There’s no doubt that medical negligence cases remain on the rise in the UK, having increased by 133% since the beginning of 2006.
In 2020/21, there were a total of 12,629 clinical claims made against the NHS, while this number is likely to increase further in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the continual financial (and human) strain being placed on the National Health Service.
However, technology is beginning to have an impact on clinical and hospital negligence cases. But what are the benefits of this, and what type of innovations are impacting on claims?
The Impact of Tech and Innovation on Hospital Negligence Claims
The notion of using medical technology to help process, manage or resolve clinical negligence claims is already well-advanced in the US, while the use of innovation is also being empowered by America’s private and insurance-based healthcare sector.
In short, medical tech has driven significant advances in all aspects of clinical care and negligence claims, from understanding and diagnosing conditions to the delivery of treatment.
The use of medical technology also helps to create more consistent and accessible electronic records, which minimise the risk of diagnostic and treatment errors being made over time.
Overall, we can see a significant reduction in human error, particularly when keeping patient records and executing prescriptions. Such errors play a significant role in hospital negligence claims, so eliminating them could help to revolutionise the quality of healthcare across the board.
What Are the Best Examples of Medical Technology?
Ok, we hear you ask, but what are the best manifestations of medical technology in the field of clinical negligence claims? Let’s find out!
- The Use of AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being deployed across the wider healthcare sector, with principles such as machine learning helping to create more intuitive and consistent care. AI is now also being used to develop new pharmaceuticals and create more efficient diagnostic processes, while the coronavirus pandemic saw this technology being utilised to help analyse CT scans and detect pneumonia in Covid-19 patients.
- The Rise of IoT and Wearables: The Internet of Things (IoT) has huge potential in the world of medicine, while this technology is also perfectly embodied by the modern-day smartwatch. Contemporary devices like the Apple Watch 6 can now be worn by patients to deliver real-time medical data such as heart rate, blood-oxygen level and an individual’s general activity levels. With the continued development of dedicated healthcare apps, there’s no doubt that wearable and IoT can help to improve patient monitoring and decision making in the future.
- Using Augmented Reality Technology: While augmented reality (AI) is not as widely used as AI or machine learning in the healthcare sector, it does have utility across a number of potential medical applications. For example, surgeons could use mixed reality headsets like the Microsoft Hololens, with a view to accessing real-time data while keeping both hands free at all times. Of course, AR headsets also have huge merit as potential training aids, delivering practical and hands-on courses that drive higher levels of knowledge retention going forward.