Advantages of Adopting Digital Health Technologies to Manage COVID-19

By CIOReview | Thursday, June 3, 2021

The positive impact of the digital health technologies during COVID-19 will accelerate the adoption of such technologies in the healthcare sector.

FREMONT, CA : The COVID-19 crisis highlights the possibilities of digital health technology to address some of the most pressing public health issues. As a result, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has imposed a call to action for technology companies to assist scientists in answering high-priority scientific questions about COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also identified that technology and surveillance systems can play an essential role in assisting public health responders in the event of an outbreak.

The following are some examples of how digital health technology can play an essential role in flattening the curve, restricting virus spread, and helping treat infected people. Perhaps the positive effect of these technologies will speed up the adoption and significance of digital innovation in healthcare. Such innovation must be balanced against the ongoing requirement for safety.

Tracking the Coronavirus Pandemic

By offering an early warning of potential infection, digital health technology can aid in pandemic management. Numerous public health authorities, as widely publicized, are restricting test qualifications to symptomatic patients and healthcare workers. There is a time lag between the onset of physical symptoms and the receipt of results if the infected person can obtain a diagnostic test.

An organization that uses internet-connected thermometers has given people smart thermometers to record fevers at home. Users of the smart thermometer can then report their fever and symptoms immediately. Though thermometers cannot validate that a person is infected with the coronavirus, fever spikes captured by the thermometer are an early warning sign of potential infection.

Monitoring Hospital Visitors and Patients

Artificial intelligence has also been used in hospitals to assist medical personnel in screening visitors and treating infected patients. Hospitals with access to digital health technology can monitor and manage the coronavirus pandemic more efficiently.

Medical facilities can use remote monitoring, another type of artificial intelligence technology that can be used as digital health, to secure staff and closely monitor patients.

3-D Printing of Equipment and Materials

3-D printing has been recognized as a digital health technology for its possibilities in crisis management, as demonstrated by COVID-19.

Technologists are developing and sharing tips for 3-D printing to build values and components for ventilators through tools like Google Docs and WhatsApp with healthcare professionals worldwide. As a result, several reports of 3-D printing techniques are being used to create short-term use ventilators.