The future of medicine in 2020: Top 10 breakthroughs and innovations in 2020

With the advancement of human learning, mind-blowing innovations and futuristic technology have come to reality in modern times. These are not restricted to any specific field or industry but are common to several areas and sectors in today’s time. The field of medical science or healthcare is no exception to the fact. Medical technology has developed significantly in the past few years, with several latest technologies and improvements revolutionizing the entire arena of healthcare and shaping the medical sciences and healthcare. As Yogi Berra once said, “The future ain’t what it used to be,” the field of medical sciences and treatment has found several new scopes and improved opportunities for effective treatment and prevention of several diseases through analytics-enabled futuristic technological developments. 

Talking about medical advancement and technological development in the field of healthcare, over a few decades, several new techniques of treatment have been discovered and successfully implemented. Several untreatable diseases have become curable; some became manageable while others can now be prevented. Genetic engineering, artificial organ growth, cancer treatment, organ transplantation from animals, etc. are examples of some of the rapid advances in the field of medical sciences and technology. Let’s take a look at the top 10 advancements or technological improvements in the field of medical technology that are shaping the future of healthcare in 2020. 

• Crowdsourcing 

Individuals’ knowledge can never be equivalent to collective wisdom. A future where diagnoses are made and confirmed by a collective group of people, the number of which may be in hundreds or thousands can be an excellent solution for unsolved diseases. Crowdsourced websites like CrowdMed can be a unique way to submit symptoms of unsolved diseases, offer insights and confirm the diagnoses. A reward system for the person who correctly identifies the condition can be a great incentive, and the patient can seek treatment with the help of the diagnosis. 

• Collective treatment

While CrowdMed can be a great example of a crowdsourced medical diagnosis, another website, PatientsLikeMe, can be a great example of joint therapy. Users on this website already have a diagnosed condition. On this website, they have an online community of people with various kinds of diseases and disorders, and they share advice, new treatments, novel trials, recent research and inspiration with the other members of the community. It also tracks and ratifies each approach and sends the results to medical professionals and institutions for improved analysis and treatments. 

• Cognitive system

A system where the doctor can speak about a patient’s condition and symptoms directly to a supercomputer, and the supercomputer mines for patient data, statistics and all other related medical research and diagnostics data relevant to the symptoms, from all across the globe. 

• 3-D printing in the medical field

3-D printing is rapidly evolving, and some printers have CAD-like imitation abilities and can successfully build complex 3D structures with biomaterials, by spraying through specialized nozzles. Bones and organ development through this technology is under progress and can bring an entirely new dimension in medical treatment. 

• Specialized medical apps

Apps with the ability to ally with you and your doctor to help in advanced diagnosis and treatments and enhance medical research are under development. Other apps to decipher medical images are much helpful in the field. 

• Biohackers

A sensor that gives doctors an inside view and comprehensive assessment of various bodily functions ranging from sleep patterns, blood chemistry, hydration levels, muscle movements, urine composition and several other statistics are under development. 

• Nanogenerators

Researchers are developing nanogenerators that act like your thoracic turbine converting the mechanical energy of a heartbeat into electrical power to run pacemakers and similar devices implanted in the body. 

• Breathalyzer-style devices  

Breathalyzer-style devices to detect lung and breast cancer at a reduced cost are under development and trial. 

• Novel Antibiotics 

With several new spectrums of resistant bacteria, more than 100 kinds of new novel antibiotics are being developed and are under trial to treat several diseases effectively. 

• Container Hospital 

Introduced by China, this innovation can be a great and effective solution for mobile healthcare and treatment in remote areas. 

These points are examples of how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will revolutionize medical treatments and shape the future of healthcare in 2020.