Reimagining Digital Health

Abstract

Digital health is “associated with the use and development of digital technologies to improve health” (WHO 2024a ). It differs from other forms of healthcare by using a set of digital technologies, which are smart, accessible, and connected and which become central to the process of delivering healthcare. These technologies are used in all areas of healthcare, including providing professional healthcare services (e.g., diagnosing and treating patients), the supporting processes that are needed to deliver care (e.g., task planning, allocation of resources, patient routing), research (including trial management), patient self-care and health management, and health-related innovation generally. Examples of digital health technologies include mobile healthcare apps, fitness trackers, wearables, personal healthcare devices – such as digital scales, digital chest belts, smart pillboxes, smaller devices used by healthcare professionals (e.g., sensor-equipped endocutters, digital stethoscopes, or intelligent carpets), implants (neuro-, cardiac, or other) that are equipped with sensors and network connections, robotic surgery, teleconsultations, and remote patient monitoring solutions. Increasingly, and as advocated by the WHO ( 2024a ), digital health is associated with the use of artificial intelligence and complementary innovations, such as the use of blockchain, to deliver on its promise to improve healthcare quality, access, and affordability. These technologies on the one hand digitize healthcare and on the other hand enable new forms of interactions between patients and healthcare providers, such as sharing decisions between physicians and patients (Charles et al. 1997 ; Vogel et al. 2021 ).

Topics & Concepts