Enormous technological changes in medicine and healthcare are heading our way. If they hit us unprepared (which we are now), they will wash away the medical system we know, leaving a purely technologybased service without personal interaction. By preparing and planning, we have the opportunity to consciously and purposefully redesign the healthcare sector piece-by-piece. Thats the belief of medical futurist Dr. Bertalan Mesk, author of The Guide to the Future of Medicine: Technology and the Human Touch.

Part 1 of this column summarized the first set of tech trends that Mesk described as being already underway or those that will have an impact on us in the near term. Now we take a look at the next set of trends that Mesk identifies as being in earlier stages of development and not quite yet ready for prime time.

Medical decisions via artificial intelligence (AI) Watson, the IBM room-sized super-computer, beat Jeopardys all-time best contestants, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Thats just the beginning. With virtual computer networks working together on a particular problem, Big Data is becoming Huge Data. Healthcare is a prime candidate for making intelligent use of that data. With new, relevant medical research being produced so quickly, its impossible for a human to constantly be up-to-date. But a super-computer could, even to the extent of advising on medical decisions. AI will offer many benefits, including generating insights for lowering costs and creating better outcomes.

The future of medicine will involve complex interactions between man and machine. (Image credit: B. Mesk)

Growing organs in a dish Regenerative medicine seeks to aid those who suffer from organ failure or loss by providing them with artificially created replacement organs. 3D printers have already successfully produced organs, and stem cells can be used to grow some organs. Eventually, these advances may eliminate the shortage of organ donations altogether.

Eating in the future With instant content analysis, we will know exactly what we are eating and, hopefully, that will teach us how to eat properly. Fast food will be defined by more than the local McDonalds, Wendys, or Burger King, as 3D printing begins to produce a variety of nutritional options. This will become a norm to satisfy the ever-increasing population.

Augmented reality and virtual reality Augmented reality through technology such as Google Glass will be increasingly streamlined into healthcare. Currently, a surgeon can stream a live surgery procedure in order to create an enhanced learning tool for students who would have to typically watch over the doctors shoulder. In the future, virtual reality will create environments that allow patients to share point-of-view information and concerns directly with medical caregivers. It will also be applied to psychotherapy in order to let patients view scenarios or reprocess memories virtually.

The end of human experimentation Computational cognitive architecture will simulate how human physiology works, detail-by-detail. Virtual experimentation through this kind of simulation could test numerous samples on virtual patients in an extremely short time period. Mesk describes one example: A technique called organ-on-a-chip simulates the activities, mechanics, and physiology of entire organs and organ systems.

Nanorobots living in our bloodstream These microscopic robots will measure health parameters and diagnose disease. They could also expand our knowledge of biology and anatomy, improve how we deliver drugs, or perform extremely localized surgery. The nanorobots could eventually develop a network, communicate with each other, identify health concerns, and automatically take corrective actions.

Hospitals of the future In the future, hospitals will be less about recovery from acute illness, and more about rejuvenating ourselves. The shift will be comparable to the transition in the healthcare system from reactive to proactive care, from acute care to disease management and prevention. Hospitals will become places to double-check that patients are on track to stay healthy. Delivering care will be patient-centered, with intelligent designs to improve the healing process.

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Tech Trends Shaping The Future Of Medicine, Part 2