TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE OUR MINDS AND BODIES

Michelle Hamilton&

Danielle Leduc

DEFINITIONS OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES

Medical technology refers to the use of novel technology to develop highly sophisticated electronic products or medical devices for application in healthcare markets.(Washington life Science, 2014).

Medical technology can be considered as any technology used to save lives in individuals suffering from a wide range of conditions. In its many forms, medical technology is already diagnosing, monitoring and treating virtually every disease or condition that affects us. Medical technology can be familiar, everyday objects such as sticking plasters, syringes or latex gloves. Alternatively, it could also be spectacles, wheelchairs and hearing aids. Meanwhile, at the high tech end of the scale, medical technology includes total body scanners, implantable devices such as heart valves and pacemakers, and replacement joints for knees and hips. In fact, there are more than 500,000 medical technologies currently available and they all share a common purpose: improving and extending peoples’ lives. (Eucomed Medical Technology, n.d)

EHEALTH eHealth is the use of electronic

information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the domain of healthcare. It allows physicians and healthcare specialists to diagnose and provide advice for the treatment of patients at a distance using ICTs. (Nuq, & Aubert, 2013).

PROS OF EHEALTH This will improve the way patients receive care,

enhance the clinical experience and make the system more sustainable.

Doctors are creating electronic health records (EHRs) for their patients that contain all their medical information, including X-rays, test results, ultrasounds and other important data.

eHealth Ontario connects physicians and health care providers by allowing the transmission of electronic health data across a wide network of electronic health record (EHR) systems throughout the province

Canada is a huge supporter of eHealth

(eHealth Ontario, 2014)

CONS OF EHEALTH The greatest barrier to e-Health is the

difficulty for consumers to find accurate and reliable information (Maloney et al., 2005).

Source credibility and information completeness are two cons to eHealth. (Dutta-Bergman, 2004).

Incomplete health information may mislead the consumer into making a incorrect decision. (Dutta-Bergman, 2004).

STAKEHOLDERS IN THE EHEALTH INDUSTRY

Academic institutions, health care provider institutions, public health agency’s, industry associations, clinicians, consumers, technology vendors, Canada Health Infoway, Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) (Nuq. & Aubert. 2013).

MEDICAL ROBOTS Robotic devices are used to replace missing

limbs, perform delicate surgical procedures, deliver neurorehabilitation therapy to stroke patients, teach children with learning disabilities, and perform a growing number of other health related tasks.

According to the Robot Institute of America, a robot is ‘‘a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.”

(Speich & Rosen, n.d)

PROS TO MEDICAL ROBOTS Medical robots are designed for safer

surgeries and a newer kind of innovative procedures related to heart, nervous system, urology, ophthalmology, to treat with minimal invasion and precision.

-Nano-Robots in our blood stream to treat CancerRobots in Tele-surgery for remote surgery (surgeons control surgeries from another room)Sensei: a robot for catheter guidance in heart surgeries

(Kaur. 2012)

PROS CONTINUED... Da Vinci: a robot for laparoscopic interventions

and Tele-Surgery (open heart surgery)Zeus: a robot for voice controlled remote Tele-surgery (Biopsies)Aesop: a voice controlled robot for endoscopic camera positioning (pituitary gland)Endoassist: a robot for endoscopic guidance (colorectal surgeries)Otelo: A tele-robot for mobile tele-echography (ultrasounds to check heart rate, ovaries, appendix etc)

(Kaur. 2012)

PROS CONTINUED... Nanorobots: Swallowable Micro-capsules for

Endoscopy (Used in Gastrointestinal diseases)Spine Assist: A Robot for surgery of the spine (spinal surgery)Robocast: a Robot for keyhole neurosurgery (brain)CyberKnife: a Robot that performs Radio Therapy (brain tumors)

(Kaur. 2012)

CONS TO MEDICAL ROBOTS Because of the rising number of incidents—

282 injury reports last year, including 28 deaths, up 34% from the year before—the FDA inspected Intuitive earlier this year and in July issued a warning letter stating the company hadn't reported certain safety changes to its Da Vinci robotics system, asking for "additional corrective actions."

Insignificant training with Robots can result in injuries to the patient

Very costly (Pinkerton, 2013)

BIONIC LIMBS Bionic Limbs: the technique of replacing a

limb or body part by an artificial limb or part that is electronically or mechanically powered.

The word BIONIC is used to describe any artificial mechanism that functions like a living organism or part of a living organism.

What it’s made of: strong light-weight carbon fiber or titanium. Some even look like the real thing... even down to the fine hairs!

(Kaur. 2012)

PROS TO BIONIC LIMBS They can also connect wirelessly to remote

communication devices, such as a wearer's smartphone. This, in turn, can connect to smart-city software platforms, such as Living PlanIT's Urban Operating System, which links intelligent buildings and urban infrastructure. All of which means that a three-way real-time conversation can take place between the user, their prosthesis and their environment – an environment that is potentially responsive to their needs.

Bionic limbs are almost always stronger than normal human ability

(Sterry. 2012)

PROS CONTINUED... Bionics is about more than replacement

body parts. It's about conceiving the body in its entirety and understanding the interplay between its many parts – and in its wider environment

According to Melissa Sterry, (2012) “The medical bionics of the future will be as unique to an individual as their DNA, in both function and form – customised to personality as much as physicality.”

(Sterry. 2012)

CONS FOR BIONIC LIMBS The price of a bionic limb is very

costly Individuals have to go through hours

of Physical therapy People may feel some discomfort

with the bionic limb when it’s put in place

(Sterry. 2012)

REFERENCES Dutta-Bergman, M. (2004). The impact of completeness and

Web use motivation on the credibility of e-health information. Journal of Communication, 54(2), 253-269.

eHealth Ontario. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.ehealthontario.on.ca/en/about

Eucomed Medical Technology. N.d. retrieved from http://www.eucomed.be/medical-technology

Kaur, S. (2012). How Medical Robots are going to Affect Our Lives. IETE Technical Review (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd.), 29(3), 184-187. doi:10.4103/0256-4602.98859

Maloney, S., Ilic, D., & Green, S. (2005). Accessibility, nature and quality of health information on the Internet: A survey on osteoarthritis. Rheuma tology, 44(3), 382-385.

Nuq, P., & Aubert, B. (2013). Towards a better understanding of the intention to use eHealth services by medical professionals: The case of developing countries. International Journal Of Healthcare Management, 6(4), 217-236. doi:10.1179/2047971913Y.0000000033

REFERENCES CONTINUED... Pinkterton,J. (November 17, 2013). The wall

street journal. The Pros and Cons of Robotic Surgery. Retrieved From: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304655104579163430371597334

Speich & Rosen. (n.d) Marcel Dekker. Medical Robitics. Retrieved From: http://bionics.soe.ucsc.edu/publications/BC_01_Medical_Robotics.pdf

Sterry, M. (October 27 2012). The guardian. We Have The Technology. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/volvo-design/technology-disability-improvements

Washington Life Science. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonlifescience.com/industry/definition_medtech.htm