Technological advances in healthcare
In the healthcare sector, there are constantly new inventions being made, whether it is new medicines or advanced technologies that improve the quality of healthcare. Advanced technologies in healthcare are a growing business. For example, the healthcare branch of Philips, which develops medical equipment, is responsible for 42% of the total revenue (Philips 2020); where it is from origin an electric lighting company.
Medical technological advances however go further than just improving equipment. In 2019 the first successful remote operation was done by surgeons making use of Huawei’s 5G technology (Huawei 2019). The realization of a 5G network has minimalized latencies on network connections in such a way, that doctors are now able to operate from remote locations. Where in the past this was not possible due to unstable connections or just too much latency on a network.
These developments bring with them a lot of advantages; Hospitals do not always have specialists available for a specific problem. Remote healthcare can help in such a way, that specialists from other hospitals will be able to assist or even perform operations from a remote location, instead of having to travel. This could save a lot of time, which in some cases can be vital. Or even during these pandemic times, when fewer people are allowed to enter hospitals, telehealth can offer great opportunities.
In theory, this technique looks very promising. However, it also raises ethical concerns. What will happen when people with malicious intent successfully compromise a connection when there is an ongoing surgery. Or maybe even worse, when connectivity issues arise. Besides, it is understandable that people value meeting their surgeons physically to reassure them for a (major) operation. The question is whether the many advantages will surpass the complications of the disadvantages, if this will be the case, the future of the healthcare industry can drastically change.
References:
Huawei 2020 ‘World’s First Remote Operation Using 5G Surgery’, retrieved 29 September
2020, from
https://www.huawei.com/en/industry-insights/outlook/mobile-broadband/wireless-for
-sustainability/cases/worlds-first-remote-operation-using-5g-surgery
Philips 2020 ‘Over ons’ philips.nl, retrieved 29 September 2020, from
https://www.philips.nl/healthcare/over-ons/philips
