Digital Health Has Turned The Corner, Again
Current use, adoption expectations, and clinician needs are suggesting an optimistic future
Digital health is a success. Or is it? The development and adoption of digital technology in healthcare have been a bumpy ride. Combined with the ubiquitous issues of physician burnout and time-consuming electronic health records, many physicians may be skeptical or even reluctant to step further into the maelstrom of electronic care.
Despite these challenges, digital health continues to be an exciting area of innovation in healthcare, offering great promise for improving patient outcomes and enhancing the overall quality of care. As digital technologies continue to advance, we can expect to see even more exciting advances in digital health adoption in the years to come.
A recent survey by the American Medical Association cast an interesting and optimistic light on digital health trends and expectations for 2023. As reported by the AMA:
● ADOPTION is up. The percentage of physicians who feel digital health tools are an advantage for patient care grew from 85% in 2016 to 93% in 2022, and increases were measured across all physicians irrespective of age or specialty.
● MORE TOOLS are used. The average number of digital health tools in use by a physician grew from 2.2 in 2016 to 3.8 in 2022.
● REMOTE CARE leads. The percentage of physicians using tele-visits/virtual visits grew from 14% in 2016 to 80% in 2022 while the percentage of physicians using remote monitoring devices grew from 12% in 2016 to 30% in 2022.
● AI GROWS. Two in 5 physicians plan to adopt augmented intelligence in the next year, while nearly 1 in 5 physicians are currently using augmented intelligence in their practices.
So, we have some new data points. Now let’s draw the line and extrapolate into the future.
Digital health has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine. With advances in digital technology, we can expect to see more widespread adoption of telemedicine and remote monitoring, which will allow physicians to provide care to patients remotely. Further, the increased availability of new tools will help drive clinical and patient adoption. This will be especially beneficial in rural areas where there is a shortage of healthcare providers.
Augmented intelligence (AI) also has great potential for advancing the practice of medicine. AI can be used to help physicians make diagnoses and to provide recommendations for treatment. Already in widespread use, AI will tackle the cognitive heavy lifting of medicine and provide information and insights to enhance care.
Digital health has come a long way over the past few years, and we can expect even more exciting advances in the years to come. With continued innovation and adoption, digital health will play an increasingly important role in advancing the practice of medicine and improving patient outcomes. Digital health has turned the corner, once again.
This post was sponsored by AT&T Business, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T Business’s positions or strategies.
