What is the Fate of Contemporary Medicine?

For many people, a perception that medical technology is advancing prompts the question of how medicine will develop over the next 20 to 30 years. Remarkably, current advances in medicine seem to be moving exponentially, with more and more healthcare professionals treating patients in ways that would have seemed inconceivable only a generation ago. Here are just a few indicators of what the future of modern medicine looks like.

1. A Wealth of Vaccines and Treatments

In the current climate of medicine, much is being done to research vaccines to counter some of the most dangerous diseases facing people today. With organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donating hundreds of millions of dollars to the cause of eradicating diseases in third world countries, it is very possible that we will see the disappearance of diseases such as malaria in our lifetime. Considering that malaria is estimated to kill over a million people per year (and mostly children at that), such news is very welcome.

2. More In-Depth Patient Care

For medical students 20 years ago, life in a hospital was often a blur with little time to focus on one patient for more than 15 minutes at a time. A point of pride for trainee doctors included working 100-plus hour weeks with barely enough time to grab lunch in a working day. However, a new generation of doctors is learning to take extra time in their schedule to rest and refocus on patient care. Indeed, many residency programs for physicians are now capping hours in a work week so that doctors aren't overworked and patients aren't under-treated.

3. Better Treatments for Cancer

In the near future, treatment for cancer will focus even more on areas medical care such as early identification and more effective screening. A large percentage of medical research funding is currently being directed towards technological strides in defeating cancer, and additionally, recognition of cancer in a patient's genetic lineage through DNA mapping will alert doctors to a potential risk before cancer even has the ability to develop within a person's body. All of these advances are putting cancer firmly on the run!

4. Healthier Lifestyles and Preventative Medicine

As medicine progresses well into the 21st Century, more and more physicians are seeing the benefits of preventative health education to treat patients. For example, many forms of cancer and heart disease can be avoided through regulating diet and exercise, and for many patients, the understanding of how to avoid potentially dangerous behaviors will help to nip many causes of cancer in the bud.

For these reasons, finding a great balance between life and medical care will only get better in the years to come. With medical advances in patient relations and disease treatment improving every year, the patient of tomorrow will experience the best that advances in medicine have to offer. For healthcare professionals and patients alike, the future is very bright indeed.


Dr. Gil Lederman has personally treated thousands of people with benign and malignant brain tumors.