Abstract
Digital technologies are one of the outstanding achievements of our time. In particular, they can and should be applied in the field of healthcare. They can be useful in collecting statistics on the status of patients and their data. Technologies also make treatment faster and more effective. Sometimes, thanks to them, pharmacists do not even need to develop new drugs, which saves time and money. However, now many patients are distrustful of digital technologies. Many of them also have difficulty using technologies, for instance, older people. Thus, the research and implementation of digital technology is a complex and lengthy task. Scientists face many challenges in this area, and in the future, with the growth of technological capabilities, their number will increase. The primary outcome of this development is a healthy and prosperous population.
The Outcomes of Appliance Digital Therapeutics in Healthcare
Currently, the development of technology is one of the main tasks of society. Technologies are the faithful helpers of people in many everyday and business tasks. They are introduced into most areas of human lives, and thanks to this, many processes have now become much simpler and faster. Technologies are constantly evolving, and not one of the spheres of human life should miss the opportunity to use them. One of the areas where modern technology is applied is medicine. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how digital therapeutics affect healthcare.
General and Specific Problem Statements
The use of digital technologies in any area of life allows humanity to simplify many processes and makes any work more efficient and productive. Healthcare is an area where the use of these technologies can also be of significant benefit. One of the general problems associated with the use of modern technologies in healthcare is their implementation. This requires high monetary and time costs for the development of equipment, as well as its purchase, shipment, and staff training. There is also a wide range of specific issues related to information technology. For example, it is vital to prioritize and select areas where development is most needed (cardiology, gastroenterology, psychotherapy, and others). It is also worth considering the question from the point of view of ethics: can robots conduct operations, write prescriptions, conduct examinations? In addition, people need considerable time to get used to constant contact with various technical developments. Thus, despite all the bonuses of using digital therapeutics in healthcare, the issue of their widespread implementation remains controversial until now.
Research Questions
- What are the main goals and objectives of the use of digital therapeutics in the field of health?
- What electronic tools can potentially be used in healthcare?
- How are digital technology and healthcare-related at the moment?
- What government, medical, and technology organizations will be responsible for developing new electronic tools?
- Whose task will the introduction of electronic tools in hospitals, clinics, and other medical institutions be?
- How to convey information about the possibilities of electronic technology to the population, especially to older people?
- What areas of health are currently prioritized for the introduction of electronic technology?
- How and by whose efforts should doctors and technicians resolve emerging moral and ethical issues?
Literature Review Three Concepts
New electronic technologies are useful for healthcare in many aspects. For example, the use of digital therapy and the use of existing drugs will be much more useful than the development of new medicine (Sverdlov et al., 2018). Thanks to digital medicine, doctors can use robotic surgery or use statistics tracking applications (Ferguson et al., 2018, p. 1).
This can be applied both in the treatment of simple diseases and in the control of complex problems. For example, according to Kaufman, Ferrin, and Sugrue (2019), electronic technology allows people with diabetes to closely check their condition. This simplifies the monitoring process and improves patient performance. Another example is patients with neurological diseases who have improved their memory using a mobile application (Choi et al., 2019).
One more issue that electronic methods help cope with is insomnia. According to studies, the combination of therapy with mobile and web tools has made the effect more visible and faster (Espie et al., 2016). Thus, the beneficial effects of electronic methods on healthcare are undeniable and should continue to develop for the benefit of society.
Methods
The primary method used in this work is the study of literature on relevant topics. Thanks to the study of different sources, one can clearly understand what technologies are already used in the healthcare sector. They also provide information on areas to work on, where doctors are missing something. In addition, the study of literary sources reveals the basic needs of patients. Various statistics obtained during the research can also provide information on which doctors consult the biggest number of patients. Thanks to the study of this issue, it becomes clear which of the doctors need to be provided with the most assistance with the help of digital means. The study also helps examine existing digital therapeutics methods in healthcare. This gives a clear understanding of what achievements have already been made and what medicine is still lacking.
Findings
The research showed that digital therapeutics has already spread to most areas of healthcare. Undoubtedly, this is a positive trend since it significantly improves the quality of medical care. The research identified several diseases for which electronic technologies are already used, for example, diabetes, insomnia, and neurological disorders (Kaufman et al., 2019). In addition, it was found that the development of new medical devices is expensive but often unproductive. Moreover, some medical issues can be solved without the development of new drugs, but with the help of digital technology. They are often related to psychology and psychotherapy when a doctor can talk to a patient online. This suggests that technology has a beneficial effect on the process of treating patients, making it easier and cheaper. Another critical factor is the collection and study of patient data. Digital technology allows medical staff to automate this process, which also benefits both doctors and visitors to medical institutions (Espie et al., 2016). Thus, the widespread adoption of new technologies is already having a positive effect on healthcare. This process needs to be supported, making communication with patients and treatment even more helpful.
Limitations
Unfortunately, the ubiquitous introduction of electronic health technology is not always possible. First, this is due to the imperfection of existing technologies. For instance, not all surgeries can be automated since they can be severe and even dangerous. Moreover, many patients still have a large number of prejudices concerning digital technology. Because of this, they refuse to use them, and often it is not possible to convince these people. This can make it difficult and slow to track the healing process and recovery. In addition, even having partially mastered needed technologies; many people make mistakes in their use and experience many difficulties. Another limitation is the imperfection of modern technology. Health care has many needs, but the cost and complexity of some devices and programs are too high to achieve an optimal result. However, all of these limitations are generally surmountable. As technology is continuously evolving and changing, the healthcare sector has many positive prospects for the future.
Conclusion
The study of digital technologies in medicine and public health is an ongoing process. Already, humankind has many useful developments created for the benefit of society. It is possible to note the positive effect in the health sector, caused precisely by this. However, this does not need to be stopped since it is still necessary to work on the vast number of other areas. The development of technologies is getting faster, and every day people get more opportunities to improve the healthcare system. Now humanity has the opportunity to create new developments and improve old ones. Only through the creation of specific tools can new, even more, convenient and useful ones appear. Despite the current progress, some people are not even accustomed to real technologies, and this requires attention. Thus, digital technology in healthcare is a significant topic that governments and people in different countries should always pay attention to.
Summary
In the course of the study, I was able to find out many new facts about the current state of the healthcare sector. It turns out that right now, people are actively fighting various diseases with the help of new technologies. These developments are also widely used in multiple medical institutions, helping doctors and patients. However, undoubtedly, this is only the beginning of the long development path that humanity is facing. People have many opportunities to make healthcare as efficient as possible and significantly improve the standard of living of the population. To convey the results of the study to the public, social networks can become the most convenient and effective communication channel. Thanks to the information received, people will increasingly trust in technology and more actively resolve their health issues. In the course of further research, it would be interesting to survey employees of medical institutions. It will be useful for the understanding of what technologies are already helping them, what technologies are missing, and how patients relate to this. This will help establish a vector of health development and emphasize vital areas.
References
Journal of Healthcare Communications. Web.
International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Healts. Web.
Choi, M. J., Kim, H., Nah, H. W., & Kang, D. W. (2019). Digital therapeutics: emerging new therapy for neurologic deficits after stroke. Journal of stroke, 21(3), 242.
Espie, C. A., Luik, A. I., Cape, J., Drake, C. L., Siriwardena, A. N., Ong, J. C.,… & Sheaves, B. (2016). Digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia versus sleep hygiene education: the impact of improved sleep on functional health, quality of life and psychological well-being. Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 17(1), 257.
Ferguson, C., Hickman, L., Wright, R., Davidson, P. M., & Jackson, D. (2018). Preparing nurses to be prescribers of digital therapeutics. Web.
Kaufman, N., Ferrin, C., & Sugrue, D. (2019). Using digital health technology to prevent and treat diabetes. Diabetes technology & therapeutics, 21(S1), S-79.
Sverdlov, O., Van Dam, J., Hannesdottir, K., & Thornton‐Wells, T. (2018). Digital therapeutics: an integral component of digital innovation in drug development. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 104(1), 72-80.