Have you ever just stopped and thought for a second how important and dependent we humans have become on technology? I mean, its not just for entertainment-sake but even in today's hospital rooms when physicians need some extra help diagnosing, they're turning to technology too.
It's not just technology either, many Canadians have come around to revolutionize the way we understand the human body's various complex systems, including the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems, just to name a few.
Our understanding of the human body has by far become something of priority and the advancement of medical technologies are the result of human works and condition to imagine and research.
I explore today's fascinating medical technologies and Canadian contributors alike, who have shaped the human understanding of the human body, from outside looking in.
Medical Technology
The stethoscope & sphygmomanometer are two of the most utilized medical devices/technologies at the diagnosing and treating stage for doctors today; used to detect and measure a heartbeat, to calculate blood pressure (systolic, diastolic), as well as to diagnose organs such as the lungs for normal function or disfunction; all these tasks/purposes have various connections to the respiratory and circulatory systems.
X-ray, MRI, CT/CAT
X-rays, MRI's, CT/CAT scans put simply are forms of see-through imaging of the human body; I mean if seeing through the human body doesn't broaden the horizons of understanding the human body, what does? This is truly the apex of technology in the medical field because doctors are able to see the inside; the possibilities are endless and there are almost no limits.
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| X-ray Image |
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| MRI Image |
MRI provides a good contrast between the different soft tissues of the body, which make it especially useful in the imaging of the brain, muscles, the heart, and cancers. MRI provides a comprehensive picture to physicians and allows them to see what's going on inside of the person in order treat the patient accordingly.
CT/CAT scans
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| CT Scan |
CT scanning combines special x-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body. These cross-sectional images of the area being studied can then be examined on a computer monitor, printed or transferred to a CD.
CT scans of internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels provide greater clarity and reveal more details than regular x-ray exams.
Using specialized equipment and expertise to create and interpret CT scans of the body, radiologists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, appendicitis, trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.
E-health (Ontario's Electronic Medical Records System)
If you've seen the commercial you probably already E-health is a database made up of electronic medical records targeted at making patient information more accessible and more accurate. Now, instead of sifting through folders and papers, one can simply look up patient information in a neat electronic database, and in critical medical situations, this can save valuable time. Adopting this system is a economically and medically sound smart decision, a reason why the federal and provincial governments are implementing it in to the healthcare systems across the country phase by phase. The benefits of this system are endless and some of the following are those benefits:
-Emergency room visits: having instant access to a patient's health information will reduce the chance of misdiagnosis and possible unforeseen complications in the ER.
-Managing a chronic condition: For Canadians living with chronic illnesses, EHR's can making monitoring da-to-day risk factors much easier for patients and physicians.
-Wait times: adopting EHR's will help patients take advantage of cancelled appointments and create shorter wait times.
-Duplicate tests: with an EHR system in place, redundancy in medical testing will be reduced.
-Better diagnoses: EHR's can help Canadians receive better diagnoses because they will paint a more comprehensive picture of a patient's health history.
-Remote access: having EHR's in place will help improve and make advanced health care even more accessible to people who live in remote areas.
Canadian Contributors
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| Sir Frederick Banting |
Sir Fredrick Banting was a Canadian doctor, medical scientist, and a person who held many important positions in the fields he worked in, but he is best known for his invention of insulin, a product that many diabetes patients still use today. Banting's discovery allowed us to understand the solution to high blood sugar relating to one of the most important organs of the digestive system, the pancreas. It also influenced the discovery of many vaccines and medications for diabetes patients. Banting also later went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Development of Human Understanding & Knowledge
The medical technologies mentioned above are just to name a few, and if I were to list them all you'd probably be reading forever, but nevertheless look how far we've come. We are all humans looking form the outside, to the inside of ourselves, trying to understand every little bit and piece in the body, and thanks to many medical technologies and Canadian contributors what a way we've come. As years go by, doctors are becoming more knowledgeable, have more resources, and the technology component, put together adds up to better knowledge of the human respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems. This all leads to better healthcare for humans today and tomorrow.
2 Blog Comments
Blog Comment: Inggrid's Blog "Four for you, technology; you go, technology!"
Blog Comment: Caitlin's Blog "Importance of Various Technologies."
Sources (Info):
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1923/banting-bio.html
http://blog.physiciansresource.net/medical-research/the-importance-of-medical-technology/
http://www.ehow.com/about_4672601_why-xrays-important.html
http://blog.ictforhealth.com/2009/10/evolution-of-medical-technology/
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct
Sources (Pictures & Videos):
http://www.adinstruments.com/solutions/images/bp.gif
http://www.marfansyndrome.info/images/x-ray-bones.gif
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/19994main_brain.jpg
http://www.theaccidentalsuccessfulcio.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/electronic_health_record.jpg
http://www.coolhealthtips.com/news/images/diabetes1.jpg
http://knowingisbetter.ca/?gclid=COW_57bW06cCFcW5KgodFy6q-g#plan
http://www.barrypenner.com/page_images/368/Fraser_Health_Chilliwack_CT_sm.jpg
