Future digital health challenges: The digital health revolution seems to be underway. According to a recent Trusted Source survey by the American Medical Association, most physicians believe that using digital health tools will restore their ability to care for their patients.
The American Medical Association (AMA) said doctors wanted to integrate new technologies into existing systems. Clinicians want to be part of the executive process concerning new technologies.
A key requirement for new digital tools that include telemedicine / telehealth, remote monitoring, mobile health (mHealth) applications, and wearable devices such as activity trackers, was to support physicians in their current practice, not radically change the way they work. position. position. This is.
Why are some healthcare professionals disappointed with the advancement of digital healthcare and its use in daily clinical practice? Do they think it is based on little or no evidence?
The enthusiasm ceased as expectations were not met
In a recent article in NEJM Substance, the authors note that “less than expected [digital health products] are being deployed in a real clinical setting.” This may be accompanied by complaints that in practice these crops have not been delivered in the hope that they will improve quality, improve outcomes and reduce the cost of treating chronic diseases.
For example, the use of wearable sensors in the routine, repeated monitoring of patients with chronic diseases was less than expected. These plans send real-time data to the healthcare provider (HCP) via the patient’s smartphone or tablet. Research has linked their use to improvements in a variety of outcomes, ranging from quality of life to better survival.
However, until recently, these findings were difficult to replicate in clinical practice, TI researcher and cardiologist Lee R. Goldberg of the University of Pennsylvania said at a recent meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He added that some studies have even found increased (use) costs, no effects and even damage.
Doctors also say that managing data and incorporating it into clinical practice is a big challenge. They also meeting patients with their apps and sensors, many of which untested or untested.
Separation of the Technological and medical industries
Disappointment with digital health increasingly linked to the cultural barrier between entrepreneurs, investors, developers and technology practitioners. Advances in technology show “a surprising lack of focus on where healthcare delivered,” said John S. Rumsfeld, ACC’s director of innovation, at the 2017 Annual Society Meeting.
The main reason for this may be the lack of involvement of healthcare professionals in the development of digital tools. In 2016, 85% of companies publishing medical applications said they consulted with internal or external medical specialists, down 11% compared to the previous year. Additionally, 11% of companies said they did not cooperate with healthcare professionals.
“Unfortunately, a clinician often has a critical eye to determine whether there is credible evidence to support a claim or whether it’s just a pile of rubbish,” said Dr. David M. Levine, primary care doctor and researcher at Brigham and Women’s. in the hospital. and Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, said Medical News Today.
Lots of apps for that
Critics say that due to a lack of consideration of what may be of greatest value to clinicians, many existing digital tools “solve health problems in a piecemeal and random manner.”
Many applications focus on one disease, while those most in need suffer from multiple chronic conditions. Dr. Levine said an elderly person with multiple chronic illnesses might have 20 different apps on their phone and found them useful.
Evidence base required for Many digital health tools
Many of the new challenges of the future for digital health technologies, especially mHealth applications, do not have an evidence base. Commercially successful uses do not necessarily have medical value for clinicians in making decisions about patient evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, or other options. For this reason, many GPs are concerned about their use.
Digital health products that show inspiring results in clinical trials often not implemented in clinical practice. This is because there is medical research the seas change the patient’s behavior. To successful, patients need to highly inspired. Digital companies need to focus on patient engagement.
More connectivity for the digital health challenges of the future
The main problem with current practice is that many digital health tools disconnected. Interoperability, which is systems and devices that exchange data and interpret shared data, “remain largely unattainable.” Integrating new technologies is very important, emphasizes Dr Levine, in particular by developing technologies that can more easily integrated into electronic health records (“plug and play”).
Today, most of these apps build their own platform with their credentials and security issues and warnings. Connectivity is an important topic as we progress, as “it often prevents us from using some of these digital health solutions.
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