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The digital health arena has been exponentially growing with large numbers of mobile device users and currently available technologies. Providers are increasingly adopting digital health tools, which can assist with patient education, clinical decision support, and shared decision-making. Digital technologies (e.g. mobile health applications, virtual scribe solutions) help patients and providers to collect and organize vital information in an easily accessible format, and have great potential to improve patient-centered outcomes and provider workflows in real-time.
Digital health technologies may be accessed through distinct modalities, which enhance their usability and value among patients and providers. These tools are available for smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, computers, and virtual personal assistants, and offer many advantages for patients who find it difficult to access health information. Telehealth visits may be especially useful for remote and underserved communities with little access to healthcare resources. Digital health tools help providers to access information and deliver education in the setting of time constraints.
Despite the widespread availability of digital health tools, many lack comprehensive and/or evidence-based information. The validation of technologies through clinical studies helps to ensure the usability, generalizability, and high-quality nature of these tools. Possible outcomes to consider include process, clinical, and health economic endpoints. To promote technology uptake and usability by patients and/or providers, it is important to consider a user-centered design process, which includes ongoing feedback (interviews, questionnaires) and iterative refinement based on user suggestions. The development, implementation, and evaluation of digital health technologies involves a collaborative effort between multiple stakeholders such as patients, providers, and clinical staff. The deployment and adoption of user-centered digital health tools can greatly benefit clinical workflows, research initiatives, and patient engagement.
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Sunit Jariwala, MD
Shitij Arora, MBBS
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For questions or suggestions, contact Dr. Sunit P. Jariwala (sjariwal@montefiore.org).
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