Technology in Medicine

   
               One of the major aspects of health care, much like many other things in our society today is technology. Technology has come along way in the past 50 years, and it continues to progress a little bit more every day. Technology plays a large role in the health care industry, for example it allows us to see inside the body without having to open it up. This has helped us become more able to accurately diagnose internal issues because we can see them up close, without any drastic surgeries. A few of the more common modern day medical technologies include magnetic resonance imagery (MRI), x-ray machines, ultrasounds, and cat scans. Technology is continuing to improve our health care system, and these technologies are making it easier for health care specialists to understand the internal body systems.


•    Magnetic resonance imagery is
a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures. The first image created from an MRI was published in 1973, so this is a relatively new technology. MRI’s use nuclear magnetic resonance of protons produce proto density images.
•    X-ray technology has allowed us to see inside the human body since 1895. This technology allows doctors to see through a patients skin, in order to identify broken bones and cavities etc…
•    Ultrasound imaging uses high frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the internal body systems. Unike x-rays, ultrasound images are captured in real-time so you get to see the movement of the internal organs.
•     CT scanning (CAT scaning) is a noninvasive medical test that helps doctors with the diagnosis and treatment of common medical conditions, by producing many images of the inside of the body. CT scans provide a much clearer picture than regular x-ray exams, so they are usually used for more complex parts of the body, such as the brain, soft tissues, internal organs, and even blood vessels.

Technology has a huge effect on our health care system, Without all these technologies, it would take a lot longer to diagnose many common health issues, from something as small as a broken leg to diseases as severe as cancer. Treatments and diagnosis would be based solely on external appearance, so it would be a lot harder to identify the problem.  Thses modern technologies allow doctors to see the internal body systems, and identify any problems or things that don’t belong.

There have been many Canadian contributions to the health care system including the discovery of insulin. Insulin was discovered by two Canadian medical scientists in 1923. This scientific discovery helped a lot of diabetic individuals and people experiencing pancreas failure. The original insulin was then modified in a lab at U of T and is now saving lives all over the world.

    I think that everyone can agree that technology plays a major role in improving the health care system.  Billions of lives have been saved because of our new advanced medical procedures, and without them we would not be able to diagnose a lot of diseases in time for patients to get proper treatment, Overall, the continuously progression technology in our health care system has greatly improved the understand of the human, digestive, respiratory, and circulatory system, and continues to help us save lives.


Sources

http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/tests-treatment/x-ray.htm

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=genus

http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/tests-treatment/mri.htm


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