Improving health has long been one of the most important objectives of humanity. For hundreds of years, different cultures and societies across the globe have all worked on their own remedies, medicines, and other treatments for the common afflictions which their people faced. Despite all of the work that has gone into this field, though, the most crucial developments have all occurred within the last couple of centuries, and it wasn’t until the modern age that technology was able to have a chance to make things better. Few people are aware of the true extent of technology in a hospital, so this post is going to be exploring some of the areas which have proven to be the most influential.
Radiation Tracking
This first area is far more common than people expect, though it contains a natural component which has to be used alongside technology. As a way to assist in the process of finding problems inside the body, some patients are given medication which contains a small amount of radioactive material. This isn’t going to do huge amounts of damage to your body, but it gives doctors the chance to find issues without having to cut you open. Once the treatment is taken, medical staff can use special machines to track the radiation’s path through and around your body, and this has proven to be extremely useful.
Temperature Control
Most people are used to thermostats which are fairly inaccurate. Without the right amount of sensors to get a true idea of the environment around them, the sort of tool which controls your heating, for example, is nothing like the precise temperature control found in hospitals. There are a huge range of chemicals, biological samples, and other medical resources which have to be stored at exactly the right temperature, and a medical fridge is often the only way to handle this. Not only are these tools accurate, but they are also very secure, with some having locks akin to those found on safes.
Robots
The idea of having a robot work on your surgery will have many people’s minds going to science fiction movies and scenarios. In reality, though, robots are far more common in hospitals than people realise. For performing extremely fine and intricate surgeries, hospitals have found time and time again that a remote controlled robot can be far more effective than a pair of clumsy human hands. This is going to develop further into the future, and automation is likely to play a huge role in this field. Of course, though, you don’t have to worry about them taking on a mind of their own.
Cameras
Video cameras haven’t been around for a very long time, and digital options have occupied an even slimmer window. While they may still be young compared to other tools, cameras play a significant role in the medical field, giving doctors and surgeons the chance to see inside someone’s body without having to cut them open. These cameras are very small, and are usually attached to the end of a cable which can be controlled remotely. Of course, there are parts of your body which a camera can’t reach, but this can still save you from having to go under the knife in a lot of cases.
Monitoring
If you’ve spent a lot of time watching medical dramas, you’ve probably seen the array of beeping and buzzing monitors which are used to keep track of a patient’s vital signs. While those shown in the media are often over the top, they show just how much a medical team needs to know about your body when they are working on it. Modern monitors are often far more discreet, but no less impressive, with a lot of hospitals moving over to digital systems which allow for central monitoring. This enables people’s vital signs to be read from a computer, making it possible for wards to have less staff while also improving the chances of survival in an emergency situation.
Radiation Cleaning
Infection has long been an issue for surgeons, and those in the past would have very low success rates as a result of this. The tools they would use would often only be cleaned with water, leaving them covered with bacteria and other microorganisms, and spreading illnesses around hospitals. Fortunately, in more recent times, water is used in conjunction with radiation to clean equipment in places like this. While this is expensive, it saves the medical establishment the cost of buying new gear for each patient, and this has no doubt saved countless lives.
Beds
Keeping someone in the same position for months on end can often get very uncomfortable for a patient. Bed sores can emerge, and people will often find themselves getting weaker, making it crucial that the hospital has the right furniture for the job. Modern hospital beds are like something out of a mad engineer’s laboratory, with many having functions which most people don’t understand. The most important feature of a hospital bed is its ability to be raised and lowered, though. This makes it possible to get people out of bed when they are almost completely immobile, giving them the chance to get crucial exercise when they are recovering. While they are expensive, most medical professionals consider these beds to be worth their weight in gold.
Hoists & Gantries
Making some hospitals look more like a workshop than a place of healing, machines like hoists and gantries are another crucial piece of the mobility puzzle. Medical professionals can’t risk their own health to look after patients, and often have to find ways to move them around without lifting them. A hoist can lift someone out of their bed without putting strain on a person, making it much safer to move people from bed to bed, or even into a wheelchair to be taken home. Of course, these machines are pricey, though this is a small cost when you consider how many people they are able to help.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling a lot more comfortable about your chances in a modern hospital. While no one wants to go somewhere like this, it’s nice to know how many tools they have to help you, and most people should feel good about their chances of recovery when they go to one.
