Overview

The use and increased aid of digital health solutions in India can transform the achievement of higher health standards and access to quality services to promote and protect the health and well-being of citizens.

Digital health stimulates our progress in attaining health and well-being goals.

Digital health, a.k.a digital healthcare, is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary concept that includes an intersection between technology and healthcare. This brings about a digital transformation to the healthcare domain, incorporating software, hardware and services. Under the umbrella of digital health, there is mobile health (mHealth) apps, electronic health records (EHRs), electronic medical records (EMRs), wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalized medicine.

The digital health field includes patients, practitioners, researchers, application developers, medical device manufacturers and distributors. As a result, digital healthcare plays an increasingly significant part in healthcare today.

Digital health is sometimes termed health information technology (health IT), healthcare tools, health analytics, healthcare informatics, hospital IT and medical technology.s

Applying information and communications technology to provide digital health interventions to prevent disease and improve quality of life has been there for a while now. However, in the face of global concerns related to ageing, child illness and mortality, epidemics and pandemics, high costs, and the effects of poverty and racial discrimination on access to healthcare, digital health platforms, health systems, and related technology continue to grow in importance and to evolve.

Government health insurance programs have also brought about new developments in digital health. Further, the current pandemic has fueled the continued digital transformation in healthcare. According to studies, the most impactful COVID-19 technologies include patient-facing tools, patient portals, remote patient monitoring tools and systems of telehealth.

Importance of Digital Health

Digital health employs more than just technologies and tools; it also employs artificial intelligence (AI) and open, secure platforms like big data, robotics, and machine learning, focusing on consumers and healthcare demands.

Soon, we can expect a scientific breakthrough in accelerating the creation of new therapies and vaccines to fight diseases. AI will empower consumers to prevent health issues from developing. In addition, AI-generated insights will influence diagnosis and treatment choices, leading to safer and more effective treatments.

According to research, a jump in healthcare apps fuels its growth today. 

Benefits

Digital health can help prevent disease and lower healthcare costs while helping patients monitor and manage chronic conditions. It can also deliver custom-made medicine for individual patients.

Healthcare providers also can profit from advancements in digital health. Digital tools provide healthcare providers with an extensive view of patient health by significantly increasing access to health data and giving patients greater control over their health, resulting in increased efficiency and enhanced medical developments.

Additionally, technologies like smartphones, social media networks and internet apps present new ways for patients to monitor their health and have expanded access to details. 

Digital health technologies help providers reduce inefficiencies, improve access, reduce costs, increase quality, and make personalized medicine for patients. In addition to this, digital health technologies enable patients and consumers to manage and track health and wellness-related activities more efficiently.

While technologies such as VR tools, wearable medical devices, telehealth, and 5G help improve patient treatment, medical professionals can facilitate their workflows using AI-powered approaches.

PGC Approach

PGC has the following approach to digital health delivery.

• We support the decision-makers at the local, provincial, and national levels to ensure sustainable, reliable, protected and humane technological use.
• We expedite and encourage the practitioners to use digital technologies to deliver healthcare benefits effectively.
• We help improve people's health and well-being with digital health interventions. 

PGC will enable India to plan, adapt, and benefit from seamless and secure technologies that provide effective clinical and public health solutions. We will strive to accelerate health and well-being that is applicable and useful to all, with digital solutions to improve their impact.

Fact Check

• Digital health is a vast concept including AI & ML technologies, telemedicine solutions, web and mobile apps, wearable devices, and other related technologies.
• Healthcare digital transformation is a global trend, and medical professionals, scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs are incredibly interested in this industry.
• According to a study in early 2020, over 50% of healthcare practitioners were using telemedicine owing to pandemic restrictions.
• Downloads of medical apps increased by 50% in 2019 and 2020 due to increased demand for COVID-tracing and healthcare apps. The downloads numbers for mobile healthcare apps is over 3 billion.
• There is a prediction that by 2023 nearly two-thirds of patients will have accessed healthcare via a digital front end.
• By 2024, the proliferation of data will result in 60% of healthcare organizations IT infrastructure being built on a data platform that will use AI to improve process automation and decision-making.

PGC Resolution: To establish programs and initiatives to create awareness of the importance of digital health.