Digitalisation of medicine – Welcome to the operating room of the future

Digitalisation is a hot topic at the moment – not just in medicine, but across all areas of society. But what does this term mean? Digitalisation of medicine refers to the use of various technologies with the aim of simplifying medical work – from purchasing to the operating theatre. Here we explain how this works and which technologies make a significant contribution to this progress.

Technologies for digitalisation in the medical field

Digitalisation in medicine is a multi-faceted concept. The question for everyone is where medicine will go in this dynamic environment. What role will doctors, healthcare professionals and nurses play in shaping the future and what will the world of operating theatres look like?

These questions should be examined with a eye on technological trends. In addition to the relevant status quo, the main focus here is on the opportunities and risks for patients and physicians.

  • Operating robots: Robots assist with surgical activity and ensure gentler procedures as well as improved quality of care for patients.

  • Internet of Medical Things (loMT): The term IoT is suitably adapted to the medical context. Central features of the loMT are independent communication of medical devices with each other or with medical staff. It is also about connecting local systems to the wider healthcare infrastructure.

  • Augmented reality: Augmented reality makes important health information available at a glance, such as through VR glasses that project analysis data into the surgeon’s field of vision. This technology is intended to make everyday life easier in education and training as well as healthcare provision.

  • Big data and artificial intelligence: In addition to analyses and data structure, big data and Al will also be used in other areas in future. Data-driven systems are intended, for instance, to help with (rational) decision-making and guide surgeons in the operating room.

As an author, Dr. Nemat conducts intensive research on digital transformation in the medical field

The findings of this article and the trend report "Digitalisation of surgery" were compiled by Dr. med. Andre T. Nemat on behalf of Medela. He is the founder and managing partner of the Institute for Digital Transformation in Healthcare at the University of Witten/Herdecke. With 15 years of clinical experience as a chief physician, he understands all aspects of everyday hospital life and talks about the possibilities of making day-to-day life more efficient for hospital staff and patients.

The Institute for Digital Transformation in Healthcare was founded in 2013 to address the challenges of digital transformation in healthcare, with a human-centric approach. Together with partners from industry and research, the institute sees itself as a driver of far-reaching digitalisation processes for sustainable healthcare.

A6848146-F628-4447-BCEC-33AA8D17799B Created with sketchtool. Trend report: The digitalisation of surgery (German) PDF, 3,77 MB
3A977CB7-8E7E-42BC-8618-DD481AFB2730 Created with sketchtool.

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