“We’re moving to this integration of biomedicine, information technology, wireless and mobile now — an era of digital medicine. Even my stethoscope is now digital. And of course, there’s an app for that.” — Daniel Kraft, executive director for the FutureMed executive program

Healthcare technology is defined as the ‘prevention and rehabilitation, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and devices, medical and surgical procedures, and the systems within which health is protected and maintained’. Technology has long been revolutionizing our healthcare systems – bioengineering has produced artificial body parts and organs; robotics have enabled more precise and less invasive surgeries; advances in molecular genetics have unraveled causes of disease and have helped develop new therapies for their treatment.

Now with the development of the smartphone, medical practice could be placed directly into our hands.. quite literally. Patients could access medical help remotely, and doctors would no longer need face-to-face with patients to diagnose and treat them. In a nutshell, the transition from healthcare  to tele-healthcare will create virtual medical practice. Continue reading →