The Rise of Digital Health: Emerging Opportunities in a Growing Market

Digital health is also known as digital health care, utilizing various digital technologies in the field of healthcare and incorporating various software, hardware, and sensors into healthcare delivery systems, which benefits both caregivers and patients. Various categories of digital technologies include electronic medical records [EMR], electronic health records [EHR], MHealth apps, telehealth, and telemedicine, which help patients improve their quality of life by early detection of various types of disease and their management, improving the quality of patient care.

Cyberspace is the term discovered by science fiction author ‘William Gibson' who said, the future is already here; it is just not very evenly distributed, which implies that tools that are necessary to transform our lives already exist but are not available.

Automation, robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are some of the technologies used to deliver and improve efficiency, accuracy, and error reduction and play an important role in bringing about changes in digital healthcare.

Emerging Digital Health Technologies:

• Internet of Medical Things [IoMT]: Network-connected medical devices that communicate with each other and information technology systems referred to as IoMT. It includes remote patient monitoring devices, ingestible sensors, and robotic caregivers.

• Mobilehealth [MHealth] includes wearables, digital watches, mobile apps, a pulse oximeter that signals the patient or caregivers in the management of chronic disease, glucose monitoring, blood pressure monitoring, and heart rate, and acts as reminders for administering medicines, which improves medication adherence and patient safety.

• Electronic Medical Record [EMR]: It refers to the maintenance of medical records of the patient, documenting data digitally in a computerized system that prevents leakage of data and ensures the data's safety, privacy, and integrity.

Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Health

Digital health is transforming the healthcare landscape, but it faces several challenges. Key issues include data interoperability, which hinders seamless information exchange; a lack of digital literacy among healthcare professionals; and concerns about data security that can compromise patient privacy. These challenges must be addressed to unlock the full potential of digital healthcare.

The ongoing transformation in digital healthcare is fostering a culture of innovation and change. It offers numerous benefits, including personalized patient care, improved health equity, increased access to services, enhanced productivity, and cost efficiency. However, as digital health expands, there are emerging skill gaps among healthcare professionals, particularly among those new to the field who may not be trained in various digital tools.

We have seen digital health is growing rapidly, which offers exciting opportunities for innovation and improvement in healthcare delivery.

Digital technology plays a prominent role in the development of new drugs, which includes:

• Computer-aided drug design: the process of development of new drugs by interaction of biological target with a potential drug that combines chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and computational modeling.
• Pharmacophore modeling: a tool used for drug discovery and drug design of new molecules with similar activities.

Conclusion

The advancement of digital health has sparked significant growth in the healthcare sector, driven by the development of innovative technologies, increased awareness, and enhanced skills. As the youth of our nation, we hold the responsibility to foster a healthier future. By embracing and implementing new technologies, we can focus on preventing diseases through early detection and work towards reducing the impact of existing health challenges. Together, we can contribute to a healthier society.