The innovation revolution is changing the world of medicine

Innovation in medicine through the worlds of artificial intelligence, remote medicine, 3D and applications was at the center of a panel that hosted four professors from Beilinson Hospital at Calcalist and Bank Leumi’s Mind The Tech conference that took place in London on Tuesday.

Prof. Gal Markel, Director, Davidoff Cancer Center and Deputy CEO of Rabin Medical Center, Prof. Asnat Walfisch, Head of the Hospital for Women, Prof. Iris Dotan, Chief of Division of Gastroenterology, and Prof. Ran Kornowski, Director of the Cardiology Division, spoke about how the hospital operates under the guiding principle of providing added value at the level of the individual patient, alongside added value through accumulating data.

Prof. Kornowski spoke about the latest developments in the world of cardiology, with an emphasis on wearable technology. "Remote medicine is something that has become quite obvious, especially after the Corona period. Today, thanks to the wearable technology we know from smart watches, wristbands, and more, the same information generated by the wearable equipment can report in real time to emergency services about cardiac arrhythmias or heart attacks, in addition to reminding us to take medication and identify signs of fatigue and dehydration," Kornowski said. "We are working to connect the information that comes from the wearable device to the treating doctors so that they can, with the help of continuous information, make better decisions about the medical treatment and warn of changes."

Walfisch spoke about the enormous advantages inherent in home ultrasound examinations. "The home ultrasound is a device the size of a palm that connects to a smartphone and allows you to independently perform an ultrasound scan of the fetus and transmit it to a dedicated center in Beilinson staffed with medical teams that decode the ultrasound videos," said Walfisch. "This is a significant leap forward in digital medicine and women's health during pregnancy. We were able to make the traditional ultrasound system smaller and more accessible so that it is suitable for home use. The device provides vital information to the medical teams and helps mothers to receive a quick and accurate picture of the condition of the fetus, thus giving them peace of mind and preventing unnecessary visits to the clinic or to emergency rooms due to one concern or another."

Prof. Dotan detailed how at Beilinson innovation is being used to improve the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as colitis and Crohn's. "These are chronic diseases that have no cure, with the environmental background of diet and lifestyle an accelerating factor for the outbreak. At Beilinson, we recognized the need for a tool that would help patients emphasize these two factors from an innovative angle and we began developing a dedicated application that would function as a personal and smart mentor for the patient guiding them on nutrition issues and an adapted lifestyle," explained Dotan.

"From studies conducted in the gastroenterology department, as well as from evidence from around the world, it emerged that a personalized Mediterranean diet reduces the chance of getting chronic intestinal diseases and prevents flare-ups in people who are already sick. The Mediterranean diet is plant-based and rich in dietary fiber, where the recommendations include, among other things, the daily consumption of olive oil , yogurt, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. The recommendation also includes a reduction of red meat and ultra-processed foods. The application, developed in the gastroenterology department, is a personal mentor that supervises the patient in every nutritional aspect during the day.”

Prof. Markel pointed out how, following the ever-increasing demand for accessible home health services, it was decided at the hospital to develop mobile oncology units.

"These are vehicles equipped with advanced medical equipment that are based on artificial intelligence. They will arrive in the patient's neighborhood and allow friendly, high-quality and professional care near the patient’s home as part of the approach of a hospital without borders.”