The healthcare industry has experienced significant disruption, similar to a tsunami. Although the pandemic is now behind us, difficulties still remain.
The NHS is currently facing significant challenges, including pressure on costs, shortages of workers, disparities, and a backlog in patient care. The healthcare industry is actively working to improve outcomes by accepting digital healthcare. This change aims to enhance efficiency and move away from a hospital-centric approach, eventually leading to more personalised and precise medicine.
Innovations such as AI, digital therapeutics, as well as continuous sensors hold enormous promise for transforming disease forecasting, diagnostics, and treatment, ultimately resulting in improved healthcare. With a wide range of data available, such as ambient signatures, implants, and consumer wearables, it is crucial to harness and share this information.
The global digital health market is projected to reach a value of $939 billion by 2032, driven by these creative advancements. However, before personalised healthcare can be carried out on a large scale, there are certain underlying issues that need to be addressed and resolved.
Challenges pertaining to interoperability
The increasing popularity of consumer wearables along with other connected devices produces a significant amount of health-related data. To safeguard the success of personalised care, it is crucial to establish an interoperability ecosystem. Enhancing diagnostics and reducing costs can be achieved by breaking into silos and guaranteeing seamless integration. The ability to share real-time data is essential, as it significantly improves treatment and enhances patient outcomes.
The regulatory landscape
With the increasing prevalence of wearables and implantable devices, there is a corresponding rise in cybersecurity concerns. For instance, if the device sends data to the individual’s mobile phone and it is breached, it could lead to the following consequences:
– The device may initiate unnecessary actions that could potentially harm the individual.Â
– It could serve as an entry point for hackers to exploit the hospital network.
 – This could go on to contribute to the increasing threat of ransomware that the NHS is currently combating.
Therefore, it is crucial to establish barriers to effectively mitigate these weaknesses and others. Enhanced regulation and oversight are crucial in order to protect data and promote secure and safe sharing of information, thereby facilitating the broad acceptance of digital healthcare.
Addressing Privacy and Trust Concerns concerning DataÂ
The increasing number of connected devices, such as monitors for heart rate, pulse oximeters, electrocardiographs, and continuous glucose monitors, has led to the creation of new data streams. The data offers valuable insights that can help improve personalised therapeutic care. However, it is essential that one prioritises building trust in the data.
The expanding field of digital therapeutics happens to have the capacity to revolutionise the progression of illnesses and aid in the restoration of connections between neurons in the brain. Doctors will be able to rely on precise data about what the individual does instead of solely relying on what the patient reports, leading to increased efficiency and effectiveness.
Doubling investment in digital technologies
To achieve enhanced holistic healthcare delivery with greater efficiency, it is necessary to employ intelligent technologies that are capable of dealing with the aforementioned issues. The integration of AI and machine learning with digital twin solutions offers a valuable approach for modelling, scenario planning, and predicting outcomes. In order to provide personalised care, intelligent digital twins need to have access to interoperable real-time data. This data is crucial for modelling, assessing, gaining insights, and executing effective action.
Many companies are currently utilising virtual patients to evaluate the effectiveness of drugs prior to conducting human trials. Digital simulations are valuable tools that can help identify issues at an early stage in the development cycle. Although it may appear futuristic, these efforts are already in progress, with innovations such as the simulation of a human heart.
The digital imperative
The global imperative is to transition from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalised and preventative healthcare. The advancements in digital healthcare have the potential to greatly impact our lives in various ways, right from enhancing the ability to detect and diagnose medical conditions to providing personalised treatments and implementing preventive measures. That said, there are obstacles that need to be addressed before it can be realised. If our goal is to enhance both the quality and duration of human life, it is crucial that we prioritise the shift towards anticipatory and therapeutic healthcare.
