Since the internet has come into the human race’s lives, we have benefited from several innovations and periods of evolution in our lives. One such field that has thrived is the field of healthcare. We have seen many advances in the medical field due to the internet. In fact, there’s a list of 7 ways that the internet has benefited our health system.
- Communication
First, doctors and other medical staff have been able to contact their patients easier than ever before. This not only counts for marketing and outreach for social media, but in the physician’s ability to contact the patient concerning medical information. Also, with the use of video calling, doctors can even reach remote locations with patients who cannot get to them. - Appointment Reminder Service
Another point of importance the the ability to remind patients of oncoming appointments. Technology has made it easier for patients to get text message appointment reminders, phone appointment reminders, and emails as well. All of this makes the medical process smoother and more pleasant for all parties involved. - Reminders to Take Medicine
Along the line of reminders, there are also reminders about when a patient should take his or her medicine. Long gone are the days when people would use beepers to remind themselves to take their medicine. Now phones, emails, and automated reminders help with that task. This makes it easier for the patient to stay on schedule, and thus stay healthy. As stated in the next entry, it also helps with the everyday lives of the patients as well, which is a wonderful thing. - Physician Appointment Cancellations
It’s also important to note physician appointment cancellations. Now, patients don’t have to go out of their way to visit the doctor and find out that he or she is not capable to meet them. Now, he or she can receive an email or some sort of automated messaged that will inform the patient of any physician appointment cancellations. This not only helps with the medical field but just generally helps with the daily lives of patients who are busy taking care of family, working, and living their lives. - Online Documents
In addition, the internet also makes it easier to get a patients information faster. If the information is placed online, that information can reach the doctor in a faster and easier fashion. If you change doctors your medical information can be acquire faster than through print documents and snail mail. This will end up being convenient to you as the patient. Plus, online medical information can also help to identify John or Jane Does and thus helping loved ones find their missing persons. - Medical Information
In addition, it’s important to note that there is not a huge amount of medical information that can be found online. The Pew Internet and American Life Project stated that back in 2004 there was a survey that resulted in 66% of 8 million seniors saying they got their healthcare info from online. Then in 2009 about 24 million Americans said they looked up medical info online. Patients all over the globe are getting informed about healthcare by looking it up online. - Predictions of Medical Trends
Lastly, it seems that the internet is also making it possible to predict oncoming medical trends. One way of doing this is by looking up results of online searches. Google states that by noting all the times people start looking up flu like symptoms, they can tell if there is an outbreak coming. Information like this can eventually help both medical officials and patients in the long run. That’s because we can then prepare a head of time and even prevent these outbreaks from happening.
The internet and other technology have skyrocketing with in the last two or three decades. Thanks to that, we’re seeing a lot of advances in our lives today. These advances in technology and the internet have made it so our lives and livelihoods are cherished and protected more Thanks to them, we are able to see great advances in healthcare and the way we heal and live. From physician appointment cancellations to predictions of medical trends, advancements with the internet are helping everyone in the medical field.
