The COVID-19 pandemic has blatantly exposed a number of health system flaws at the local, national, and international levels. It has, however, highlighted the necessity of increasing the resilience of such systems. This is especially true for digital health solutions, whose full potential has never been fully realized due to slower than anticipated progress.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the adoption of many digital health tools, especially for virtual care and public health surveillance in many nations. Numerous ways that digital health can improve healthcare planning and delivery for safer and higher-quality care have been highlighted by this acceleration. In the meantime, this pandemic’s difficulties have revealed serious weaknesses in important health IT and governance concerns.
Table of Contents
Digital Health Trends to Improve Patient Outcomes
The intersection of technology and health has given rise to a new area of medical care. These tools significantly improved healthcare services, going beyond simple aid. Here are three major trends influencing healthcare delivery and digital health today.
Facility Coordinated Care: Streamlining Hospital or Health Facility Workflows in the Event of a Patient’s Admission for Major Procedures.
Precision Medicine: In order to facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment, this entails gathering and integrating patient data regarding particular diseases.
Coordinated Care at Home: This ensures that patients receive optimal care even after they leave the hospital, preventing unfavorable outcomes that might have occurred outside of its walls.
These are the top digital health trends that have the potential to greatly improve patient outcomes in light of these factors.
Digital Tools Enhancing Patient Care
Telemedicine
One of the key elements of contemporary healthcare is telemedicine. It helps to eliminate geographical boundaries by facilitating consultations remotely, thereby enabling access to health care for disadvantaged groups. According to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, telemedicine can reduce hospitalization and emergency department visit rates, especially when used to treat chronic illnesses.
Benefits
- Convenience: Patients there have the opportunity to receive care in the convenience of their own homes, which is more appealing to those who live in rural areas or have mobility issues.
- Continuity of Care: Virtual appointments on a regular basis support the management of chronic conditions at home, improving patient satisfaction and health outcomes.
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Data access and accuracy have significantly increased with the transition from manual, paper-based records to electronic health records. EHRs help improve care coordination and streamline provider workflow, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Benefits
- Full Access to All Data: EHRs allow practitioners to have full access to the patient’s records, which will help in accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Less Error: Digital records reduce the occurrence of transcription errors, thus making the care provided to the patients safer.
Mobile Health Applications
Applications for mobile health (mHealth) are increasingly providing patients with tools to help them take a more active role in managing their health. Patients can use the applications to monitor their symptoms, take their medications, and make decisions about their lives.
Benefits
- Self Management: Patient self-management is encouraged by apps such as MyFitnessPal, which tracks nutrition, and MySugr, which manages diabetes.
- Medical Devices: Most offer personalized medical insights for empowering patients with more knowledge and participation in their treatment options.
Wearable Technology
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that expands functionality to revolutionize the collection and tracking of health data. About 30% of Americans own a wearable gadget, and many of them use it for health-related reasons, according to a Consumer Technology Association report.
Benefits
- Continuous Monitoring: These comprise gadgets that give the wearer real-time, instant feedback on their vital signs. This makes it possible to prevent and treat a number of harmful medical conditions.
- Data Utilization: By using the collected data, medical practitioners will be able to identify health trends in their patients and provide prompt interventions.
Artificial Intelligence
Healthcare is implementing artificial intelligence to enhance operational effectiveness and decision-making. Large data sets can be analyzed by AI algorithms, which can then identify patterns that human clinicians would otherwise be unable to see.
Benefits
- Predictive analytics: By analyzing past data, AI tools can forecast patient outcomes, enabling earlier interventions and more individualized treatment regimens.
- Diagnostic Support: Research in Nature Medicine indicates that machine learning models can provide highly accurate diagnosis of diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Patient Engagement Platforms
The key to improved health outcomes is increased patient engagement. A platform for patient engagement typically facilitates communication between the patient and the healthcare professional, enhancing the patient experience in general.
Benefits
- Secure Messaging: The ability to securely communicate on the platforms where patients can ask questions and get responses.
- Feedback Systems: A mechanism for collecting patient feedback may inform health providers about areas for improvement, creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
In addition to improving patient comfort, virtual and augmented reality are revolutionizing medical education. During major surgeries, virtual reality simulations can be used. This enables the patients to divert their attention from their surroundings.
Benefits
- Training: In a low-risk setting, medical professionals can rehearse intricate procedures using virtual reality simulations.
- Patient Experience: By using AR to visualize treatment plans, patients can better comprehend and comply with them.
Conclusion
Through improved accessibility, increased patient engagement, and more efficient care delivery, the digital age has brought the future of healthcare to the modern world. Practitioners can significantly improve patient outcomes with technology, ensuring a healthier future for everybody. As we move forward and embrace these innovations, the opportunities for even greater improvements in patient care are becoming more and more apparent.