What is Digital Health?
The healthcare industry is currently under mass renovation in all fields. The world is transforming to technology-based solutions and healthcare is not excluded from this. Technological advancements in the health sector are being used to reduce costs, improve patient outcomes and the overall quality of care.
So, what exactly is digital health? Digital health is the use of technology with the aim to enhance patient care and promote a healthy lifestyle. It encompasses a broad range of areas such as telemedicine, electronic health records, health information technology, health analytics, mobile health, and personal health monitoring.
Digital health solutions enable healthcare providers to offer more personalised and efficient healthcare services to their patients. Telemedicine, which is ‘the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using telecommunications technology’, allows patients to consult with their doctors remotely. This not only saves time by taking out the travel but also helps patients with poor mobility to get the care that they need.
Health analytics is another area of digital health that is gaining popularity. It involves the use of data analytics tools to analyse patient data and trends in order to assist help healthcare providers to make better decisions regarding patient care. By leveraging the data from wearables and other sensors, healthcare providers can monitor patients remotely and detect potential health issues before they become serious.
Mobile health (commonly abbreviated to mHealth) is a rapidly growing sector of digital health. It is related to the delivery of healthcare support using wireless devices, such as smartphones or tablets. mHealth apps are apps that allow both the care provider and patient to upload data to an app so that they can track their health, they can also provide reminders and alerts for appointments, and medication, among other things.
Personal health monitoring has been evolving heavily over the last decade moving from a simple pedometer to devices including heart rate trackers to now where devices can remind you to take your medicines and even save lives by contacting the emergency services if it senses you have had a fall or your concerning changes in your heart rate. Sleep tracking devices allow people to take a more active role in their health and wellness by providing real-time feedback on their progress.
Hear the latest development in the above topics discussed in detail at World BI’s Digital Health Innovation Summit by speakers from companies such as Janssen, Pfizer, Microsoft, Omada and many more.
In conclusion, digital health is transforming the healthcare industry in significant ways, and the possibilities for innovation and improvement are endless. From telemedicine to health analytics, mobile health, and personal health monitoring, technology is enabling healthcare providers to offer more personalized, efficient, and effective healthcare services to their patients. As the field of digital health continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting advances in the years to come.