World Health Day 2023: Technology is the only big news. Taking on the world with its branches, healthcare and technology have a different equation.
Do you have a smartwatch that has a step counting app that reports heart rate and more? Thought so. It is likely that many of us reading this have it or have used it at some point. Well, we don’t scream and say (or do we?) that we live in the age of technology! Things seem to be changing and evolving at an exponential rate and technology is a catalyst in this super digital age. No aspect is wary of the digital touch. Healthcare has also advanced in multiple folds with the advent and advancement of technology and life being navigated by smart clicks and touches. Today April 7 is World Health Day, and what better day to talk about health and everything under the sun related to it than today? Speaking of World Health Day, let’s understand the story behind it.
For the inexperienced, April 7 is celebrated as World Health Day every year. Today marks the 75th anniversary of the existence of the World Health Organization (WHO). It was today in 1948 that the countries of the world came together to establish the specialized agency of the United Nations to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, so that everyone, everywhere, can achieve the highest level of Health & Wellness.
Looking back over the seven decades of healthcare development, the role of technology has been critical, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Life seems to be a complete paradigm shift in itself. The advancement of technology was one of the most cardinal changes. All of our lives have been translated from offline to online modalities and the healthcare system has also transitioned with changing times and tides. Since the expansion of telemedicine systems, the increasing interventions of artificial intelligence, chatbots and wearable devices, there seems to be a tremendous change. In the world of trends and trends, it seems that there are new fads in health as well.
But has it all been good? Will all this be beneficial in the future? Let’s see what the experts say!
Expansion of Telemedicine: “Telemedicine is the way to go…”
What is telemedicine? It is the remote diagnosis of people with the help of telecommunications and technology. As we used to video call our friends and family, the use of gadgets induced by the pandemic caused us to video call our doctors too! Telemedicine has been around before the pandemic, however its proper rise occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadly speaking, it originated in Primary Health Care Centers that were not fully equipped but had video cameras for consultation, but it never came close to its optimal use. But now, with more accessibility, it has also proliferated in rural areas.
Speaking exclusively to india.com, Dr. Aviral Mathur, MMBS, MD at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) and FORDA President, MAMC RDA said, “Telemedicine is the way to go. We are trying to instill and integrate telemedicine into our system.” He further added that telemedicine helps circumvent many things from time to time for both patients and hospitals, which makes it a great advantage in the healthcare sector. ” If someone is due to undergo surgery and requires multiple tests to be done due to some underlying comorbidities, a person would have to schedule different appointments with different doctors, which would require a larger investment of time. But, with telemedicine, it is possible to make the diagnosis in a composite way. This is one of the biggest advantages. Our multiple treatment modality discomforts are alleviated. That being said, nothing can replace the human touch of a doctor from now on,” added Dr. Mathur.
the age of AI
“Siri, call the doctor…” As simple as calling someone to ask Alexa to play music, people are becoming a bit dependent on artificial intelligence. In schools, we learned how computers and technology make human work easier, but now we can see AI taking over the world.
Now there are chatbots, modalities like ChatGPT and also robots for surgery. But these remain a contentious issue. How do we best use them and to what extent?
“AI is a debatable topic. It’s very complicated,” said MBBS, a graduate candidate who chose to remain anonymous. Speaking about the tricky terrain of AI, the challenger added that there are certainly ethical considerations that need to be taken into account when dealing with these chatbots.
While AI advances in other fields, it cannot replace the human trust factor required in health, the FORDA president said. Chatbots can guide you, but even to let off steam, people prefer a human ear. “Emotionless conversations are just monologue and not that beneficial,” Dr. Mathur said. According to experts, ChatGPT is not yet tradeable in the medical field.
portable gadgets
Did you just look at your portable device? Ha! Do you wonder if it was a good investment? It sure isn’t bad. Wearables have become a means to make you more aware. These gadgets can surely guide you, but the inference can be subjective in the person’s knowledge and awareness of their own health and device usage. While these can’t be trusted with precise numbers, they sure can be the guiding light.
In conclusion
While AI and ChatGpt are taking the world by storm and cracking high-level exams, human health exam requires the human touch and not a robotic one. Gadgets and gadgets have surely made our lives easier, but we shouldn’t rely on them entirely.
Technology is a double-edged sword, always has been and always will be. There is no doubt as to how it has expanded and somewhere also allowed space for greater accessibility in rural areas, but development and awareness of health care is still a long way to go.
Let’s keep those smartwatches charged but don’t depend on the beep to take action for our health.
Happy World Health Day!
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