Medical technology is a part of the Health technology which encompasses a wide range of health care products and, in one form or another, is used to diagnose, monitor or treat every disease or condition that affects humans. These innovative technologies (application of science Science is a systematic enterprise of gathering knowledge about nature and organizing and condensing that knowledge into testable laws and theories. As knowledge has increased, some methods have proved more reliable than others, and today the scientific method is the standard for science. It includes the use of careful observation, experimentation, and technology Technology is a term referring to whatever can be said at any particular historical period, concerning the state of the art in the whole general field of practical know-how and tool use. It therefore encompasses all that can be said about arts, crafts, professions, applied sciences, and skills. By extension it can also refer to any systems or) are improving the quality of health care delivered and patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis Diagnosis (plural diagnoses) is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with slightly different implementations on the application of logic and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships. Below are given as examples, less invasive treatment Therapy , or treatment, is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a diagnosis. In the medical field, it is synonymous with the word "treatment". Among psychologists, the term may refer specifically to psychotherapy or "talk therapy" options and reductions in hospital stays and rehabilitation times.[1]
Health technology is:
Any intervention that may be used to promote health, to prevent, diagnose or treat disease or for rehabilitation or long-term care. This includes the pharmaceuticals, devices, procedures and organizational systems used in health care.[2]
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What is the Medical Technology?
Medical technology extends and improves life. It alleviates pain, injury and handicap. Its role in healthcare is essential. Incessant medical technology innovation enhances the quality and effectiveness of care. Billions of patients worldwide depend on medical technology at home, at the doctor’s, at hospital and in nursing homes. Wheelchairs, pacemakers, orthopaedic shoes, spectacles and contact lenses, insulin pens, hip prostheses, condoms, oxygen masks, dental floss, MRI scanners, pregnancy tests, surgical instruments, bandages, syringes, life-support machines: more than 500,000 products (10,000 generic groups) are available today. Medical technology represents only 6,3% of total healthcare expenditure in Europe - a modest share if you consider the benefits for every member of society.[3] — EUCOMED.
Allied health profession
The term Medical technology may also refer to the duties performed by clinical laboratory A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories. These notably include: professionals in various settings within the public and private sectors. The work of these professionals encompass clinical applications of chemistry Chemistry is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes. The science of matter is also addressed by physics, but while physics takes a more general and fundamental approach, chemistry is more specialized, being concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical, genetics Genetics , a broad discipline of biology, is the science of heredity, genes, DNA, mutation, etc., and their functions and aspects in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of, hematology Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of internal medicine, physiology, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases. Hematology includes the study of etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of blood diseases. The, immunohematology Immunohematology, more commonly known as blood banking is a branch of hematology which studies antigen-antibody reactions and analogous phenomena as they relate to the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of blood disorders. A person employed in this field is referred to as an immunohematologist. Their day to day duties include blood typing, (blood banking A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusions), immunology Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics, microbiology Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes. Viruses, though not strictly classed as living organisms, are also studied. In short; microbiology refers to the study of life and organisms that are too small to be seen, serology Serology is the scientific study of blood serum. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection , against other foreign proteins (in response, for example, to a mismatched blood transfusion), or to one's own proteins (in instances of, urinalysis A urinalysis is an array of tests performed on urine and one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis. A part of a urinalysis can be performed by using urine dipsticks, in which the test results can be read as color changes and miscellaneous body fluid Bodily fluids are liquids that are inside the bodies of animals. They include fluids that are excreted or secreted from the body as well as body water that normally is not analysis. These professionals may be referred to as Medical Technologists A Clinical Laboratory Scientist is a healthcare professional who performs chemical, hematological, immunologic, microscopic, and bacteriological diagnostic analyses on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, stool, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, and synovial fluid, as well as other specimens. Medical Laboratory (MT) and Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLT) or as Clinical Laboratory Scientists (CLS) and Clinical Laboratory Technicians (CLT) depending on education, certification and/or licensure. The term medical technologist in this sense is sometimes considered a misnomer A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Such incorrect terms sometimes derived their names because of the form, action, or origin of the subject becoming named popularly or widely referenced—long before their true natures were known due to the fact that these professionals do not actually produce novel medical technology but rather apply the ones already in place in conjunction with the knowledge of the scientific principles of clinical laboratory science, which has been considered a more appropriate term for the discipline.[4]
See also
References
- ^ ADVAMED (Advanced Medical Technology Association). (June 8, 2009). "What is Medical Technology?.". ADVAMED. http://www.advamed.org/MemberPortal/About/NewsRoom/MediaKits/whatismedtechnology.htm.
- ^ INAHTA (International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment). (June 8, 2009). "HTA glossary.". INAHTA. http://www.inahta.org/HTA/Glossary/#_Health_technology.
- ^ EUCOMED Medical Technology brief
- ^ http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.html | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
External links
- US Food and Drug Administration - Center for Devices and Radiological Health
- EU Commission Medical Devices Homepage
- UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: 'How we regulate medical devices'
- Medical Devices Manufacturers' Association. Medical Devices Manufacturers Association (MDMA)
- Advanced Medical Technology Association.
- Eucomed
- American Society for Clinical Pathologist
Categories: Healthcare occupations | Health sciences Categories: Healthcare | Health | Applied sciences | Biomedical engineering Categories: Bioengineering | Interdisciplinary fields | Medical technology
Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:40:49 GMT+00:00
Trading Markets (press release) CardioNet, Inc., a wireless medical technology company with an initial focus on the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias, announced that the ...
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Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:21 GM
medical. equipment and technical personnel related disciplines of long-term reserve, the state of . medical. device . technology. innovation and strong support, both to promote the rapid development of . medical. device industry, ...
Q. Would taking Emergency Medical Technology help me if I want to major as a doctor?
Asked by unknown - Tue Jan 26 21:15:08 2010 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Well, there is not any undergraduate major for doctoring, so I am thinking that you are wanting to know if this class would help you in an undergraduate pre-med program and/or in a medical school program. I can tell you that it surely is not going to hurt. You will learn a lot of the basics such as checking and monitoring vitals, administration of life saving medications and techniques and you will also learn some medical terminology as will you gain some first hand experience in the medical arena (if your class involves clinical work as well as classroom work). It is by no means the only course that you should take, nor is it the most important course for you to take if obtaining an MD degree is your end goal. Medical schools require… [cont.]
Answered by unknown - Tue Jan 26 23:10:31 2010
