Technology-assisted euthanasia allowed in Switzerland – This And More News In Digital Health This Week
Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD
Director of The Medical Futurist Institute (Keynote Speaker, Researcher, Author & Futurist)
Nearing towards the end of the year, The Medical Futurist calendar thickened. In addition to publishing our e-book last week, we began closing down the year with our year-end articles. For what is the most important thing that happened in 2021? The fact that the pandemic is not over yet.
Also, we just had a live Q&A today about current and future healthcare trends, and how digital technologies are reshaping healthcare! If you've missed it, you can always re-watch it here!
What’s more, looking back on the year, it’s clear that healthcare has suffered the most from all industries, both humanly and ethically. In our article this week, we’ve put together the top 5 things that were lost in healthcare in 2021.
Take care,
Berci
A 3D-printed capsule, destined for use in assisted suicide, may legally be operated in Switzerland. Some 1,300 people died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2020. After taking the drug, the person will fall asleep within two to five minutes before slipping into a deep coma, followed soon afterwards by death. The 3D printed Sarco pod offers a different approach for a peaceful death, without the need for controlled substances.
This is quite interesting and opens up the box of Pandora in many ways. Stepping into the future when we'll live up to 130, we could decide not only on how we live, but also on when to die. How do you feel about this?
Google is working on its own smartwatch, internally code-named “Rohan,” that it plans to launch in 2022, according to reporting by Insider. The wearable will include health and fitness metrics like heart-rate monitoring and step counting. According to renderings viewed by Insider and Google employees who had seen the device, the watch is round with no physical bezel.
Early 2020 I wrote that Google would launch a new line of trackers because of the Fitbit acquisition. I also said that it would be the next logical outcome with the search company having a significant share in the fitness market. Now it is happening. I'm looking forward to see what they created.
The government of Chungnam Province in South Korea has entered into a cooperation deal with one of the country's largest telecommunications firms, KT Corporation, to pilot artificial intelligence-based care robots that will help communicate with residents who are living alone and dealing with mental health problems. The robot analyses voices and movements of people. Once it detects abnormal activities, it will notify health care centres and guardians during the day and the KT control tower at night. The robot also offers personalised services, such as giving quizzes for dementia prevention and playing relaxing music.
If used with bearing in mind the privacy issues related, this is an excellent way to help people.
领英推荐
For some people with anxiety about their appearance or speaking, gaming is an opportunity to discover “a voice in its different forms,” whether through avatars, artwork, or other digital creations. Like conventional play therapy which uses toys to help patients express thoughts and feelings, online gaming offers another way to communicate. Although repurposing video games for therapeutic use is not new, clinicians’ interest in this format grew significantly after the pandemic prompted an abrupt switch to telehealth.
Not that I needed additional affirmation, but here it is: I am on therapy. I play every day and I feel all the benefits researchers talk about in this interview. This article just reassured my feelings about this hobby.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed the world's first smart bandage with a wearable sensor that can conduct real-time, point-of-care assessment of chronic wounds via an app. It uses sensor technology that can detect temperature, pH, bacteria type and inflammatory factors specific to chronic wounds within 15 minutes.
Digital technology is changing healthcare in front of our eyes. These smart sensors are a perfect example. Such smart tools play a crucial role in monitoring the progression of chronic patients, easing the job of healthcare workers, cutting down healthcare costs and helping patients heal faster. Kudos.
MORE NEWS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE
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And that’s that for now! Find me on my other channels: Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and get more insights on The Medical Futurist website. If you want to support our work, please do so on Patreon ??
Thank you,
Berci
Program Officer, NIA's Office of Strategic Extramural Programs (This is my personal account: All views/posts are my own)
2 年More and more Switzerland is my...North Star: My death--on my terms!
as always, fascinating newsletter Bertalan, thanks for sharing. The Sarco-pod is not the digital health solution I was expecting to read about, amazing how creative people can be, and I can see the (medical) need for alternative humane methods of dying, but still ... this triggers so many questions!