There tends to be a widespread view that everything is getting worse. Yet, while things might feel like they’re moving in a downward direction, the reality is that the opposite is true. Humans are better off by virtually every metric when compared with how mankind was living, say, three hundred years ago.
One of the best areas to see that improvement is in healthcare, which has undergone dramatic progress in recent years. We’ll run through just some of the ways in which healthcare continues to improve — the next time you feel negative about the state of the world, just remember that things really aren’t as bad as you might think!
Personalized Care
The quality of healthcare on offer isn’t just getting better — it’s also becoming more personalized. Thanks to technological improvements, doctors are able to treat conditions in the context of the patient as a whole. Indeed, the patients themselves play a role in contributing to this personalized care through the use of wearable tech, which allows medical professionals to access data that’s much broader in scope. This has led to better, more specific care that ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.
AI Is Changing the Game
Much has been written about artificial intelligence and the implications the technology may have on society. In many areas, it’s unclear whether AI will have a positive or negative impact. In healthcare, however, its contribution will be, beyond doubt, highly positive. From helping doctors make quicker, more accurate diagnoses to AI solutions for gait disorders, artificial intelligence is already proving to have a game-changing impact on the healthcare industry. And what’s most exciting of all is that we’re really only in the infancy of this technology; there’s simply no telling what breakthroughs it might lead to in the future.
Drugs Are Developed More Quickly
In the past, it could take around 15 years for a drug to reach the market. Now, thanks to advances in science, technology, and streamlined regulatory processes, that timeline has been significantly reduced. These innovations have already led to faster development of treatments for conditions like cancer and HIV. As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into research, the process is expected to become even more efficient.
Telemedicine Is Making Healthcare More Accessible
In the olden days, a patient would have to travel to a medical facility. Now, they can attend their appointment from the comfort of their own home via telemedicine. This has helped to make healthcare more accessible, especially for people who live in rural areas (some 60 million people) and those with mobility issues. It’s also helped to reduce the burden on healthcare facilities since minor issues can be handled via telemedicine appointments.
As we said above, it might not always feel like it, but the world is getting better, in some areas at least. It’s simply a fact that today’s healthcare is vastly ahead of what was available in the past — and the best is yet to come.
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