further researching the fundamental building block of life: the cell. Scientists are working to unlock the potential of stem cells, which are immature cells from which specialized cells develop.

Doctors have recently used stem cells to create new skin for burn victims. While there is much controversy surrounding the medical use of stem cells, eventually scientists hope to use stems cells in a variety of medical procedures, such as to create a new kidney for a person who would otherwise need a kidney transplant. Many believe that the proper application of stem cells could eventually lead to cures for such diseases as Parkinson's disease.

Electromagnetic Medical Advancements
Many holistic and naturalist medical groups believe that the body is an electric entity. While it is true that scientists have discovered a definite link between the ways in which the human body operates and electricity, the exact correlation still remains a mystery.

Nevertheless, electronic and magnetic therapies are showing up all around the world. For example, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (RTMS) is a process by which a strong magnetic field is placed around the brain. RTMS is a relatively new, yet effective, treatment for bipolar disorder that is said to have very few side effects. So far, however, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved RTMS to treat bipolar disorder in the U.S.

Mental disorders are not the only target for magnet-based therapies. There are many who believe that the proper application of magnetic therapies can be used to treat all diseases, including cancer.

How Medical Technology Has Changed
One of the main concerns of medical advancements is that physicians may become too dependent on the medical technology innovations. Some people fear that doctors won't take the personal time to diagnose a person's medical problem and will let the different types of medical technology do all the work. However, there are also many who believe that medical technology advancements can only help doctors to better treat their patients.