Major developments in information and communications technology (ICT) and other technologies have enabled huge strides in medical diagnoses and testing.
Melissa Ongsue-Lee, vice president for sales and marketing of Hi-Precision Diagnostics, told BusinessMirror in an email interview that doctors can now determine the type of cancer and at the same give the right prescription to a patient. “We are able to detect cancer quicker and determine exactly what kind of cancer, and because of that doctors can prescribe medicine that is targeted for that certain cancer,” she said.
“We also eliminated the trial-and-error in treatment. Foundation one medicine is a targeted drug treatment for cancer patients.
MedCheck founder and CEO Amiel Herrera admitted the latest advances in ICT particularly in the medical field have enabled health professionals to give more accurate and faster judgement on patients having cancer and other diseases.
“The newest innovations in diagnostics have allowed us to more precisely identify tumors, viruses, diseases down to its molecular DNA level,” said Herrera.
Herrera added that health platforms can now collect all the information from the diagnostics, and organize the information according to profiles of the diseases and patients.
Moreover, Herrera said they can now craft a database that can serve as a guide for future
treatment of patients. “Technology allows us to
learn more precisely about diseases, and diagnose and treat patients with much more accuracy,” Herrera pointed out in an e-mail interview with BusinessMirror.
Lee and Herrera were part of the panel reactors in the recent “Hope From Within” forum, a multi-stakeholder cancer advocacy campaign spearheaded by MSD in the Philippines.
Tackling “Access to Cancer Diagnosis and Navigation in the Covid-19 Era,” the discussion highlights the importance of early diagnosis in cancer care, with or without pandemic.
Lee observed that patients are now more aware and health-conscious and know the value of good health especially during this pandemic.
With the diagnostic technology and real-world information and data readily available today, Herrera said physicians essentially can now use accurate data and information to study the condition of each patient. When treating potentially terminal diseases, Herrera emphasized that patients cannot afford to rely on “trial-and-error.”
In order for the medical community to make the most informed decisions possible about patient care, Herrera said the medical community must be able to collect and have readily available as much scientific data about an individual patient and his/her medical profile and history, and the specific disease.
“With the technology available, doctors are able to perform these functions,” he said.