INTRODUCTION OF DIGITAL MEDICINE IN HEALTHCARE

Digital medicine has brought a revolution to the delivery of healthcare and patient
outcomes. Patients can have more control of their healthcare, and healthcare providers can
offer real-time and data-informed treatment approaches (Tuckson et al., 2017). After the
covid-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations adopted digital medicine to minimize direct
contact with patients and reduce the transmission of the covid-19 virus(Patel et al., 2020).
This paper will respond to the impacts that covid-19 has brought to the use of digital
medicine and how wearables, devices, and telehealth contribute to big data. It will also
examine the problems encountered during the implementation of digital medicine and will
finally recommend ways of overcoming those challenges.

Impact of COVID-19 on Digital Medicine

Covid-19 has greatly impacted the use of digital medicine, majorly because covid-19
social distancing was necessary to reduce the spread of the pandemic; therefore, telehealth
services rose (Patel et al., 2020). According to Hoklland and Carr(2020), there has been an
increase of about 154% in telehealth visits in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same
time in 2019. To support this further, the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
promoted the adoption of digital medicine by expanding its telehealth services, allowing for
increased virtual visits (CMS, 2020). Due to COVID-19, there has been an increased need to
extend home-based monitoring of patients infected with the virus hence the introduction of
digital medicine. Digital medicine, in this case, has enabled healthcare providers to monitor
patients remotely and manage symptoms remotely, reducing the risks of exposure for
healthcare workers and patients (Ohannessian et al., 2020).

Wearables, Devices, and Telehealth Contributing to Big Data

Running head: INTRODUCTION OF DIGITAL MEDICINE IN HEALTHCARE
Wearables and devices, such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and heart monitor,
provide continuous and massive real-time data on a patient’s health, allowing for the early
detection of health issues (Tuckson et al., 2017). Telehealth services also generate vast
amounts of data, including patient demographics, clinical data, and patient feedback, which
can be used to develop data-informed treatment approaches and healthcare plans (Patel et al.,
2020). Therefore, Wearables, devices, and telehealth contribute to the generation of big data
in healthcare

Challenges Faced During Implementation

There have been challenges faced during the implementation of digital medicine. One
of the major challenges is the digital divide, where some patients need access to technology
or digital literacy (Tuckson et al., 2017). The implantation of digital medicine has also faced
challenges from healthcare providers who showed resistance to the digital medicine that
required them to train further, leading to others losing their jobs and being replaced with
more educated and skilled personnel who could operate the new devices and machines that
came along with digital medicine(Patel et al., 2020).

Challenges Identified in “Turning the Body into a Wire” Article
The article “Turning the Body into a Wire” discusses the use of wearable devices to
adopt digital medicine. According to Sen et al. (2020), there are several challenges in
adopting wearable devices, including the lack of standardization in data collection and
management, data privacy concerns, and improved data analytics capabilities. The other
challenge discussed in the article is the need for patient-centered design in developing
wearables, ensuring that devices are user-friendly and accessible.

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges/Barriers

Running head: INTRODUCTION OF DIGITAL MEDICINE IN HEALTHCARE
Healthcare organizations must provide access to technology and educate patients to
improve their digital literacy, addressing the digital divide challenge. To address the lack of
access to technology, healthcare providers need to offer telehealth services through the
telephone or provide in-person support for patients who lack access to technology (Patel et
al., 2020). Healthcare organizations must develop robust cybersecurity protocols and hire
experienced personnel to ensure compliance with data protection regulations (Sen et al.,
2020). According to Sen et al. ( 2020), to improve standardization of data collection and
management, a healthcare organization needs to strike a collaboration with device
manufacturers as well as regulatory bodies

Conclusion

Digital medicine can revolutionize healthcare by empowering individuals to manage
their health actively, facilitating ongoing communication with healthcare professionals, and
producing large data that can be evaluated to enhance patient outcomes. The potential of
digital technologies has been highlighted by COVID-19, accelerating their implementation in
nursing practices and healthcare organizations. Future initiatives should create sufficient
infrastructure and data security safeguards to protect patient privacy.

Running head: INTRODUCTION OF DIGITAL MEDICINE IN HEALTHCARE

References

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2020). COVID-19 emergency declaration
blanket waivers for health care providers. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-

19-emergency-declaration-health-care-providers-fact-sheet.pdf

Hollander, J. E., & Carr, B. G. (2020). Virtually perfect? Telemedicine for COVID-19. The

New England Journal of Medicine, 382(18), 1679-1681.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2003539

Ohannessian, R., Duong, T. A., & Odone, A. (2020). Global telemedicine implementation
and integration within health systems to fight the COVID-19 pandemic: A call to

action. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 6(2), e18810.

Patel, S. Y., Mehrotra, A., Huskamp, H. A., Uscher-Pines, L., Ganguli, I., Barnett, M. L., &
Sood, N. (2020). Variation in telemedicine use and outpatient care during the COVID-
19 pandemic in the United States. Health Affairs, 39(12), 2081-2090.

Sen, C. K., Gordillo, G. M., Roy, S., Kirsner, R., Lambert, L., Hunt, T. K., Gottrup, F., &
Gurtner, G. C. (2020). Human skin wounds: A major and snowballing threat to public
health and the economy. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 28(1), 1-8.

Tuckson, R. V., Edmunds, M., & Hodgkins, M. L. (2017). Telehealth. New England Journal
of Medicine, 377(16), 1585-1592. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsr1503323