Technology in Medicine

Technology in Medicine

The marriage between medicine and technology has made a great deal of improvement of healthcare and medical profession. With the help of robot-doctors, computers, smart phones and other technology used in medicine, people have a longer life than ever before. However, scientists have already concerned about the problems led by modern technologies in medicine. This essay argues that the contribution of technology in medicine is more significant than its negative effects.

The most important benefit of medical technology is the value of better health (Cutler & McClellan 2001). Almost all the facilities in hospitals are connected to computers, which can be divided into two types based on their usages. One type is medical imaging facility, which helps to create images of patients for doctor to make a definite diagnosis. The other type is used to keep track of patients' information, such as prescription, family history and etc. (Oak n.d.). Thanks to the computer, doctors can require any information from the database. In addition, more and more hospitals 'employ' robots to assist doctors in operating room. Compared with the surgeons, robots can do the surgery more precisely with a small cut (Clothier 2005). In the future, if it were possible to using a joystick to control robot's movements in real-time, the telesurgery from a distance will come true (Bonsor & Strickland n.d.).

As well as the benefits of better health, medical aids also allow physicians and patients to interact without office visits, which create a secure and comfortable environment to talk about some sensitive issues. Technology not only brings the convenience to patients, but also improves their quality of lives, especially for the vulnerable population, such as very elderly, very young, birth defects patients and disabled persons. They may receive the doctor's advices and alleviating their problems just via smart phones or some other technology devices, so that they can still live in their homes (Snider 2011).

Furthermore, technology benefits the elderly, who prefer to remain in their own homes quite a lot. According to Dreaper (2005), elderly people may have a computer in their houses, which will monitor the patient's blood pressure, glucose level and some other medical information, and then sent them automatically to their doctor and adult children. This equipment helps elderly people to live independently for longer and reduce children's worries about their old parents.

However, in recent years, scientists are already starting to think about the negative effects posed by current technology in medicine. Some of the concerns are about robot and device itself, such as weather the robots always follow the orders people give them. And the others are on the ethical level, for instance, patients may worried about their