Technology affect the doctor-patient relationship and facilitate in ways:

1. Saving time and money of both

2. Patient case history is updated countinuously

3. Doctor understands patient's improvement/development continuously

4. Patient can interact with doctor continuously

5. Doctor can suggest change of medicine/change of dose with the help of tech.

6. Patient can take appointment for physical check up, etc.

Hi Vilemar,

Technology has facilitated medical science, not only by bringing more sophisticated treatment methods but also medical-informatics has served well in improvement of data organization as well as patient-Dr relationships.

For instance you can refer to:

Hadianfard A.M. and Karandish M., The study of applying process of an Electronic Patient Nutrition Record (EPNR) on clinical care. Diabetes Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences, D-8805, 2009.

Or some articles such as:

Hadianfard A.M. and et al., Designing and implementing a prototype Patient Nutritional Record. Journal of Health Information Management, 2012, 9(1):19-30. [In Persian]

Omidian Z. and Hadianfard A.M., The role of Clinical Decision Support Systems in Health care: A systematic review (1980-2010). Jentashapir journal of Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences, 2011, 2(3):125-134. [In Persian]

I have personally undertook a research project about the communicative relationship between specialists and patients.

Today, right from Appointments - demographics - coding - medical transcription - billing - virtual assistance etc., are all ICT enabled in medical field

Hi,

Good question. Well, I would start with tele-medicine service. Due to the advent of technology, a patient staying in a remote village can send his medical data/records to a doctor, hundreds of miles away. Doctors can judge the current condition and give advice of the patients. Moreover, hospitals can set up a mega repository kind of stuff, where they can store each patient's complete data (previous visit, corresponding doctor, disease, medications, alerting the patient about medication or next appointment etc.). Apart from that, now-a-days so many non invasive bio-medical devices have been invented, which encourage patients to go for continuous measurement of different parameters (glucose, heart rate, haemoglobin etc.) as these devices enable pain less measurement. All these breakthroughs happened due to technology only. Therefore, technology is an inevitable part for bringing new dimensions to any domains including healthcare.

I agree with Satyabrata that technology is an inevitable part for bringing new dimensions to any domains including healthcare.

@ Paul

i agree that a lot on capacity building is done before inducting the personnel into these activities. Further in India this is one of the round clock business assisting medic all over the world.

The input training is broadly classified as

This whole gamut is to be protected by IT team Administrators

In addition to the normal day-to-day work they have con-call regularly with the client and handle the issues.

In some cases, technology is certainly of such great help, dear Vilemar!

I would nor like to get the results of a health check via SMS, especially when it's something serious. In general: technology can help in terms of effiency etc. But let's not forget that there is also the issue of data protection.

Some scientists think that medicine has become an information technology & they may give examples of IT applications which can potentially provide a patient-centered approach to medical diagnosis & treatment. IT is already transforming medical care and has great potential to improve the health & wellness of patients and populations. However, due caution is required: Whatever there are on-line information, whatever there are advanced tools, and whatever technological advances are there, the human doctors are indispensable whether they are gps or diagnostic radiologists or psychiatrists or cardiac surgeons or forensic pathologists. The patient-doctor direct relation is set by humans & cannot be set merely by machines.

As the AI-based medical diagnosis, improves, even doctors shall use these systems to get a first opinion! Having this a direct examination by the doctor would be more efficient. 

What is needed is a technological system at home for getting med data. This system should be not expensive. Then there should be public centers for sending the data and obtaining a diagnosis. After that one can visit a doctor if necessary.

Dear Vilemar, 

Than you for such interesting question, that, as a medical practitioner, and teacher of medical students, I often question to myself and my students.

Dr, Nizar is absolutely right!

In a modern often dehumanised world, in the Molecular Era in which medical students face technological competitively, we should thrive and quest for the more humanistic approach to Medicine and patient care.

This week, they presented the new type of car, with no need for driver.

As all the technological information would soon easily be inserted into a computer data analysis program, that might even prescribe, I very much strongly support the more humanistic approach to Medical practice that will fill the gap between sheer technology and patient-doctor presencial relation.

I notice, daily the beneficial effect of touching patients with my hands, and nothing will ever replace the soothing effect of the human approach.

I agree with dear Costas. AI systems at home, but only for certain cases with known basic diagnosis like diabetes, cardiac diseases. Technology should not replace the direct patient doctor contact in general but should be used in medical routine to facilitate the diagnosis.

I think that the direct conversation between physicians and patients can not be replaced by a high tech instruments like a cell phones and social media. However, technology can be used to help physicians to study the case and make more accurate and professional decision.

Doctor-patient relationship should not be destructed by technology! Kind and worm words are stronger than any technology!

I think that using the technology to improve services, to set appointment, reminders, to inform that a health exam is ready. It is ok. But to have an anamnese is not a safe procedures. Actually, I do not think it is appropriate to give results of health exams to patients. These results should be given by the laboratories to the doctor who requested them. Some doctors have reported that during an appointment some patients are looking their messages on whatsapp, answering incoming calls, etc. I think it is also a lack of respect to himself and to the professional.

My son, a physician, does telemedicine. He skypes with the patient. I have heard him called at all hours of the day to give a patient urgent medical advice.  Here technology enables a virtual return of the doctor to the patient's bedside without the physician's actually being physically present.  Although the physician can longer touch the patient as was true in the past, he can look at and speak to the patient. Hence the doctor-patient relationship is enhanced.

I second Nelson comment. Many new generation physicians are relying on technology at least to communicate appointments, off-the shelf medicine recommendations, and keeping up with symptoms before arrivals to the clinic, hospital, or office.

Dear @Nelson, such approach (telemedicine) is very fine for the enhancement the relation doctor-patient!

http://www.rochester.edu/it/pluggedin/tag/telemedicine/

ICT enabled Technology facilitates both the doctor and the patient relationship positively.

Doctor-Patient-Technology........... All are important agents & we cannot ignore technology in this innovative world.

The doctor-patient relationship is something inexplicable only with reason, is something visceral with roots deep in the human soul. No technology can change it at most can be supportive to simplify some operations.

My vision is that it will ultimately help to devleop something like a medical tricorder in Star Trek, starting with diagnosis "on the fly" or "to go".

Mobile facilities even with the illiterate patients facilitate both the doctor and the patient relationship positively. Saved useful time of both.

Technology like mobile, internet, etc brought the doctor and patient very near. Now doctor is never absent to attend the patient. So, doctor has become more friendly and patient's queries are attended as and when required.

Remote Patient Monitoring Solutions, Mobile health apps that improve health outcomes and reduce costs and Remote Monitoring System as a cutting edge approach to patient monitoring that includes a non-intrusive, wearable body sensor that allows physicians to monitor a patient’s physiological data from anywhere at any time... Many fine solutions!

http://www.preventice.com/mobilehealthsolutions/remotemonitoringsolutions/

http://www.preventice.com/mobile-health-apps/

http://www.preventice.com/products/bodyguardian/

Given increasing constraints surrounding patient/doctor relationships, I believe that this technology offers solutions to many of the problems within overburdened health care systems.  Apps which allow for patients to input symptoms, while not perfect, can save valuable time in prioritizing a patients immediate healthcare needs.  To be reminded of an appointment via text message and/or having post treatment follow up questions sent, would seem to be an additional convenience.  However, there is clearly no replacement for in person exchanges between physician and patient.  Nonetheless, this technology should be employed as an additional 'tool' within the framework of comprehensive and timely medical treatment.

First you have to clear 100% diagnostics. Then develop a strategy.  And then, use modern techniques to apply.

Summary:

1. Diagnostics with dense personal contact.

2. Scientific development of a strategy.

3. Applying with the help of most modern techniques.

Technology facilitates patients for taking 2nd opinion or more on the diagnosis of the doctor, discussion with the doctors, taking final decision on prescription, and treatment.

Doctors are using extensively outsourcing/BPOs/Call Centers across world for consulting experts, interpreting reports of patients, suggesting and getting additional or modifying prescriptions, etc for the benefits of patients.

With the technological revolution and video calling available, certain untimely calls can also be attended by the doctors to assist their patients. For some of the known cases, they also prescribe based on the symptoms so that the patient is timely taken care followed by personal visit within reasonable time gap.

As they sought a more effective way to treat patients recovering from injury and grow its practice, the leaders of HELP Pain Medical Network turned to AVI-SPL! Fine approach! Good story is attached!

http://www.avispl.com/help-pain-clinic/

http://www.avispl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/HELP-Pain-Medical-Network_AVI-SPL-Case-Story1.pdf

Dear Vilemar,

I strongly recommend you to take a look at these two books on how new ways of sensing, such as mobile technology, can help change today's paradigm on health care and transforme our lives:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Patient-Will-See-You/dp/0465054749

http://www.amazon.com/The-Creative-Destruction-Medicine-Revolution/dp/0465061834

If you would like to creatively build your own sensing system, link it to a smartphone and database, I would also recommend you to visit BITalino's project:

http://www.bitalino.com

All the best