Digital Health Summit 2023

• Recently, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held the Digital Health Summit 2023 in Goa.

• The CII is a non-profit, business-led, and industry-managed organisation.

Major highlight

• It discussed the relevance of technological breakthroughs in health care, including robotics, bioinformatics, and genomics, and how they potentially enable revolutionary medical treatments.
• It attempts to create a framework for digital public goods to promote norms for privacy, data security, and interoperability.
• It emphasised the need for "citizen-centric" digital health systems that enable everyone access to high-quality services.
• It also emphasised the importance of preventative measures and the fact that health technology is the most significant aspect of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

How does a digital health system operate?

• Through the use of various digital technologies, digital healthcare is a technique of delivering medical care that makes high-quality services accessible, inexpensive, and sustainable.
• The broad definition of advanced healthcare includes subcategories including mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (IT), wearable technology, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalised medicine.
• 2020 will see the adoption of the WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health by the World Health Assembly. It offers a route for connecting the newest advancements in digital health and utilising these tools to enhance health outcomes.

Major Applications:

• Diagnostics at the Point of Care: The term "point-of-care diagnostics" (POCD) refers to a developing trend in the medical device sector and describes a broad range of products that enable patients or healthcare professionals to conduct precise diagnostics in circumstances where resources are constrained.

• Virtual medical assistants: By booking appointments, monitoring health records, and carrying out other administrative duties, chatbots and virtual health assistants support patients in communicating with doctors and taking care of their requirements in between consultations.

• Medical devices that can monitor themselves are now being included into wearables, allowing them to detect a range of physiological changes in the body.

• E-pharmacies: An e-pharmacy is a pharmacy that accepts orders online and delivers medications by mail, courier, or delivery personnel.

Challenges:

• Absence of Clear Guidelines: The absence of clear regulations and guidelines may lead to fraudulent practises, misuse of digital prescriptions, data theft, and misuse of electronic health records.
• The lack of digital infrastructure and competent employees is another barrier to India's healthcare system going digital.
• In order to keep patients confident in digital healthcare, it is crucial to secure data privacy and cybersecurity.
• Inadequate security measures can lead to data breaches and the compromise of patient information.
• A legal foundation for e-pharmacy is not necessary: The 1940 Drugs and Cosmetics Act governs the manufacture, distribution, and import of medicines in India.
• However, there is no official definition of "e-pharmacy" in either the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 or the Pharmacy Act of 1948.

Positive effects of digital healthcare

• Telemedicine has enabled both the decentralisation of healthcare and access to remote and advanced care
• By using web-based counselling and home prescription delivery, patients in rural and remote areas can now access affordable, high-quality medical care.
• By facilitating access to health data, computerised devices can provide medical care providers with a comprehensive view of long-term wellbeing.

What objectives does the WHO have for increasing public awareness of innovation and digital health?

• incorporating information, research, and evidence into it through standards for information exchange and interoperability, as well as facilitating the execution of computerised solutions for well-informed guidance
• creating scientific practise communities that are backed by cutting-edge technology to bring together expert opinions on clinical and public health challenges.
• proactively finding, promoting, co-developing, and growing ideas based on national requirements, and systematically tying national requirements and innovation supply together.

Way ahead

• artificial intelligence Controlled medical care: Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare are becoming more and more widespread, including the analysis of huge volumes of data, diagnosis, and health result prediction
• With the use of this technology, healthcare delivery might be done more quickly and accurately while spending less money.