By now, you’ve most likely experienced or heard of the term digital health. Although this broad term is used frequently in healthcare spaces, it isn’t always clear how it might be implemented practically. The different avenues of digital health technologies are innovating rapidly and are only expected to continue growing and developing in the coming years.1
What is digital health?
The umbrella term, digital health, essentially refers to any technology that can improve or assist with your personal health and wellness goals. Some popular examples include mobile health applications, wearable devices that track health or fitness goals, and virtual care and telehealth, which have become especially popular to host virtual consultations and treatment in the form of video conferencing or phone calls.
Digital health can also involve medical devices for remote health monitoring that provide and relay critical health information to both you and your healthcare provider. This means more innovative ways to monitor and manage an array of conditions, ailments and activities related to your health and wellness. Embracing digital health is the future of healthcare and has many benefits to show for it.
What are the advantages of digital health?
Digital health, especially virtual care, boasts many advantages for both clients and healthcare providers. When care programs and treatment sessions can be delivered virtually, clients can avoid inconvenient factors such as waiting rooms and commute time. This has also made healthcare more accessible for people who live in remote areas, those who are reliant on family/friends/communities for transport or support or who have mobility issues, through a delivery model that is as effective as in-person care in achieving a client directed recovery outcome.
Having the option of virtual care not only streamlines the process of receiving care, but it also creates a more personalized experience in a client’s healthcare journey. Virtual care services are seamlessly introduced into your routine from the comfort of your own home or anywhere else you might be. This approach can accommodate people wherever they are and can give them access to work with healthcare providers who may be located farther away.
On the other side, healthcare providers can also benefit by seeing a clearer picture of their clients’ home and community participation needs. Being able to observe clients in their home/community environment through a virtual session gives the healthcare provider a more holistic understanding of their client’s daily environment and lifestyle. This allows them to better assess and design a personalized treatment plan tailored to the client’s environment, while also creating a plan for them to self-manage at home.
Effectively implementing virtual care provides better outcomes for everyone involved. Healthcare providers are able to provide support in real time to clients who can receive personalized care at home or in other settings. They can also coordinate and communicate with each other more efficiently to enhance the delivery of services for clients. These important benefits also empower clients and give them more control over how they receive care and make informed decisions as they move through their healthcare journeys.
What can digital health treat?
- Pain management
- Injury recovery from accidents or sports
- Work injury or Auto injury rehabilitation
- Management of chronic conditions
- Post-surgical rehabilitation, such as knee or hip replacement
- Balance and dizziness issues
- Recovery and preventive exercise programs
- Help with depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions
What else can we expect from digital health?
- Wireless Medical Devices
- Mobile Medical Apps
- Telemedicine
- Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)
- Artificial Intelligence1
- Mixed/Virtual/Augmented reality tools
Virtual care and other healthcare delivery methods for not only rehabilitation services but mental health and home health services are always available to you. If you or a loved one are dealing with an injury, condition or require personal support, it might be time to consider digital health or virtual care.
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Sources
- Notice: Health Canada’s Approach to Digital Health Technologies. Government of Canada. 2018. [Link]