How technology is changing today's health care

The history of health care technology starts with Rene Laënnec, a French physician. For centuries, doctors listened to patients' hearts by putting their ear to the chest. One day in 1816, Laënnec was called to the bedside of a young woman and, because of her gender, he was reluctant to do that.

He remembered seeing two children sending each other signals through a wooden tube and voila! — the stethoscope was born. Since then, the march of technology in health care has never really slowed. Today, groundbreaking advancements are revolutionizing patient care and the health care industry.

Many of these advances are driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Yes, it's getting a lot of negative attention in the media, but the health care industry generates so much data every single day that AI is the only way for providers and researchers to glean useful insights, and quickly.

Let's look at just a few of these advancements — some that are already here and some that are still coming.

Diagnostics

AI lets medical professionals sift through reams of data — cases, images, patient records and notes, for example — to uncover what might be ailing their patients. Data insights are being used to diagnose cancer, flag abnormalities, diagnose cardiac problems and determine the size and location of strokes.

Not everyone is sold on this approach, and I can't blame them. Until a doctor can see and understand how conclusions were arrived at, it's hard for a system like this to gain trust.

Personalized medicine

The Human Genome Project describes personalized medicine as “an emerging practice of medicine that uses an individual's genetic profile to guide decisions made in regard to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.”

As more and more people have their genes sequenced and placed in a medical file, a genetic profile may help doctors select the proper medication or therapy and administer it using a more appropriate dose or regimen.

Predictive care

Using data in electronic health records, a doctor may be able to forecast whether a patient will respond to a particular treatment. For example, analyzing a person's health conditions as well as social background, age, gender, race and other factors may tell a provider whether that individual would benefit from a personalized health or wellness program to prevent chronic conditions.

Wearables

Did you know your Apple watch can perform and record a 30-second EKG to detect atrial fibrillation?

Wearable medical devices give users immediate feedback and can alert medical professionals to serious conditions. Blood glucose sensors record testing results in a patient's smartphone and send them to a provider. There's a wearable blood pressure monitor that records heart activity, steps taken and distance traveled. Or how about earbuds that record temperature, a sports bra that aids cancer detection and eating utensils that can track tremors?

Hospital-in-the-home (HIH)

Pioneered by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Public Health, “hospital-in-the-home” has the potential to care for acutely ill older patients in the comfort and safety of their own home, away from hospital-acquired illnesses and infections. Remote patient monitoring and telemedicine make it possible to have virtual visits, medication reminders and more.

Veterans Affairs has hospital-in-the-home initiatives at a dozen VA facilities around the country. I think we'll see more health care systems adopting this approach to help their patients and keep their costs down.

Augmented and virtual reality

Imagine a telehealth visit that is more “telepresence,” in which you and your doctor feel like you're in the same room without being in the same room. Faster cellular networks and more powerful devices are providing the tools to create interactive and immersive health care experiences.

Augmented reality (AR) overlays an image onto an physical environment, while virtual reality (VR) creates an environment with which a user interacts. AR is being used in the operating room to give a surgeon better visual awareness during spinal surgery. VR, meanwhile, is helping medical students and clinicians experience the effects of neurological or mental health disorders, such as Parkinson's and PTSD, giving them insight into how these conditions are affecting their patients.

This brave new world of health care doesn't come without risks. Digital health records are all “out there,” and cyberattackers love to get their hands on them. The health care industry has to take the security of patient data seriously; otherwise, it could be subject to severe fines and penalties.

Health care has been among the slowest industries to adopt data-driven care, partly because of security concerns, partly because they can't hire enough people knowledgeable in it, partly because of patients' and doctors' reluctance.

But this revolution in health care technology is happening now, and it pays to be aware of it.

• Teri Dreher is a board-certified patient advocate. A critical care nurse for 30+ years, she is founder of NShore Patient Advocates (www.NorthShoreRN.com). Her new book, “How to Be a Healthcare Advocate for Yourself & Your Loved Ones,” is now available on Amazon. She is offering a free phone consultation to Daily Herald readers; call her at (847) 612-6684