1. What is Digital Health Technology? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines digital health as the “application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives.” To explain the term more efficiently, the use of computing platforms, software and sensors for healthcare and wellness of the entire population is known as digital health technology. It is a broad multidisciplinary concept that blends health and technology together to support the equitable and universal distribution of healthcare services across the globe. Soon, the medical fraternity and healthcare technology experts will share their acquired digital health intelligence with the world and impoverished nations to eradicate diseases and anomalies. We are looking towards a future that will leverage practices like telehealth and telemedicine to treat patients. 2. Digital Health Innovations The healthcare system of India has always been burdened with the overwhelming population of the country rushing to hospitals for treatment. On top of it, the pandemic posed myriad complexities for the country’s healthcare system. India still doesn’t enjoy overall and equitable distribution and access to technology which has caused digital health inequalities in various parts of the country. However, many technology startups are emerging in the digital health market with brilliant solutions that could help a huge chunk of the population remotely. Digital health innovations in the country include: Mobile health Health and wellness applications Big Data Telehealth Electronic medical records with interoperability of data Personal genomics Diagnostics Medical imaging Wearable technologies (fitness trackers, medical devices, etc.) Technologies to support integrated care [Source: RGNUL, Research Paper] During the pandemic, the government came up with a GPS-tracking system to track the movement of the patients who were quarantined at their homes. This means that with increasing necessity, there will be more innovations to suit online medical assistance. 3. Digital Health Trends As digital tools begin to have fundamental impacts on medical assistance and patient care, new innovations and tools will act as facilitators of digital health in India. However, one has to understand that adoption of new digital health methods and tools will take time as providing concrete evidence for regulation and adoption is a critical manoeuvre. We can certainly say that India will witness the applications of digital therapeutics soon in 2021 and so forth. Let’s take a look at the digital health trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital Therapeutics Mobile Apps – Gave information about COVID-19, self-assessment options and monitoring Disease Management Apps – Remote patient monitoring Bulk emailing and text messaging – helped patients communicate with medical experts for assistance and wellbeing Web-based Interactive Programs – programs for healthcare delivery, insomnia, physical therapy and other therapeutic interventions Digital Health Records Telemedicine – virtual patient visits by healthcare experts In-home Connected Virtual Assistants – to guide people to healthcare information, data, records or to push reminders Clinical Trial Tools – to collect patient information and initiate virtual trials Connected biometric sensors – to track vitals and help patients monitor themselves Consumer Wearable – monitor patient activity [Source: IQVIA Institute] 4. ArdorComm Media’s Webinar On ‘Digital Health: A Vision of Modern India’ ArdorComm Media is a growing media organization with its branches spread in various industries including Healthcare, Education, HR, Governance & Media and Entertainment. The upcoming event on ‘Digital Health: A Vision of Modern India’ will take place on 28th October 2021. The event aims to initiate discussions on digital healthcare practices and tools in India to revolutionize the existing healthcare ecosystem of the country. The webinar will be power-packed with leading healthcare and technology experts, startups, subject-matter experts, healthcare sales and pharmaceutical reps and much more. The theme of the event is ‘Rapid Digitization of Healthcare in Post-Pandemic India’ and the key takeaways are: Blend of technology in modern and traditional medicine Role of technology in preventive healthcare AI in healthcare facilitating long-term care management Latest innovations in remote healthcare monitoring in India Join the event to interact with like-minded experts to expand your network for personal and professional growth. Your presence will help India to move one step closer towards our vision of digital health for India.
