Digital health is a term that is becoming increasingly popular in the healthcare industry. It refers to the use of digital technologies such as mobile devices, wearable sensors, and health-related software applications to improve healthcare services with the aim of increasing patient engagement, improving access to care, and promoting better outcomes for patients.
One key area where digital health has been significantly impacting is chronic disease management. Digital tools such as remote monitoring systems allow patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease to manage their conditions more effectively from home. This can reduce hospital admissions and readmissions while improving patients' overall quality of life.
Additionally, telemedicine services enable remote consultations between doctors and patients, providing access to care for those who cannot physically visit a doctor's office.
What are the Dynamics of Digital Health in India?
Today, with the advancement of technology in the healthcare sector, digital healthcare has made a prominent name in India. It has the potential to lower the hefty healthcare costs prevailing at the moment by helping patients manage their chronic health conditions more accurately and, in this way, adopt preventive care. Digital health can also help tailor appropriate medicine for every patient for utmost care.
However, digital healthcare needs to prove itself more strongly in India to overcome challenges. The first challenge it has to face in India is the unruly disparity in the rural and urban areas of healthcare.
• The urban areas get about 75% of the healthcare facilities, but only 27% of the Indian population resides there
• The remaining 73% of the Indian population doesn't receive the proper medical care and infrastructure they should be receiving
The shortage of primary medical caregivers like doctors has increased by 200% in the last decade. And, quoted in the Times of India, India's Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) for health was 63% in 2018, ranking the highest worldwide.
But in the past few years, healthcare has tremendously developed and focused more on advanced technology and innovation. Today, 80% of the healthcare system is focused on increasing its investments in high-quality digital healthcare tools. And through Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, the Indian government is focused on transforming health care by applying health-tech solutions and products in digital health.
What are the Advantages of Digital Healthcare?
1. Helps in Analysing Big Data
The biggest challenge the Indian healthcare ecosystem faces is analysing the complex, abundant, and dynamic data that includes patient consultations, prescriptions, diagnosis, patient data, and financial data. Integrating this data with technology can impact healthcare efficacy, cost, quality of care, outcome, and patient experience.
Systematic storage of big data analysis can significantly:
• Manage outbreaks of infectious diseases
• Detect fraud like payments and claims
• Support the development of personalised treatment plans that include lifestyle alterations or health history
• Analyse medical data on-spot, preventing the need for high medical treatment costs
• Lower the cost of equipment, devices, and drugs and makes their delivery more efficient
2. Encourages Digital Front Door Activities
A healthcare digital front door enhances the patient experience by simplifying the patient's access to their medical data and services. This makes their interaction with the healthcare system easy.
Today, PHR apps in India are doing their part in contributing to encouraging digital front doors by equipping themselves with self-scheduling capabilities, storing old patient records like diagnosis, prescriptions, and treatment, and making appointments. This decreases the encouragement of paperwork and increases the efficacy of a doctor's treatment as there are no chances of faulty diagnosis due to missed medical data.
3. Enhances the Flow of Digital Imaging
With the help of the growing digital health trend in India, there can be an enhancement in the flow of diagnostic information where digital imaging can replace CT or X-ray films. These digital images can be analysed within a few minutes, and sharing them is easy, creating remote access.
4. Increases Cyber Security
The healthcare industry needs a top-notch security system as organisations must protect patients' personal, health, and financial information. With the encouragement of digital healthcare adoption, cyber security has been given the spotlight, and heavy investments are being made for digital forensics and biometrics to be applied in the healthcare ecosystem.
One of the significant benefits of digital healthcare is that it provides a secure way to store and share medical information. Advanced encryption technologies have made it nearly impossible for hackers to access patient data without authorisation. Adopting digital healthcare has also brought about a culture of awareness among healthcare professionals regarding cybersecurity practices.
Bottom Line
Digital health in India offers immense advantages that can truly revolutionise healthcare delivery. Health lockers like Health-e have contributed to digitising the healthcare field and improving patient experience! From making health information more accessible to eliminating costly paperwork, it is clear that digital health can help India take a step forward in providing better care for its citizens.
Moreover, it increases the speed of consultation between patients and doctors and simplifies complex treatments. These advantages make digital health an essential element of modern health care in India. Healthcare facilities must continue to invest in digital technology to ensure the highest quality of care for all Indian citizens!
