A study at a British hospital last year found that not all doctors were created equal when it comes to using endoscopic equipment. Many found the perspective of watching their actions on a TV monitor to be disorienting. Computer-based simulations might help to correct this. The human element in hospitals is also a problem for disease control. Medical staff moving from patient to patient can spread germs by a number of vectors.
Visitors are even more of a risk.
For this reason, says the BMJ, vents above entry doors will monitor the air and report any visitor who might transmit infection to a patient. Hand-held sniffers will be able locate specific sources of infection, whilst similar units in hospital sinks will tell people when their hands are clean. The rapid growth in communications technologies will make the care available to outpatients much more rigorous. Embedding sensors and drug dispensing reservoirs, just as in the opening example about David, will be a massive step in preventative care. Linking these systems to a communications network would enable the prescription of required drugs or treatment to be carried out automatically.