The Field of Medicine - Scholarship Essay Example

The More Advances That Are Made in Medicine, the More Things Stay the Same Introduction In the recent years, the field ofmedicine has undergone major changes due to the advancement of technology. Advancement in the field of medicine has had both positive and negative issues in the health sector. Due to the many negative and positive impacts of medical advancement in the society, there seems to be a stagnant development in the health sector. Although the advancement of the medicine in the health sector today is meant to improve the health conditions of individuals, it has negative effects. However, there have been several arguments that the more technological advancements in the field of medicine the more situations remain the same. This paper argues out this concept by giving the several impacts of the advancement of medicine on patients in the society. This will create the basis of the argument to verify its credibility. The paper will analyze both the positive and negative effects of advancement of medicine in the society today by looking at various situational cases where advanced medical services are used. The results of the use of advanced medical services lay the foundation of this argument considering its positivity and negativities. Because of the availability of medical equipment for research and treatment, researchers in the field of medicine have come up with different kinds of medicines which cure various diseases (Alyson, 2014). They have also been able to study complicated diseases in the recent years and have found the cure for some chronic diseases. Biotechnology is a great advancement in the field of medicine making it easy for people to live with chronic diseases. It prolongs the life of people suffering from serious and chronic illnesses by controlling of diseases or the virus in the body of patients. An example is dealing with patients suffering from cancer. Biotechnology has given hope to such patients by controlling the disease through chemotherapy hence prolonging their life span. The use of plastic body parts has also helped individuals to live a normal life (Catalunya, 2014). An example is patients suffering from breast cancer and has lost a part of her breast. Plastic breasts can be used to allow her live a normal life like any other woman. The advancement of medicine in the world today is due to the evolvement of technology as it improves to make solving problems today an easy task. There are various advancements in medicine today and a majority of them are influenced by the availability of advanced technology in the health sector. Medical advancements are aimed at improving the quality of life of patients suffering from diverse diseases, making the diagnosis and treatment of diseases easier and more effectively and to be able to do more research to find medicines to chronic diseases and their treatment. There are various areas in the health sector that have been technologically advanced for the purpose of saving the lives of patients. They include: advances in molecular genetics, use of IT and telecommunications in the field of medicine, development of bioengineering, development in surgery and also advancements in transplants of organs. All these are advancements that have taken place in the field of medicine but are accompanied with both positive and negative impacts to the society (Murphy, 2014). The advancement of technology in the society today gives patients an opportunity to get information about the symptoms of certain diseases through the internet. Through this, patients are in a position to know about the conditions of their health. Telemedicine technology also allows patients to have medical consultations with doctors if they are in different geographical locations. This is achieved by the use of teleconferencing. Technology enables the monitoring of one’s health over a period of time. This shows that the more advancement of technology the more the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in a proper, easier and effective manner. Through technology, medical activities have improved and are considered to be safer now than during the old times. Medical institutions have adopted the use of ICT to improve on the efficiency of medical professionals, monitor the administering of drugs to patients, monitor the performance of workers and reduce the errors that may lead to the death of patients (Mark, 2005). Through the use of online databases, the progress and medical trends of patients can be monitored. This helps in the administering of treatment and medication on patients making it easier for them to recover. The trends also help medical professionals to make decisions concerning the health of the patients that will ensure their quick recovery. With the advancement of medicine, health professionals are also in a position of responding to outbreaks in the society because of their early preparation. They are also able to take preventive measures of diseases that are likely to attack people in the society (Tan et al, 2002). Genetics advancement is also another area of medicine that has been influenced by technology. This advancement plays a big role in the field of medicine because it touches on sensitive elements of health issues such as reproduction, therapy, screening and diagnosis of diseases. Advancement of genetics enables the early diagnosis of diseases making it easier to manage it and even prevent it from spreading to various parts of the body. With genetics screening, parents are able to state the characteristics that they want their kids to have. The advancement of medicine has also made it easier for diseases to be detected at an early or primary stage. This has been achieved by the use of screening machines which show the problems that patients may be encountering (Badi, 2014). Medical robots This is an advancement in the field of medicine is the use of robots which has greatly been efficient in surgeries making it easier for surgeons to do operations. Apart from their skills and experience, surgeons use robots that have been made with the features of the human body to identify the areas that are safe to be used during operations. A robot is designed with atomic models to fit the structure of the human body. Surgeons do not have to use the human body for tests for operations but can use robots instead. Medical robots are also used in scientific research such as in biomedical engineering. Tests can also be carried out by the use of robots making it easy for medics to administer treatment to patients depending on their conditions (Chang, 2003). Tissue engineering With the use of technology, scientists have been able to make robotic tissues. This is also another part of medical advancements which has yielded positive effects in the health sector. It involves the combination of human cells with synthetic biomaterials by the use of technology to produce products that can be used in transplants. They are able to produce cartilage, bones, skin tissues and other organs of the body such as the kidney. This has increased the life span of patients because they get to have a replacement of cells, tissues and organs in case there’s are damaged. Through tissue engineering, medics are able to effectively treat their patients in an effective manner. Tissue engineering has in a great way helped patients with heart diseases. This is because tissue engineering allows the implant of cardiac vessel regenerative tissues to heart diseases patients (Murphy, 2014). This helps patients to avoid going through bypass surgery or even angioplasty. This also helps in reducing the risks of going through unsuccessful surgeries that may lead to more complications on patients or even their death. The costs of going through surgery are also avoided. Minimally invasive surgery This is advancement in the field of medicine which has transformed surgical procedures. This technology has helped in carrying out high tech surgeries making it easier for surgeons to male successful operations. This technology allows radio surgery to take place in the treatment of brain tumours and epilepsy. Radio surgery has also enabled the treatment of cerebral vascular malformations and Parkinson’s disease. The increased use of radio surgery has increased the life span of patients because more patients are able to get proper treatment. It has also improved the health of patients hence making people have hope for a good health in the future (Stefane, 2010). Negative effects of the advancement of technology in the field of medicine Although the advancement of medicine has positive impacts in the society, the same advancement poses certain threats to the society and patients. The use of screening and scanning machines may pose serious threats to patients because of the radiations that they are exposed to (Ward, 2004). The use of technology in keeping the records of patients may lead to the invasion of privacy of the patient. This happens when a code or password can be cracked by intruders who check the medical records of patients with high profile in the society with the intention of ruining their reputation. Advancement of the medical field has also led to the treatment of patients to be costly. This makes it difficult for patients of all classes to access treatment especially when dealing with chronic diseases. A majority of people who use advanced technology in the medical sector are the wealthy (Richard, 2011). The medical field has introduced femtosecond laser cataract surgery which helps in making surgery easier. Due to this, surgeons are likely to lose their skills because of the laser machines. In case of situations that may need manual surgery, surgeons may not be able to perform well because of the loss of skills. Additionally, the use of technology in medicine may lead to lack of proper medical care on patients (Ward, 2010). This is because medical officers may tend to focus more on the medical equipments and fail to look after the patient. They may also fail to check on the patient’s progress and symptoms physically and only use technology to diagnose them. This may not be effective especially if the devices do not show the real symptoms and progress of the patient. Due to this, improper medication and treatment may be administered to patients leading to death or the worsening of patient’s health (Rosanne, 2014). Medicine created in technological advancements may also have negative effects on patients (Bonini, 2002). If taken in excess or under the prescribed dosage it may lead to serious consequences such as madness of patients. The technology that is used in administering treatment to patients may have certain risks on the lives of patients. A good example is the pacemaker which is mostly used in extending the lives of people and even saving them has negative effects. The radiations that are used in the process may be dangerous to the patients. By looking at the negative and positive impacts of advancement in medicine, we are able to derive that there is a high possibility that matters to deal with health do not change so much. This is because as much as technology has brought positive changes in the medical field, it has been accompanied by serious effects (David, 2001). The use technology has exposed patients to radiations which have led to the development of cancerous cells among many patients. The more the advancements in the field of medicine the more the number of patients contact diseases and the more the number of patients who are cured and receive proper treatment. This seems to be a stagnant process because the same advancements that are used in saving the lives of many people are the same advancements that lead to diseases and death of many patients. Increased technology in the medical field may not help many people thus having less impact to the society today. This is because the more advanced the medical field becomes the more costly it is making it difficult for patients to access medical care. Due to this, only a few patients who have money can get proper treatment (Danielle, 2014). Things may remain the same in the medical field because of the threats that technology poses to the health of people. Apart from saving the lives of people, medical advancements have been found to cause the death of patients. Due to this, many patients prefer not to be exposed to too much technology for the sake of their health. The use of radiations in the treatment of patients may lead to the development of cancerous cells (Cilia, 2014). Conclusion From the discussion above, it is clear that advancement in the field of medicine has major positive and negative impacts. With the advancement of medicine in the society, there seems to be many controversies because of the harm that they may have on patients under treatment. There have been several cases whereby technology infrastructure has worsened the conditions of patients in the health sector. This may be caused by the frequent exposure of patients to radioactive materials leading to the worsening of their health. Things may not change in the society today if care is not taken when using technology. Proper skills of technology are important for effective production. The negative effects of technological advancement in medicine is directly proportional to the positive effects thus medical care in the society may remain the same if they are not critically evaluated. With the analysis of both positive and negative effects of medical advancements, it is clear that things in the health sector are not the same. This is because the advancement of medicine has more positive effects than negative effects. Works cited Alyson Krueger. Ways technology is improving healthcare. Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.businessinsider.com/ways-technology-is-improving-healthcare-2010.html 2010 Badi Baltagi. Medical technology and the production of health care. Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.healthsector.medical-technology-and-the-production-of-helath-care.html Bonini Patra. Errors In Laboratory Medicine. Clinical Chemistry. Vol 48(3): 691-698. 2002 Chang Loh. Robotic Surgery. 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