Innovating Veteran Care With the Latest Medical Computers and Technology

Veterans are often the most in need of care and the most unable to receive it. Learn how modern medical tech can help us heal those who defended us at the cost of their own safety and health.

It’s not controversial to say that veteran care needs work. Unfortunately veterans’ healthcare facilities are often saddled with limited budget.

Fortunately, at least in the United States, improvement in healthcare equipment and technology for veterans has actually been federally mandated.

So how can we leverage LED headsets, medical computers, and mobile healthcare to transform the field of veteran care?

Mobile Health for Homeless and Disabled Vets

Veterans who have suffered from disabilities or economic hardship don’t always have the means to travel to their healthcare facility.

This is where mobile health centers can make a huge difference for veterans everywhere, no matter their transportation situation.

Mobile health clinics — vans or buses outfitted with medical gear and medical professionals — have seen solid success in a number of markets. Moreover, they’re incredibly cost-effective: studies show that the average return on mobile health is $12 dollars saved for every $1 spent.

These mobile health clinics often use things like battery-powered medical PCs and medical tablets to do the heavy lifting in the EMR department. With 4G capabilities, these computers can link up with medical records no matter where they are.

Some of these mobile clinics even have advanced diagnostic imaging PCs attached to things like x-ray machines or CT scanners to provide top-of-the-line care anywhere.

Telehealth centers have also proved a successful alternative to mobile health clinics, especially in rural areas. The Alabama Department of Public Health recently deployed a strategy of telehealth for mental health, rehab, and other specialties to give veterans greater access to healthcare regardless of location, disability, or lack of transportation. They paid for most of this through telehealth adoption grants that are available to many healthcare facilities.

Healing the Mind with Digital Therapy

Veterans often require a great deal of therapeutic intervention. Luckily, modern advances have given new tools to clinicians and their veteran patients.

LED Therapy

Explosives, shrapnel, falls, and other head wounds amongst veterans are not uncommon, and with them comes the possibility of permanent brain injury.

However, innovative technologies like LED therapy have proved effective, and are already being used on veterans with good results.

A headset is worn by the injured patient, one which has been customized with LEDs in strategic locations on the head to maximize blood flow. These treatments last around 30 minutes and are repeated at regular intervals on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on patient needs.

The LEDs emit light in a wavelength that is actually able to penetrate the patient’s skin and skull and reach the brain cells underneath. Light at these wavelengths has been proven to augment and improve the natural cellular activity and regenerative properties of affected cells, boosting both cognition and memory in traumatized patients.

Virtual Reality Therapy

Veterans with PTSD have been receiving standard therapy and medication for years, and they’re vital for long-term recovery.

However, technology like virtual reality is providing new avenues for effective therapy. Some VR therapy sessions — usually at something like a telehealth center or local clinic — can connect with therapists and psychologists from around the world, allowing troubled veterans to get help no matter their location.

The second form of VR therapy involves exposure therapy in a safe, secure environment — patients know they can disconnect from the simulation and/or remove the VR helmet at any time. Because of the relatively low fidelity of even the most up-to-date simulation, that extra layer of the unreal creates a safe buffer between a sufferer and their fears.

Questions About Veteran Care Technology

We’ve only just scraped the surface of what new technology can do to help patients and specifically veterans in need of immediate and long-term intervention.

If you want to learn how to implement these methods and more at your healthcare facility, contact an expert at Cybernet today.