Virtual Reality

I recently read an article entitled "Virtual Reality And Computer Technology Improve Stroke Rehabilitation." This geared my interest, so I read the article and was amazed at my findings.Isreali Hospitals have recently begun using Virtual Reality as therapy for stroke patients. The patient watches a screen and balls are thrown at him or her while the motions of the patient's arms are recorded on the screen. With this technology, the comouter learned to differentiate between cerebrovascular accidents or traumatic brain injuries. The computer, with this technology, was able to accurate diagnose the problem 90-98% of the time. Next, using different computer models, doctors can determine treatment options and define how much the patient can rehabilitate. The computer does these things quicker than any doctor would be able to. In the example with the ball throwing, if the system throws more balls at the patient's left side than the right, the computer can determine how the brain responds. It then examines possibilities in a short amount of time for treatment. In case you wanted to see this article, it is from ScienceDaily, at this website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310110859.htmNow, what do I think about this course of action? I think it's absolutely wonderful. I continue to be amazed at what science and computers can do and the types of technology we come up with. However, doctors should worry that perhaps with all this new technology, their jobs may become obsolete eventually. Think about it. A computer can diagnose problems that a doctor cannot and can do it in a short amount of time. It can even determine treatment plans. While doctors will be needed to implement those treatment plans, who knows what kind of computer therapy will be next?I continue to worry that these computers could fail and cause destruction with an improper diagnosis. But shouldn't we worry about the same thing with doctors? Aren't doctors more fallible? I suppose that depends on the doctor. This is great because while all computer systems think alike, all doctors do not. Some doctors are better than others, but all computers would be able to diagnose the same problems.I think this computer technology is wonderful. I suppose knowing the success rate in Israeli hospitals would be beneficial to know if the United States should implement the same sort of computer-based healthcare system. Perhaps we should be too skeptical to trust such a plan.What do you think? Do you think this type of technology is making our world completely futuristic and robotic, or do you think it is an advanced way to diagnose problems that is quick, easy, and generally effective? My opinion is that it's wonderful, but in the same way, should be worrysome for doctors. In the early years of Industrial revolution, many factory workers lost their jobs to new machinery. It may be far-fetched, but do you think one day that doctors could lose their jobs to new technology?