Computer science and the developments taking place in this field have proved to be a great boon for the healthcare industry. Since the past twenty years, various new programming languages and applications have been created which make it easier for health care professionals to carry out their health related work efficiently.
Twenty years ago, there were no electronic health records of patients in any kind of online database. Records used to be handwritten or typed, but storage and easy access was a problem. With the development of computer science technology and electronic medical records, patient information could be easily stored in databases which could be accessed by medical professionals and patients alike. It also provides statistical information and allows for documentation for a large population (Hendricks, n.d.).
Computer science technology has also made possible the development of ‘telehealth’, which utilises technology to bring about treatment through telecommunication or computer screens, and robots which mimic the work of a health care professional (“Pronab G. & Pradeep R.”, n.d.). Endoscopic surgery and imaging has only been possible because of computer science, and these techniques did not persist 20 years ago. However, now it is possible to fully visualise a three dimensional section of any organ, to check for any abnormality (“Biotechnology and Healthy Ageing”, n.d.).
After a couple of years, it required a super computer to be able to visualise the organ, but in the present age it can be easily seen on a normal computer in a health care setup. Thus, imaging enhances the diagnosis and efficacy of treatment of diseases such as cancer, and computer science makes it possible to store unlimited amount of data (“Biotechnology and Healthy Ageing”, n.d.).
There are Massive Open Online Courses which have had an enormous impact on medical learning for patients as well as health care professionals. Due to computer science technology, smart phones are high in circulation which contain applications pertaining to health care and patient monitoring, such as widely used clinical calculators, evidence based medicine tools, and reference texts to more esoteric tools (Bargiela D. & Verkerk M.M., n.d.)
Portal technology is a type of technology which helps patients and professionals interact through a computer screen online, and it has also emerged only in the recent few years.
Video medicine and Telemedicine is one such concept, where the doctor can directly interact with the patient through a screen, and it saves the cost and burden of having to travel to a distant health care centre (Weingart S.N., Rind D., Tofias Z. Sands D.Z., n.d.). This technology was not very widespread in the past 20 years but in the present times, it is one of the most widely used platform for diagnosis and treatment by health care professionals (“Telemedicine: The Future of Healthcare.”, n.d.).
Wireless communication, which was not developed 20 years back also enhanced the development of computer science. Internet coupled with computers has now led to a boon in the healthcare industry since patients require an online database and information regarding their diseases can be accessed online. It has led to more patients being aware about the manifestations of the diseases and prevention as well. Various websites related to healthcare and hospitals can be accessed and one can register for medical appointments without having to visit the clinic first.
JAVA is a high level computer programming language, which is object oriented and designed for use in distributed environment of the internet. It is used to design applications which can be accessed on a computer or throughout various servers through internet (“"Essentials of the Java Programming Language”, n.d.).
With the help of JAVA, diverse and specific solutions can be designed for health care related issues, and can be used to create more connected, faster and effective applications ("Essentials of the Java Programming Language”, n.d.).
The quality of user interfaces and applications is also heightened due to Java technology. The amount of security offered by Java technology secures patient date in any database, and the communication capabilities that come along with JAVA help to integrate hospital records, mHealth, patient management systems, end hospital solutions (Embedded Java Technology, n.d.). Another key contribution of JAVA is that it can be used to monitor and control the imaging devices which are required for patient health, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, x-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography (Embedded Java Technology, n.d.).
Various in patient devices need to be implanted into patient’s bodies to be able to gather data regarding their health status based on many parameters, such as ventilators and invasive monitoring devices. Java embedded can run on compact and small devices, and accurately transmits data across devices where it can execute commands on an external device which is not implanted.
Java embedded is also highly useful for infusion devices, such as insulin pumps. When a patient is not in the hospital or health care facility, the required drug is automatically infused into the patient through a device, and at the same time accurate readings are communicated back to the doctor who can then monitor the dosage and the status of the patient (Embedded Java Technology, n.d.).
Remote patient monitoring comprises of accumulation of data regarding the patient’s health status and providing it to a doctor or health technician, distantly, for further analysis. With the help of Java home health devices, this data can be collected, analyzed along with the feedback from the patients, and sent to the health care personnel. The feedback from these personnel after analysis is sent back to the patient, regarding the status of the particular health problem (Embedded Java Technology, n.d.).
Structured Query Language (SQL) is a special purpose interactive and programming language which has been created to manage data held in a database, manipulate and update it. The language command is sent in the form of queries that let you select, insert, update the date among other commands (“What is SQL”, n.d.).
SQL comes with a transparent data encryption which lets one encrypt the database without having to change any portion of the application, such as hospital or patient records, and other information about health care (Sredojevic, D. & Tomic, R., n.d.). One of the major advantages of MySQL is that it allows multiple users to work simultaneously and access this information from the same database. SQL has relational databases, which are tables which contain a unique name and correct data type, which in this case could be about a patient’s name, age, time of visit, illness, dosage of drug prescribed, etc (Sredojevic, D. & Tomic, R., n.d.). This data auditing along with Java technology helps to create health related applications and records which allow health care professionals to manipulate patient records as and when required, and this information is available with case further diagnosis and treatment is required.
The ease of modification of data makes it easier for the health care professional to update and keep a track of these and many more parameters, even if they are not too thorough with the latest software developments.
References
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