More than meets the eye: How some of the latest tech trends are saving lives

Mobile computing. Big data. Wearable technology. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest buzz words and industry hype without seeing the real-world difference that technology can make. Fortunately, in the case of the three buzz phrases mentioned above the benefits of each are starting to be realised, in perhaps the most important way possible – through saving lives.

It’s probably a far cry from how these technologies were originally envisaged to be used. But the real-world applications of trending technologies, such as mobile computing, in hospitals, and the healthcare industry as a whole, are starting to deliver measurable improvements in how patients are being cared for and information on how efficiencies can be achieved.

For example, hospitals are notorious for the amount of paperwork they produce, and it’s understandable why. When something as serious as human life is at stake, it is essential that the right systems are in place to ensure smooth running. The problem with paper-based systems, even when used in conjunction with the latest IT system, is that no information is capable of being shared in real-time. When the difference between life and death can come down to a spilt second, any way of speeding up admin processes can potentially save lives.

This is where tablet computers quite obviously have a role to play. By replacing the clipboard and pen with a tablet, vital information can be shared more quickly, and in so doing increase efficiency as it also does away with the need to ferry back and forth to the office. Using mobile computing not only frees up a doctor’s time to spend with patients, it also enables them to make the best call for the patent at the bedside as they will be in receipt of the latest information – be that from the lab, or the previous round visit.

In a time where budgets are constantly being pared back, saving this time can be invaluable, leading to better care for more patients. Beyond this, advancements in wearable tech allow a cost effective way to share a patients vital stats, transmitting to hospital systems. This can potentially lead to early warning signs being picked up on allowing patients to be treated more quickly and before more serious problems develop.

Big Data analysis has been hailed in recent years as the most effective way of driving operational intelligence and efficiency. Perhaps it has found its most noble use to date in hospitals in the US, where it is being utilised to find room for patients that need it most – vital in our ever crowded hospitals. Ensuring care is given to those that need it most is what drives healthcare professionals, and with this technology, it means they can move a step closer to realising this.

So before dismissing the latest tech trend as a fad, give it some time. It may not be obvious to you at first, but technology has a habit of finding uses where it had never been originally envisaged.

Pat Nice, CEO, Reconnix