Applications of digital health approaches for cardiometabolic diseases prevention and management in the Western Pacific region
Fengchao Liang, Xueli Yang, Wen Peng, Shihan Zhen, Wenzhe Cao, Qian Li, Zhiyi Xiao, Mengchun Gong, Youfa Wang, Dongfeng Gu
Abstract
Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are the major types of non-communicable diseases, contributing to huge disease burdens in the Western Pacific region (WPR). The use of digital health (dHealth) technologies, such as wearable gadgets, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence (AI), facilitates interventions for CMDs prevention and treatment. Currently, most studies on dHealth and CMDs in WPR were conducted in a few high- and middle-income countries like Australia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand. Evidence indicated that dHealth services promoted early prevention by behavior interventions, and AI-based innovation brought automated diagnosis and clinical decision-support. dHealth brought facilitators for the doctor-patient interplay in the effectiveness, experience, and communication skills during healthcare services, with rapidly development during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. In the future, the improvement of dHealth services in WPR needs to gain more policy support, enhance technology innovation and privacy protection, and perform cost-effectiveness research.