Almost every day I read a study about how technology is deepening social gaps, possibly causing cancer and even breaking up marriages. I must admit I'm a firm believer in the occasional tech-detox, but to be honest, technology is doing a lot more good than bad lately.
The introduction of tablets has changed the way children in remote locations receive education, but a recent article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal states mobile health technology has substantial potential for improving access to healthcare.
Social media is also doing its bit to help keep society safe, with the Spanish police successfully using Twitter to fight crime.
Lifesaving tech
While Doctors Without Borders does a phenomenal job to take healthcare to remote areas in developing countries, there simply aren't enough qualified health professionals to reach people who need them the most. Not to mention the lack of equipment, infrastructure and electricity that further increases this gap.
The article looks at how the development of remote-presence medical devices has helped save the lives of people in remote areas by connecting to healthcare professionals from around the world to give a real-time assessment.
Authors of the paper believe that, while harnessing the usability of smartphones and tablets has made a substantial difference in remote healthcare, telemedicine needs to be developed further.
"The next step in the evolution of mobile telemedicine is the development of portable, dedicated medical communication devices capable of providing real-time remote presence and transmission of diagnostic-quality medical data from a range of peripheral diagnostic devices that will allow point-of-care therapeutic intervention," writes co-author Dr Ivar Mendez from the University of Saskatchewan.
The authors have also conducted successful pilot tests using a mobile-presence device to conduct an ultrasound on a pregnant woman, and monitor her baby's heartbeat with the help of an onsite nurse who is thousands of kilometres away.
If this can be done, imagine if babies could be delivered by anyone who has a smartphone or tablet on hand to connect to a nurse or doctor in the nearest hospital. The potential here is not only for developing countries, but also developed countries.
Many lives could be saved through the power of knowledge, in this case medical knowledge. Not to take the limelight away from emergency services or paramedics, but if the first person at an accident scene was able to perform live-saving procedures with the help of a qualified medical professional remotely, SA's road death toll could be substantially reduced.
Many lives could be saved through the power of knowledge, in this case medical knowledge.
The authors concur, saying telemedicine's major impact may be in the delivery of primary healthcare: "We can envision the use of mobile remote-presence devices by allied health personnel in a wide range of scenarios, from homecare visits to follow-up sessions for mental healthcare, in which access to medical expertise in real-time would be just a phone call away."
They add that the benefits of telemedicine are not only lifesaving: "This switch from the current model of centralised diagnosis in large medical facilities to point-of-care diagnosis could dramatically increase medical efficacy by removing barriers of time and distance, reducing wait times and decreasing the cost of healthcare delivery."
Crime-fighting tech
Twitter has become a place where many a faceless vigilante has obtained glory, but the police in Spain are now also using the micro-blogging social media site to fight crime.
The police service makes use of its over half a million followers to provide tip-offs on crime rings, drug lords and other criminal activities.
It has been a successful campaign, with police representatives from the US, Korea and Tunisia visiting Spain to experience the effectiveness of Twitter crime-fighting. The Spanish police have managed to arrest 300 suspected drug traffickers since January last year after tip-offs it received from its Twitter followers.
The police have used humour as a way to attract new followers and keep them interested. A team of six young police officers with degrees in psychology and sociology send out and respond to tweets.
Just imagine the possibilities of quick response to crimes via Twitter. Perhaps the SAPS should take note of this and appoint a team of highly-skilled social media managers to implement a similar system in SA.
So next time you read a soppy study about how technology kills, alienates, or possibly causes mental illness, rather think about how technology is saving and helping to protect lives.
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