Making Change The Only Constant

Medical research often throws up some exciting works that would become a reality in the near future. The `marriage’ between frontline research in genetics and information technology has generated healthy and amazing offsprings that would change the delivery of medical care.

Already, new technologies like `wearables’ have brought about a sea change in predictive and preventable medicine. Realtime monitoring of blood pressure, heart functions, sugar levels, calorie burnouts and even alerts beeped to users on need to exercise or control their diet are now a reality.

This is on the technology front. On the genetic front, experiments are on in delivering tailormade medicines for individuals. It is a known fact that at present drugs are given in a `one size fits all’ formula. Very soon, drugs would be prescribed according to the genetic nature of a patient and the nature of the disease. The drug would then be tailormade and the delivery would be precise and effective without damaging healthy cells or tissues.

While on the topic of drug delivery, researchers in Germany have developed a tiny robot prototype that can navigate around in a stomach or the urinary system. The goal is to deliver drugs to a pre-determined and specific target within the body.

Technology has been developed not just to deliver drugs. Newer technologies have made life-saving equipment smaller and smarter; so small, smart and mobile that some of these equipment can be wheeled into homes to take care of critically ill patients. A classical example is that of ICU at home and delivering chemotherapy. Earlier, ICU was synonymous with high-end hospitals and a hospital visit was a must for chemo; now no more. ICU can be set up at home and chemotherapy can be done at the patients’ residence.

It is not just cancer that is getting all the attention. There is growing concern over ageing population and diseases associated with this group. For example, Alzheimer’s is a major concern. Now researchers have developed a device that acts as a pacemaker for the brain. With the help of this pacemaker, patients with Alzheimer’s can retain functional, cognitive and behavioural abilities for a longer duration, thus, improving their quality of life.

New ground-breaking strides are also being undertaken in delivering medical care at homes, thanks to the technology advancements that have made life-saving devices portable and cost-effective. Post-op care, long-term care, chemotherapy, physiotherapy, post-delivery care etc can now be taken care of at homes through a synergy between technology and human skills. This has vastly improved the quality of care and patient comfort. Patients can now receive quality treatment at the comfort of their homes, ensuring mental peace and faster recovery.

In India, healthcare at home is fast catching up. The boundaries of this realm are limitless. Newer technologies and trained personals are bound to change the way healthcare is delivered. No wonder, even in healthcare delivery, change is the only constant factor.