Digital Health

You probably use digital health technology as part of your daily life. You probably have an app that tracks your daily steps. The epidemic in 2020 has greatly accelerated our use of digital medical technology. Remote GP appointments have become routine, with many of us identified as 'close contacts' by COVID-19 apps.
Digital health technologies are designed to enhance our health and well-being or improve health systems. It includes smartphone apps, wearable devices (such as pedometers) and platforms that provide remote health care (telemedicine). Software that helps track symptoms, online tools that diagnose conditions, and programs that analyze data from medical devices like blood pressure monitors — these are all digital health technologies.

We encourage the use of apps and teleconsultation to improve the process and experience of healthcare services. Utilizing a range of digital health technologies to support families effective self-management of long-term health conditions. These range from monitoring staff in virtual wards to booking appointments at all times. Doctors, make outpatient appointments, make referrals, and record symptoms, blood pressure and other indicators.
Some current digital medical technologies are feature-rich and easy to use and manage. This will allow us to become valuable digital members of the network, and many people will be able to receive medical services.

The advantage of digital medical technology lies in its widespread use. It can penetrate into users in need within a very short period of time and meet the needs of a wide range of healthcare users.

“We are committed to developing data capabilities and leveling up digitized services in health and care to empower citizens, support clinical integration and encourage a thriving innovation ecosystem. We’re delighted to read this NIHR Evidence Collection, covering some of the latest NIHR-funded research into digital healthcare technology with security and the protection of people’s personal data our top priority. One of our core aims is to ensure citizens are at the centre of service design and that they can access and contribute to their healthcare information, taking an active role in their health and well-being. We will continue striving towards this as the evidence suggests.”
NIHR: National Institute for Health and Care Research
Dr Tim Ferris
National Director of Transformation NHS England
The inaugural National Director of Transformation at NH England and NHS Improvement, and previously a Non-Executive Director on the Board. Tim is seconded from his role as CEO of the Mass General Physicians Organization in Boston, USA
“For most of us, digital tech has become a huge part of our lives and how we interact with all kinds of services and each other, and this is seen in healthcare too, striving for improved outcomes, cost and access.
As this Collection shows, some patients prefer to access care from home or on the go, rather than taking time off from other responsibilities. Some patients feel more comfortable interacting virtually on healthcare matters.

This is not only about access and convenience from the patient angle; globally, staff shortages mean that healthcare systems are struggling to deliver face to face services to all, and digital health tech can play a big role in helping us develop and implement new digital models of care and focus staff time on the patients that most need it, at the right time.
Digital health tech will be there to equitably enhance our healthcare systems, not wholly replace them.”
Dimitri Varsamis
Dimitri Varsamis was until June the Head of Digital Innovation Delivery in the Digital Care Models Group of NHS England, where he oversaw the Digital Adoption Fund. 
more about Dimitri Varsamis

Over 2018-21, as the Senior Policy Lead for Digital Primary Care he oversaw the use of the national General Practice contract as the lever to roll out digital services through all 6,500 GP practices in England in the 2019 5-
year contract. He worked in the NHS for 17 years, mainly on national clinical, digital or innovation policy, but also locally on service redesign and internationally on healthcare services trade

“Digital health technology can be a powerful tool for improving equity of care within the NHS. It needs to be designed with user empathy at its heart. This includes both patient care and workforce wellbeing. Neglecting one will ultimately have a detrimental impact on the other. Digital health technology is not immune to technology-associated hype. As such, the NIHR is critical in supporting proportional and pragmatic research in this area.”
NHS: National Health Service
Matthew Hammerton
Wessex AHSN Digital Primary Care Clinical Lead at Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN)
“Digital technologies have become an integral part of how patients manage their health and disease. They can facilitate access to personal health information, and support patient empowerment and involvement in self-care. As healthcare embraces technology, we need to proactively consider – and mitigate – the impact of this transformation on healthcare disparities for those patients that are already underserved or excluded. Moving forward, research efforts need to diligently evaluate patient interest, access, and skills to using digital care tools, and embed these learnings in the development of tailored interventions to match patients and carers’ preferences and needs.”
Dr Ana Luisa Neves
Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health Lead for Patient Safety and Digital Health Institute of Global Health Innovation
more about

Dr Ana Luisa Neves leads a team of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, conducting research in digital health, with a focus on the use of digital technologies to deliver safer, more effective, and patient-centred care. She has more than 15 years of research experience, and >40 papers published in peer-reviewed journals (>3,000 citations), using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies

“I have been involved in research exploring the experience of patients and providers using a digital patient feedback system for long-term conditions in the UK. I have also been involved in research in communities who do not use much technology, which aimed to create a trusted mobile platform for the self-management of chronic illnesses (such as diabetes and depression) in rural areas of India and the UK. These studies revealed that context and flexibility in using digital technologies are important. Digital feedback made sense to healthcare staff as it was seen as attractive, fast to complete, and easier to analyse. Patients had a range of views depending on their familiarity with the digital world. Specific issues may need to be considered when introducing digital health technologies in low technology-based communities. The implementation of digital technology should take local contexts, different patient groups, and organizational leadership into account. Digital methods need to be complemented with alternative methods. I think there is remarkable potential for the innovative use of digital technology in health via co-designing.”
Dr Papreen Nahar (PhD, MA, MSc)
Senior Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology and Global Health with a special interest in Digital Health Brighton and Sussex Medical School University of Sussex
more about Dr Papreen Nahar

Dr Papreen Nahar has been awarded a PhD and a Master’s in Medical Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and her first Master’s in Child Development and Family Relations, University of Dhaka. Nahar has been conducting numbers of interdisciplinary research on diverse global health issues using medical anthropological and gender perspectives. Her research expertise are Health inequalities and Health system (Formal and Informal), Global public health and Research Methodology. Her current involvement is with Social Science Capacity Building for Sever Stiamatisina Skin Diseases in 3 African countries.