BioBusiness Revolution: Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences
Readings - Section 7A and B, Youtube clip on Emergence of and Immerging of Disease Management
Thoughts and Summary: The emerging trend in global health is a concern especially when baby boomers are consuming large medical health services. As they aged, chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and arthritis are inevitable. Due to the emerging trends in global health, medical centres are tailoring personal home-to-home medical services to the elderly so much so that the medical costs are reduced. Elderly can now lived up to 90 and above, and it is never surprising the number goes higher than 100. Elderly are living longer and healthier with the help of medical care and increased self-awareness on their health problems. It just struck me on the question, “Can I be able to live so long just like them?” I just pondered over this. I am just not sure by looking at the lifespan of my grandparents. I wish that in the past they can receive such medical treatment as compared to now.
With the new methods proposed for each individual, doctors can carefully monitor their patients though the telecommunication systems on internet and telephones. High risk patients will seek higher attention health care from their medical providers at home without leaving their houses. It makes the entire systems so efficient and serves the purpose of bringing convenience to the less mobile patients. All it needs to take is the patients administer their health status and doctors/ nurses can accesses to these information easily and give medical advice according to their health condition. I find that this daily or weekly proactive monitoring system allows patient to communicate with the doctors in an efficient way through virtual messages instead of patient going through the pain of waiting for the next medical consultation. I know how it feels because one of my family members has shared the experience he had in the hospital for every medical check-ups (as usual long waiting time, long queues, short consultation with doctor… )
This IT solution is definitely motivating as patients know that the medical providers are actually looking after them and they will be more self aware on their medical conditions. Besides, early symptoms can also be detected. It is proven that with DM kept in place on the grey population, health care costs are lowered, improved health outcomes and lower hospital admissions. DM is definitely a great promise to the health care delivery.
Thoughts and summary: This week’s discussion is rather close and real to us, intertwining with biology. We discover how technology has come into contact with our self interest and perfectionism. One of the presenters has shared with us great insights on Human Gerome project. The main advantages of the project are that the human is now able to revolutionize the ways to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases with the knowledge of effects of variation of DNA (more development of medicine and other aspects of health care) and it definitely provides clues to understand more in depth on the human biology. What about the ethics issues? As this astonishing treasure trove is introduced into society, are we going to misuse such knowledge? There have been on-going controversial debates over it. Some still believe that it could be the betterment of human in future?
Overall: 7.5
"The BioBusiness Revolution will transform our lives (our health, food, clothes, energy source, others ..) and for our economies. BioBusiness may well be our best hope for achieving sustainable development."
Dr Shahi
