A new article published in npj Digital Medicine explores Digital Health strategies within academic medical centers, and how the pandemic has accelerated the entry of technology.
The article questions whether a complex health system with quality traditional medical care can be a leader in the provision of medical services despite the fact that its Digital Health offer is deficient. The authors explain that academic centers have specific missions and values that are intended to provide quality health care, improve the patient experience, produce research, and train and educate professionals.
In this sense, most hospitals promote a wide variety of activities, however, advances in Digital Health are lagging behind. The article provides a practical guide on nine categories to evaluate health systems and seek the successful implementation of Digital Health solutions.
The article identifies three stages, in which health centers began to invest in Digital Health systems:
- Digital health in academic health institutions in the face of COVID-19: For example, the use of telemedicine for monitoring and patient care.
- Digital health in academic health institutions during the current Public Health Emergency: Includes telemedicine strategies for hospitalized patients, in order to reduce close physical contacts and the use of personal protection.
- Digital health in academic health institutions looking forward: For example, the widespread adoption of decentralized clinical trials, real-world data and evidence generation, Artificial Intelligence, and more.
“Health facilities that embrace digital health as part of their missions need to look beyond the short-term business case and immediate return on investment. They must seek or create digital health solutions that help them maintain and strengthen their place in health care, often as beacons of care,” the authors explain.
The elements necessary to achieve a Digital Health approach in academic medical centers include prioritized clinical requirements, effective internal structure and policies, tracking and scaling of digital products and services, among others. All this for which it becomes part of conventional or routine clinical care.
See the full article at the following link:
