The obsolete hospital, courtesy of new tech?

Will technology one day make hospitals obsolete? It sounds impossible. But based on a recent report from CBS Atlanta, an international study on technology and health discovered that a majority of people across the globe believe that traditional hospitals will be obsolete because of tech advances.

The study

The Intel Corporation recently ran a study on the ways that people think technology will transform the medical field. One of the big results? A total of 57 percent of respondents said that they believe that technology will reduce the need for traditional hospitals. And what will replace emergency-room visits and hours spent in waiting rooms? Based on the Intel survey, customized personal care delivered to us through new technology.

Mobile

Survey respondents stated that they are looking forward to a day in which mobile and personalized technology helps them keep track of their own health needs. Instead of spending hours in a waiting room or emergency room, patients can instead rely on technology to cover most of their medical needs. And here’s a surprising result: About 30 percent of respondents said that they would trust themselves to do their own ultrasounds. The study also discovered that such innovative medical advances such as monitoring devices and ingestible technologies were more warmly welcomed by countries other than the United States.

No privacy issues?

According to the CBS Atlanta story, respondents were so interested in personalized, mobile care that they are willing to sacrifice their privacy to get it. According to survey, 84 percent of respondents said they would not balk at sharing personal health info if doing so would result in a more efficient and cost-effective medical system.