Author: ashwinijchawla

Web MD or Human MD?

Hospitals today are filled with machinery that has replaced human labor, which was once the only available system of service. The rise of technology in the healthcare field not only continues to pave the way for alternative operating procedures but also for managing entire patient records. How has technology changed modern medicine and what are its implications for future doctors entering the field? I argue that a contradiction is emerging in modern medicine: on one hand technology can now do so much to replace what doctors previously did. On the other hand, patients want to engage with their doctors, and not have impersonal technological interactions. New creations of humanoid robots in Belgium and doctor diagnosis apps in China have allowed people to bypass the geographical and time constraints of waiting to see an actual physician. The Internet has also revolutionized the way people seek out answers to their medical questions. With such innovations that can handle entire archives of information, the roles of modern doctors must accordingly adjust, for they are no longer required to be human databases. Patients today are looking for humanistic approaches and holistic treatment. Medical schools have also recognized the all-inclusive demands of healthcare, and thus have shifted the MCAT topics, which now include humanistic subjects. My research project will not only analyze articles regarding technology and its ability to revolutionize medicine, but will also feature interviews from patients, doctors, and aspiring doctors. Finally, I will also integrate physician memoirs to compare how the roles of doctors have changed since the internet became such an integral part of the healthcare field.

Abstract draft revision 2

Hospitals today are filled with machinery that have replaced human labor that was once the only available system of service. The rise of technology in the healthcare field not only continues to pave the way for alternative operating procedures but also for managing entire patient records. How has technology changed modern medicine and what are its implications for future doctors entering the field?

I argue that a contradiction is emerging in modern medicine: on the one hand technology can now do so much to replace what doctors used to have to do. On the other hand, patients crave human, not impersonal technological interactions. Humanoid robots and Doctor apps have allowed people to bypass the geographical and time constraints of waiting to see an actual physician. The Internet has also revolutionized the way people seek out answers to their medical related questions. With such innovations that can handle entire databases of information, the roles of modern doctors must accordingly adjust.

Doctors were once required to be knowledgeable sources of information, however technological competition has now eradicated the need for human databases. Patients today are now looking for humanistic approaches and holistic treatment, not just for the illnesses. Medical schools have also recognized the new demands of healthcare by introducing a shift in the MCAT topics, which now focus on the humanistic subjects of sociology and psychology. My research project will not only analyze articles regarding technology and its ability to revolutionize medicine, but also will feature interviews from patients, doctors, and aspiring doctors to get their perspective on future changes for the healthcare industry. Finally, I will also integrate physician memoirs to compare how doctors’ roles have changed from past to present.

Abstract Draft

Hospitals today are filled with machinery that has replaced human labor that was once the only available system of service. The rise of technology in the healthcare field continues to prevail as a way for not only alternative operating procedures but also managing entire patient records. How has technology changed modern medicine and what do these mean for new doctors entering the field?Humanoid robots and doctor apps have allowed people to bypass the geographical and time constraints of waiting to see an actual physician. The Internet has also revolutionized the way people seek out answers to their medical related questions. With such innovations that can handle entire databases of information, the roles of modern doctors must accordingly adjust. Doctors were once required to be knowledgeable sources of information so that they could treat patients, however technological competition has now eradicated the need for human databases. Patients today are now looking for humanistic approaches to treatment that treat them holistically and not just their illness. Medical schools have also recognized the need for change in modern medicine by integrating an entirely new MCAT that focuses on humanistic subjects of socially and psychology. My research project will analyze these changes and efforts to accommodate them in the healthcare field by examining the roles of doctors in the past and comparing them to the present with the addition of technological advances.

 

Challenges in Modern Medicine: Gender, Politics, Technology, and the Internet

Course Description:

In this class we will examine the need for change in modern medicine to tackle current demands from contemporary society. These will include looking at current controversies that have required new demands from doctors and even attempts at reform to address them.

Continue reading Challenges in Modern Medicine: Gender, Politics, Technology, and the Internet

Ashwini’s Four Week Syllabus: The Need for Change in Modern Medicine

The Need for Change in Modern Medicine:

Course Description:

In this class we will examine the need for change in modern medicine to tackle current demands from contemporary society. These will include looking at current controversies that have introduced new challenges for doctors to face and also will discuss attempts at reform to address them.

Continue reading Ashwini’s Four Week Syllabus: The Need for Change in Modern Medicine

The Need for Change in Modern Medicine

Today’s rapidly changing technological world advances in modern medicine have allowed for machinery to replace the physical need for doctors in many respects, such as taking vitals or even surgical procedures. If this progresses, will it eradicate the need for doctors? Furthermore, what defines being a good doctor? In such a humanistic field like medicine, one must be aware of his/her responsibilities to humanity. “Good” is only a relative term, for people have varying opinions on what the true essence of a proper doctor is. However, it is the branching of application from paper to patient that truly defines how well one can function in reality.

The recent changes in the MCAT have integrated a new section called Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. The implementation of such humanistic subjects are of utmost importance, since they allow for a new division of testing one’s ability to understand the human mind and behavior. In order for a person to treat another, they must understand and use the gifts of reasoning and compassion, which sets us apart from not only machinery but the rest of the animal kingdom. My capstone project will focus on this distinction of mankind and the need for its use to forge a change in modern medicine.

The sources I would like to consult for my thesis paper include: information on medical school curriculum, historical articles on physicians and their roles in pre-technological society, physician memoirs, and/or documents on lawsuits in regards to physicians and their behavior towards patients.