Technology improves every day. Whether it’s a new way to communicate, shop, do your job or travel, technology ingrains itself in our lives to make things more efficient. Medical technology has come a long way as well! Here are 6 ways medical technology is improving healthcare.

• The internet has become the main source of medical information. In 2004, only 8 million seniors in the US used the internet to search for healthcare information. By 2010, the number jumped from 8 million to 25 million. The internet has made patients more empowered to make decisions about what to do next.
• Healthcare facilities are reaching their patients with social media. Hospitals and clinics are using Facebook to establish contact with patients, answer questions, improve public awareness and even live chat with patients.
• Better treatment and less suffering. This is the most obvious improvement to healthcare. Medical researchers are in the works of developing a bionic eye that connects directly to the brain to help blind patients. MIJA’s Critical Alert is no bionic eye but our oxygen management system helps improve the quality of life for patients in need of medical oxygen and makes the jobs of caregivers easier and less stressful.
• Improved patient care and worker efficiency. Information technology has made patient care safer and more reliable for doctors and nurses. Everything is digital now. These electronic databases consolidate large amounts of information so scientist and doctors can easily access this information for medical research.
• Doctors are easier to reach and better at their jobs. With smartphones, doctors are easier to reach and can access patient medical records and history. Doctors can email, text, send photos and videos to their colleagues all over the world and share information, diagnose, treat and research conditions without moving patients.
• Online databases can be used to predict medical trends. By analyzing search trends on Google, we can accurately predict trends such as flu outbreaks.  Of course, not every person that searched for “flu” is actually sick but there is a pattern in increased search numbers and when flu outbreaks actually happen. This can give the medical community an insight on when an outbreak is going to happen and be ready for it.