The industrial revolution changed everything a few centuries ago. Now everything is affected by the digital healthcare revolution. The opportunities for interdisciplinary digital healthcare research bringing together computer science to radically improve global health, public health, and well being of individuals and populations globally are astonishing.
Digital health is about connecting up the points of care, by electronic means, so that health information can be shared securely across networks. This is the first step to understanding how digital healthcare can help deliver safe, secure and better quality healthcare.
The broad scope of digital health includes categories such as health information technology (IT), mobile health (mHealth), wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalized medicine. Providers and other stakeholders are using digital health in their efforts to:
- Reduce inefficiencies
- Trim down costs
- Improve access
- Increase quality
- Make medicine more personalized for patients
The use of technologies such as social networks, smartphones, internet applications and more is not only changing the way we communicate, but is also providing ground-breaking ways for us to monitor our health and well-being and giving us better access to information. Together these digital healthcare advancements are leading to a convergence of information, technology, people, and connectivity to improve health outcomes and health care.