Today, digital technologies are everywhere in our daily lives, and in businesses, it is present in every industry. They provide access to a large amount of information and profoundly change habits. And, with this, the field of health is also not spared. Specific solutions are dedicated to this sector with several innovations. Digital technology has made it possible to digitize the health journey of each patient, offering more simplicity in the therapeutic procedures. Do you want to know more? Discover in this article how digital technology has changed the field of health.
What is digital health?
Digital health is an area that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to treat patients, conduct research, promote learning and training, and also monitor diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the main objectives of digital health or e-Health is the monitoring of population health. Therefore, most actions in digital health consist of unifying information about patients, such as medications, consultations, and exams, integrating software and devices through the technology currently available.
Benefits of digital health
Digital health brings several advantages to professionals, patients, and society. For this reason, new methods are sought every day to expand the use of technologies in the universal promotion of quality of life. Here are the main health benefits!
Provides greater interaction with customers
Some simple health apps are already able to promote greater interaction with patients. Users can store symptoms daily and send the set of information to be evaluated by a doctor at the end of each month. If a problem is suspected, the doctor may order tests or recommend a specialist. Thus, although there is no personal contact, it is possible to create continuous interaction with the patient’s routine along with monitoring his routine with possible symptoms that he forgot to mention during the consultation.
Control and patient support
With the use of adequate resources and tools, patients develop relevant functions in the prevention, control, and treatment of diseases. The mechanisms show and store important data, such as calories expended, heart rate, in addition to alerting you when it is time to take a medication. Also, it allows the sharing of information relevant to the patient’s health, with doctors and other professionals who make up the team that is responsible for monitoring it.
Provides agile and effective service
Undoubtedly this situation sounds familiar to you: a patient arrives from another health center and, since you do not have their data in the system, you have to call the other center to have them sent to you. In some cases, the process is agile, but in others, it can take several days. And, this creates delays, a worse experience for the patient and more difficulties for you.
Fortunately, this type of situation is set to disappear with the implementation of the centralized registry or EHR, one of the foremost digital health tools for professionals. On the other hand, there are a whole series of smart apps and devices designed to help you in your daily work and the control of your patients. Thus, for example, smartwatches can be used to monitor the biometric information of your patients (including aspects such as pulse, sleep quality, physical activity, etc.), and thus keep a digitized record of their evolution. There are even apps that allow you to monitor the administration of drugs and supplements.
Wrapping Up
So, now you are aware of how digital health opens new horizons and is a trend in global medicine. Currently, it faces some challenges in its implementation, such as the lack of qualified professionals and lack of investment. The institutions that decide to invest in digital health practices, adding technology to their processes, can differentiate themselves in the market and obtain good results.