Dr. Erkan Hassan

Monthly Writings

Evaluations and reviews of the latest in the field.

3 Important Aspects of Digital Health for Healthcare Leaders

SUMMARY:

  • As digital health evolves, healthcare leaders must be prepared  to deal with it’s further development.

  • Operational processes are linked to e Health and telemedicine.

  • The electronic health record and IT systems are mentioned most frequently but should be part of an overall organizational strategy.

REVIEW

Digital health has the potential to significantly access clinical data and improve patient care by generating and sharing data.  Healthcare leaders can exploit the potential of digital health by focusing on 3 major aspects.

 

1)     Digital Transformation is More than Just Technology.

  • A technological perspective alone is not sufficient.

  • The digital health strategy should support the overall organizational strategy, not just IT priorities.

  • Healthcare leaders need a holistic approach to evaluate the implications any technology has on the overall strategy and operational management of the organization.

 

2)     Increased Understanding of Operational and Business Models of Digital Health

  • Operational Processes involve:

    • eHealth (exchange of data)

    • Trend Health (Lifestyle issues)

  • Business Model of the Digital Health Solution

    • Software affecting health data

    • Hardware involved

    • Digital fear by users

Angerer et al JMIR MHealth and UHealth 2022;10(11):e37624

3) Clinical Validation of the Impact of Digital Health on the Organization

  • Due to the relative infancy of digital health, there is a lack of widespread experience on clinical outcomes.

  • Healthcare leaders need more evidence on the expected outcome and impact of digital health on clinical outcome and the organization.

  • Better define where the digital health solution fits in the workflow to aid clinicians.

CONCLUSIONS:

  • Digital health is here to stay.

  • Healthcare leaders must be prepared to deal with these changes.

  • Healthcare leaders should focus less on technology and more on patient management.

  • Evidence on expected outcomes and the impact of digital health solutions on clinical workflow are necessary to consider the digital health solution.

Erkan Hassan