MEDICAL INNOVATIONS
Technology Meets Medicine: Are We There Yet? By Alexandra Bailey and Baotran Vo
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elemedicine is becoming increasingly important, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for virtual doctor visits is essential when social distancing is required. Telemedicine serves those who need to be seen by a physician in the comfort of their own home. However, telemedicine is limited by the inability of the physician to touch the patient, making the use of many traditional diagnostic tools impossible. To bridge this gap, new medical devices have been introduced to the market, making such vital examinations through telehealth platforms a reality. Such technology acts as the physician’s eyes, ears and hands even thousands of miles away. These innovations are perfect examples of the intertwined future of medicine and technology, working hand-in-hand to improve the health outcomes of all patients.
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SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • May 2022
One example that truly brings the annual checkup to your doorstep is the N9© device from Nonagon©, originally MyHomeDoc©.1 The FDA has cleared both the all-in-one device and interactive user application (app).2 The N9© simply allows the user to record abdominal sounds, photograph the inner ear, listen to the heart, record lung sounds, take body temperature, act as an oximeter to monitor oxygen levels, determine pulse rate and capture pictures of the throat and skin for tests.3 Patients or supervising adults are instructed on each process via an app on their cell phones. The significant number of capabilities makes this a great prospect in integrating telemedicine into health care. Conversely, it would not be sufficient to replace all instances of office visits. While the application may provide some assistance, acquisition and initial readings are still evaluated by the patients themselves, which may introduce
