Programming in the medical field Introduction Programming is

Programming in the medical field

Introduction Programming is used everywhere. One field I wanted to focus on in more detail is the medical field and healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is a huge place – worth more $261 billion in the US alone. Now, you may think that the healthcare industry has only healthcare workers, but that’s not true, as there are many different parts of healthcare. One of the main ones, and arguably the most important in 2021, is programming and technology. I would even argue that it is just as important in healthcare, as doctors and nurses are. In this presentation I will share what I have learned about how computer programming is used in healthcare, and it’s significance in the industry. 2

Equipment and apps Everyone has been to the doctor, but have you taken a blood test? A CT scan? Used a Health app? All of those use coding and programming – lots of it. In fact, there medical programmers, who are people who specialize in creating algorithms for medical devices. 3

Medical Equipment • • • Programmers are needed to write the software that crucial medical equipment operates off, as well as fix and repair any that isn’t working properly. Most medical equipment is written using a variety of languages, but mainly use C or Python. Medical Programmers build programs that are commonly used in hospitals, such as digital signal processers (reading recorded brainwaves or other signals measured from the human body), computational fluid dynamics (blood flow simulation), etc. 4

X-Ray, CT, and MRI scans All of these medical scans use high levels of programming to run the machine. They use a variety of different languages for each machine, but there are some main ones that are used more often. • X-Rays are a type of radiation, that are used to take pictures of bones and joints inside the body. The programming languages used are a mix of C++, IEC 61131 -3, and a few others. • Computed Tomography, or CT, is a scan that combines multiple images of the body from different angles, and puts them together. The programming language is a mix of C, C++, and other languages. • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is a body scan that uses magnetic and radio waves to get precise images of the body. The programming language is typically some form of C, and Java with other languages. 5

Applications There are many health apps that use heavy programming, but here is one that I found really interesting: Ai. Cure is healthcare startup, which uses C++ and Python to create mobile technology that helps patients remember to take their medication properly. Ai. Cure’s apps use computer vision and pill recognition to identify the proper medication, and the time it needs to be taken. They also use an AI to interact with the patient, to detect if the medication is effective, or causing any problems. They used Django and custom Python-based coding to design this software. 6

Applications continued Another app is Skinvision, which you can use to, well, scan your skin. It takes the images, and the artificial intelligence compares it to previous scans, as well as detects any early signs of skin cancer, disease, etc. This app isn’t 100% reliable, and doctors still recommend to visit a dermatologist, but the programming and coding behind the app is very detailed and programmers are excited about using this technology for other uses, especially in the beauty industry. 7

Covid-19 With the current pandemic, technology has become so much more important in our lives. For the medical industry, technology has become a crucial tool to complete everyday tasks, that have been affected by covid. 8

“With the current covid situation, you need to embrace technology, or disappear. ” ~ Arushi Aggarwal 9

Doctor-Patient communication I had a doctor’s appointment, and I had to meet my doctor on Zoom, and have a video call. Then, after prescribing me some medication, he shared my previous reports with me – all online. Even when going to pick up my prescription, I had to just send in a picture and they would send it to my house. This made me realize how, even though it may seem simple to just do a call and get my reports, there was a lot of technology involved. The lab reports, the prescription, all of it was digital, and saved onto a newly created database, that had hundreds of other patients and doctors. That would require so much precise programming, to have it smoothly. 10

Artificial Intelligence One big thing that programming can create is Artificial Intelligence. AI may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it is real, and commonly used today in the medical and healthcare field. I have already mentioned some apps that use AI, but here are some other things that frequently use AI. 11

Imaging Imagine there is a major car crash that has just happened. The driver has survived, but has major injuries to his face. He will need facial reconstruction and plastic surgery to recover. How is that done safely, and properly? Using imaging. Imaging is used to assess how someone would look after plastic and cosmetic surgery. Imaging uses AI to determine how the body would change, and how it to make it look better. 12

Radiology is a process uses strong radiation and medical imaging to determine diseases and illness within the human body. Scientists are now using AI in radiology to scan images and find any complications. This is said to be a very useful combination, as the AI can find things that doctors often miss and overlook. 13

Programming our bodies This is straying a little off topic, but it is something I came across that I found really interesting, and I had to add it into this presentation. Programming ourselves. It really sounds like something out of a movie, (cue X-Men theme) but it is being studied right now, and if all goes well, it will be a common process in the coming years. There are two main things I want to share about – genetic and DNA programming 14

Genetic/dna programming Gene and DNA programming, is new, experimental technology, in which scientists are programming our cells, our DNA itself, to remove any genetic diseases or disorders. This is a very new, and experimental field, because programming your cells is not the same as computer, right? Yes, the general programming aspect of it is similar, but if you make a mistake on a computer, it can be fixed. On a human, however, a mistake could have big consequences. This is why this is still being studied and tested. 15

How can we program our bodies? A group of researchers at MIT have created a programming language, that lets them create new DNA sequences, that will give new functions to living things. “It is literally a programming language for bacteria, ” says Christopher Voigt, an MIT professor of biological engineering. “You use a text-based language, just like you’re programming a computer. Then you take that text and you compile it and it turns it into a DNA sequence that you put into the cell, and the circuit runs inside the cell. ” With this language, you can write a DNA sequence for any function you want, and even additional things, like how that function would react to different environmental conditions. Quote from: https: //news. mit. edu/2016/programming-language-living-cells-bacteria-0331 16

Resources Here are some resources to learn more about AI, Biotechnology, and Gene/DNA programming: • https: //news. mit. edu/2016/programming-language-living-cellsbacteria-0331 • https: //www. theguardian. com/commentisfree/2019/sep/21/whyits-dangerous-to-liken-dna-to-computer-code • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Jz 6 Fgv. Lkye. A • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=CVa_IZVz. Uoc • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=kd. As 3 UVg. IGg 17

Conclusion In conclusion, the medical field has much more programming than you would imagine. There are everyday things, like apps and machines, specialized aspects, like plastic surgery and radiology, and new upcoming technological innovations, like gene and DNA programming. And, this is only a glimpse into this industry – the medical programming field is huge and an unexplored place, and its only going to get bigger from here. I learned a lot about this topic, and by seeing what I learned, I hope you did too. 18

“The two areas that are changing are information technology and medical technology. Those are things that the world will be very different 20 years from now than it is today. ” ~ Bill Gates 19

Thanks! 20

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