Hello fellow humans of 2019! Have you realized that we’re finally living in the future? We are in the age where Nikola Tesla’s visions from 1920 are materializing in the form of electric cars, cell phones and more. The Jetsons, the TV show which began in 1962 is relatable with eerie predictability of household robots, talking alarm clocks, smart watches, jetpacking, Roombas (on my wish list, perhaps already in your living room), 3-D printing and pill cameras. (1)
Medically speaking, The Jetsons predicted the modern-day PillCam which is currently swallowed to photograph the small intestine and diagnose intestinal bleeding; 3-D printing was predicted on the show for food, but is currently used for reproducing live tissues, surgical instruments and prosthetic limbs. Surgeons also use 3-D printed models to carefully evaluate complex cases, as in the case of separating conjoined twins. The predicted value of medical 3-D printing is predicted to reach $3.5 billion by 2025, growing almost 18% from 2016, when it was valued at $713.3 million. (2,3,4)
The momentum of our tech revolution leads disruptive change across multiple health platforms. Digital therapeutics, the term for technology applied to cure patients by replacing or strengthening existing treatments, has lit up innovative minds. A number or physicians, researchers, scientists and investors have been motivated to pour their efforts and finances to the tune of $12.5 billion US dollars to fund approximately 738 digital health ventures in 2017 and 2018. (5) Medical residents are now being trained with telehealth rotations and companies like Teledoc Health offers medical care via teleconferencing. Serving 130 countries in 30 different languages, Teledoc Health offered 2.6 million virtual patient visits in 2018. (6)
With new technologies arise new questions regarding regulatory controls, clinical trials and measures of success. The FDA has approved mobile apps such as the Natural Cycles App as a means of hormone free contraception and the reSET app for substance abuse. (7,8) Additional FDA-approved apps include the MyDose Coach to track insulin for diabetics, GoSpiro which measures air output from the lungs for patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Mobile MIM which is approved for viewing radiographic studies for diagnostic purposes and the Eko Digital Stethoscope, which uploads data from the stethoscope and ECG readings onto a cloud platform. (9)
Still, relentless questions concerning the use of digital therapeutics continue to sway the field through insurance companies, pharma companies, patients and providers. It will be interesting to see how our tech momentum will continue to unfold, which groups will assist in pushing the revolution forward and which groups will skeptically taper the growth of digital therapeutics. Personally, I’m realizing the value of going back to ideas that blew me away but seemed impossible in the past and seeing how they can connect to our future.
#healthcare #technology #future #digital #therapeutics #medicine #health #tech #trending #healthtrends #digitalhealth #pillcam #3Dprinting #surgery #conjoinedtwins #digitaltherapeutics #telemedicine #teledochealth #biotech #virtualmedicine #naturalcyclesapp #contraception #resetapp #gospiro #mydosecoach #diabetes #substanceabuse #eko #digitalstethescope #copd #mobilemim #clinicaltrials #radiography #teleconference #regulation #healthinsurance #prosthetics
REFERENCES
1. Striga D. 14 Times The Jetsons Predicted the Future. ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/times-the-jetsons-predicted-the-future/. Published June 26, 2016. Accessed September 9, 2019.
2. Nawrat A. 3D printing in the medical field: four major applications revolutionising the industry. Verdict Medical Devices. https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/3d-printing-in-the-medical-field-applications/. Published August 7, 2018. Accessed September 9, 2019.
3. Heuer GG, Madsen PJ, Flanders TM, Kennedy BC, Storm PB, Taylor JA. Separation of Craniopagus Twins by a Multidisciplinary Team. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(4):358-364. doi:10.1056/nejmoa1805132.
4. Dipping a Toe into Emerging Technologies. NEJM Library Hub. https://libraryhub.nejm.org/article-hub/2018/05/dipping-toe-emerging-technologies/. Published July 2, 2018. Accessed September 9, 2019.
5. 2018 Midyear Funding Review: Digital health déjà vu in yet another record breaking half. Rock Health. https://rockhealth.com/reports/2018-midyear-funding-review-digital-health-deja-vu-in-yet-another-record-breaking-half/. Accessed September 9, 2019.
6. Teladoc Health: Who We Serve. Teladoc Health | Who We Serve. https://teladochealth.com/en/who-we-serve/. Accessed September 9, 2019.
7. Center for Devices and Radiological Health. FDA allows marketing of first direct-to-consumer app for contraceptive use to prevent pregnancy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-allows-marketing-first-direct-consumer-app-contraceptive-use-prevent-pregnancy. Accessed September 9, 2019.
8. Commissioner Of the. FDA permits marketing of mobile medical application for substance use disorder. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-permits-marketing-mobile-medical-application-substance-use-disorder. Accessed September 9, 2019.
9. Top FDA-Approved Mobile Health Apps. Docwire News. https://www.docwirenews.com/future-of-medicine/top-fda-approved-mobile-health-apps/. Published April 9, 2019. Accessed September 9, 2019.
Opmerkingen