Medical Technology

What are the key differences between X-ray, CT, MRI, and ultrasound in how they create images of the body? How do clinicians decide which imaging method is most appropriate for a particular health question? What are the risks and benefits of repeated imaging, especially exposure to ionizing radiation? How have 3D imaging and advanced visualization tools changed surgery planning and diagnosis? How might future imaging technologies further reduce invasiveness while increasing detail and accuracy?

How do devices like heart monitors, glucose sensors, and fitness trackers gather and transmit health data? What new possibilities and challenges arise when people can track their vital signs continuously at home? How might constant self-monitoring affect people’s anxiety, reassurance, or sense of control over their health? Who should have access to data from wearables, and under what conditions? How could wearable technology help reduce health disparities instead of worsening them?

In what ways have modern surgical tools and robotic systems changed what operations are possible or safer? How do implants such as artificial joints, stents, or pacemakers work with the body rather than against it? What ethical questions arise when implanted devices can also record or transmit health data? How do surgeons and patients weigh the risks and benefits of placing permanent hardware inside the body? What might future generations of surgical robots and smart implants be able to do that today’s cannot?

How can machine learning systems assist clinicians in reading scans, predicting risk, or choosing treatments? What kinds of data are needed to train reliable medical AI, and what happens when those data sets are biased? Who should be responsible when an AI-supported decision contributes to a medical error? How can AI tools be designed so that they support, rather than replace, human judgment and compassion in care? What safeguards are needed to protect patient privacy when large amounts of medical data are analyzed?

How has remote consultation changed access to care for people in rural or underserved areas? What types of conditions are well suited to telemedicine, and which still require in-person examination? How might telemedicine alter the relationship and trust between patients and clinicians? What barriers, such as technology access or digital literacy, limit who can benefit from remote care? How could health systems combine in-person and virtual care in ways that improve outcomes and equity?

Why do some countries or communities gain access to advanced medical technologies much earlier than others? How should societies decide which expensive technologies to fund and for whom? What responsibilities do companies and governments have to ensure life-saving technologies are not restricted only to the wealthy? How can lower-cost or 'frugal' innovations make high-quality care more widely available? Can you think of a medical technology that transformed outcomes in one part of the world but remains scarce elsewhere?