There are many people all around the world that are concerned about the way that technology is changing the way that we interact with each other. They often argue that it has made it tougher for people to actually interact with each other, or that the pornography that can be found on the Internet can negatively influence young men, for example.
However, it is hard to deny that there is one massive positive aspect to the rapid technological advancement of human civilization in recent years: the fact that there are more companies that are able to improve our health, well-being, and medical knowledge. Here are three ways that companies are doing everything that they can to help advance medicine and find innovative new solutions to issues within the healthcare sector.
Helping Keep Patients On Track
Thanks to technology, there are more ways to remind patients about what they need to do. For example, our smartphones, apps, alarm clocks, and more features, allow us to be reminded no matter who we are, and where we are, that it is time to take our medication. There also might even be other reasons that patients don’t take their medication, such as not trusting their doctor, or worrying about becoming dependent on it.
One example of this is the Medisafe company, which is a cloud-synced mobile medical reminder startup that has helped to make sure that patients are taking the right amount of medication, which is crucial for making sure that an individual doesn’t overdose or underdose with regards to their treatment. In fact, the company found that it has noticeably helped with regards to Diabetes 2 adherence. The fact that more patients around the world can make sure that they are “on track” with regards to treatment is a huge advancement for medicine.
More Information Than Ever
Medicine is not only more advanced than ever, but it is also more affordable than ever. These days, it is more affordable than ever to find out more about your own genetic makeup, thanks to companies such as 23AndMe. In fact, over 26 million individuals have added their DNA to a database of some kind, and the tests often cost less than $100.
While there are certainly concerns about privacy - there are many that are hopeful about the kind of medical advancements that could result thanks to this valuable trove of genetic information. In fact, London-based drug company GlaxoSmithKline has made a significant investment in 23AndMe specifically to develop new drugs. The founder and chief executive of 23AndMe, Anne Wojcicki, acknowledged how “transformative” this particular collaboration would be for her company. The truth is that companies now have more data than ever about us, and this might lead to breakthroughs with regards to medicine and treatment.
The Importance Of Trials
While information is extremely valuable, the truth is that medicine does require trials in order to truly evaluate not only how effective a certain medicine or treatment is, but to ensure its safety, as well. Many attribute the fact that the decrease in coronary heart disease in the United States from 1980 to 2000 has a lot to do with the fact that there were trials to understand which treatments were safe, effective, and ready to implement. It was also a trial that helped with regards to developing a vaccine for polio, as well.
We know that there is more data than ever with regards to human beings, but clinical studies are absolutely necessary to determine whether a treatment is realistic, and whether there are side effects that have to be examined and/or considered.