During his storied career, Stephen Hourigan of Zionsville, Indiana would often license technology from top universities to pursue medical technology breakthroughs. In the wake of COVID-19, Stephen Hourigan believes we are on the precipice of a boom in medical technology for a wide variety of reasons. Today, Stephen Hourigan will explain why this is the case.
In the midst of a global pandemic, people are taking it upon themselves to improve and monitor their health with a sense of renewed vigor. One of the biggest changes that doctors can expect in the wake of COVID-19 is their patients providing them with more wholistic data pertinent to facets of their health that they may worry about. Devices like smartwatches are being used to monitor everything from daily heart rate to exercise performance and daily diets, as they provide an accessible way to organize data on crucial details and can point to problem areas. Meanwhile, Stephen Michael Hourigan notes that as people turn to technological advancements to better protect themselves, the global market is turning to technology to combat this pandemic as well as future global health scares. Stephen Hourigan explains that the first half of this year saw more than $5.5 billion get invested into venture funding. This is the highest rate of venture funding ever recorded solely going to support health care technology. Part of the reasoning for this large growth in investments is clear- investors are largely becoming aware of the myriad of ways that the medical sector can be improved to maintain our health in the present and as a preventative measure for health crises to follow.
Stephen Hourigan of Zionsville, Indiana consistently speaks to how the rush to create new and exciting technologies is great for the health sector, but the most successful advancements build upon the way medical professional already operate. Creating a product that is set to change the way hospitals provide care completely are a slow-go and can take years to make their ways into medical facilities. After all, industries tend to resist fast and hastily implemented changes, and said changes tend to leave a lot of questions for how healthcare will be facilitated for patients that are already being taken care of. According to Stephen Michael Hourigan, a lot of the more successful emerging technologies will consider how medicine is currently being practiced and find ways to improve upon the framework of those methodologies. This will ensure that infrastructure changes are slow and steady, but much more longstanding than if they were to occur rapidly instead.
COVID-19 has already led to technological advancements in how doctors are treating their patients, Steve Hourigan acknowledges. A lot of routine visits are being conducted remotely and leveraging technology to keep fearful or at-risk patients safe. In fact, Steve Hourigan recognizes that a lot of technological advancements are dedicated to combatting how to better care for patients who are fearful of visiting the doctor. While doctors around the nation are taking every precaution to keep patients safe from COVID-19, the concerns of patients traveling are a very real factor. Technology is looking to upgrade the ways in which patients can track their own health history and share that information in real-time. It is Steve Hourigan’s belief that up-to-date assessments of patients’ health will indubitably serve to help keep those visiting a doctor and healthcare providers safer amidst the pandemic. This is, in part, because many will act responsibly upon notification that they have COVID-19- one of the largest obstacles is that many are operating from the assumption that they do not.
While technology companies are likely to produce a lot of gadgets that feature the “wow” factor, Steve Hourigan believes the medical community wants practical upgrades for a host of reasons. For instance, a lot of peoples’ health is dependent on them taking their medication regularly and on a schedule. Technology that can help ensure that patients are taking their meds at the allocated times can provide a real-life boost to a person’s health and would likely work optimally if less bells and whistles are included its processes. A lot of the money invested in technology will go towards creating devices that are incredible, but Stephen Michael Hourigan preaches practicality as the most important factor for the medical field.
