With a rise in disruptive technologies such as wearable technology, apps, and other healthcare devices, the role of a physician in the health care industry is changing dramatically and therefore is transforming the healthcare job market. What used a career in which physicians prescribed a solution when patients came in for a consultation is rapidly evolving into one where, by collecting data from various forms of technology, physicians can keep track of their patient’s health and prevent a disease or sickness from occurring. Therefore, medicine is becoming more proactive rather than retroactive making the current role of a medical professional almost obsolete.
We can anticipate that the job profile for some basic healthcare-related jobs like nursing, the role of a physician, and general surgery may see changes due to advances in technology. One such change is in the ability of a physician to analyze data regarding a person’s health and being proactive instead of being reactive when diagnosing the patient. Through the usage of digital health technologies–like Fitbit– physicians will receive data that can help them predict diseases much before the patient feels the symptoms. Companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Fitbit are already aiding this industry by collecting health data that measures the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of sleep, steps climbed, and etcetera.
My Apple Watch keeps track of the steps I walk each day and it reminds me how many more steps I need to achieve my daily goal. This is an extremely efficient way of resolving health issues because by monitoring basic parts of our lives, we can reduce the risk of becoming victim to live-altering diseases. In the future, physicians will be able to access the data they receive from providers and be asked to predict the patient’s health based on the analytics they receive. Using technologies like these, the patients may not need to go to a primary physician because the predictive data will guide them to the best course of action based on algorithms, DNA mapping, and real-time patient data. Slick, isn’t it? While this may sound simple, the physician’s job profile will change and he/she will need to be trained on how to interpret the data without a physical checkup.
People aspiring to be part of the medical field will need to be better equipped to work with data and computers if they want to be successful in this new profession. As a result, institutions need to integrate medical education with education in technology, data analytics, and engineering. Indesciplinary scholar, Benjamin Franklin once said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and this seems to be the case in the health care industry today.
Source: https://anadea.info/blog/how-the-next-generation-of-healthcare-tech-is-shaping-proactive-treatment