Abstract:

Medical technology has aided in the advancement of diagnostic practices throughout the health care industry, making diagnostic practices more accurate, reliable, and less invasive. Yet, the diagnostic aspect of a medical condition is only one small piece of the overall health care picture. Other pieces of health care include symptom recognition, scheduling, appointment details, patient history review, diagnosis, recommended treatment, charting, follow-up, and billing. Then there is the patient aspect of care; how are they adopting their treatment plan, is it effective, what lifestyle changes are involved, how can they effectively manage their health information, and where can these patients find support they often need so desperately? With so many aspects to care the medical technology behind the care is also a myriad of uses and roles for technology.