Your trip to the doctor’s office could look dramatically different in the future as technology advancements continue to change the doctor-patient relationship and the office visit experience. 

Experts expect doctors to rely more heavily on technology in the future, have multiple practitioners under one roof and to approach healthcare from a more patient-centered perspective, according to a new survey of medical students.

Epocrates surveyed roughly 1,000 medical students to get their thoughts on a multitude of health topics. The results of this year’s survey show health care is returning to the days when care –not bureaucracy–was the top focus. « Of the medical students surveyed, 72% said they would likely practice patient-centered care where the patient is the most important part of the health care team » –  says Dr. Anne Meneghetti

In addition to making the patient part of the treatment, the physicians of tomorrow will use technology much more than current doctors. Not only has technology become more advanced, medical students are comfortable juggling a smartphone, tablet PC and computer at any given second as they grew up with the technology.

Meneghetti envisions a scenario where a physician may be able to swivel a tablet screen to show a patient his X-ray, medical test results or a treatment plan instead of just describing what is going on.

Technology will also play more of a role outside the doctor’s office in the future. Since a lot of patients’ health depends on the decisions they make every day, like diligently taking medicine or eating well, technology can help hold patients accountable and get support.

How practitioners access clinical data and information will also change. In the past, many doctors would seek clinical information and advice from their peers, but medical students are much more comfortable relying on the Internet for answers. According to the survey, 66% said they turn to digital references for answers, while 53% will first turn to a mobile reference. Only 21% of respondents would go to a peer first to get the information they needed.

Even in this era of oversharing on social networks, medical students are sensitive to privacy issues and wouldn’t be too ready to share patient data on Facebook, according to the survey. In fact, 91% of students wouldn’t friend a patient on Facebook, and 82% think it’s unacceptable to post pictures of a patient or share medical information online.

One thing that hasn’t changed is why these medical students want to become doctors. Although there are a lot of challenges under the current healthcare system, most students aren’t in it for the money or fame—they want to heal. But technology will  be used more often in the process 

See on www.foxbusiness.com