By Samantha Rivers
Technology is changing healthcare for many groups. Moms of babies in the NICU can now use video conferencing technology to check up on their babies when they can’t be there. The elderly can stay at home longer thanks to the growing use of home monitoring technology. Gamification in pediatrics are helping some of the sickest kids feel a little more in control.
Changes in healthcare technology are also benefiting women in numerous ways – some of which address the gender bias in medicine that still exists. Here are a few ways that technology is changing healthcare for women, along with some predictions about how tech will keep improving how we take care of ourselves.
Getting Better Test Results
Diagnostic tests and scans have come a long way since just a few years ago when the idea that testing could be overused was considered out-there. Now, the advances in technology that have made radiology better, are also showing that screening across the board can do more harm than good. How doctors discover and treat breast and ovarian cancers, for instance, is already changing. By the time our generation ages into a higher risk category, there may even be an app for that!
Making It Easier to Connect
Getting to the doctor isn’t always easy, and there are now plenty of startups that are offering better online access to doctors and specialists. It’s not just about better communication. Imagine the convenience of getting a birth control prescription refilled with just a few taps, rather than an in-office visit with your gynecologist.
Remote access to medical professionals can potentially save healthy (or even sick) people from having to leave work to schedule office visits for minor questions and complaints. Currently, services like MyHealth Online and others are giving providers and patients another way to communicate and getting in-touch is absolutely going to get even easier.
Putting Women in Charge
Wearables aren’t just a curiosity anymore. From Fitbit and alike, to life tracking smartwatches, we’re adorning ourselves with technology that’s empowering us to be proactive in making better decisions surrounding our health. With today’s rapidly advancing mobile technology, owning a device with a Snapdragon processor will allow you to use apps at lightning speed.
If you’re too busy to make it to the doctor’s office, devices with this sort of technology will allow you to stream 4K Ultra HD video seamlessly if you need to do a virtual appointment. Apps can help us get enough shut eye, give us the tools to stay on top of cycles, catch cancer early, conceive and even get fit. Combine that with the new communication tools mentioned above, and now you’re in the driver’s seat where your physical, emotional and mental wellness are concerned.
Breaking Barriers
For those women who can’t access healthcare through traditional channels, technology these days can be a godsend. Illiteracy, financial issues and distance are no longer the barriers they once might have been. Envision an illiterate woman in a remote village receiving prenatal advice via phone in her local dialect, or the same woman having a video consultation with a nurse midwife. The technology to make it happen exists now, but the challenge is putting that technology into more women’s hands.
While many of the most interesting advances in healthcare technology for women are still in the pilot stages, there is so much promise. Someday soon, medicine’s gender bias may be a non-issue and there’s a good chance technology will be partly responsible.
Samantha Rivers is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago (Go Cubs!) and loves writing anything in the lifestyle, technology, and career realm both online and print. When she’s not running the Upward Onward blog, she enjoys reading, finding new restaurants, being active outside, and indulging in a glass of wine or two.