Digital Health: Hiding in Plain Sight
Is Digital Health an emerging interprofessional field? With its use of information and communication technologies to manage illnesses, health risks, and wellness, Digital Health lies at the intersection of technology and healthcare. Its broad scope includes the use of wearable devices, mobile health, telehealth/telemedicine, and health information technologies based upon artificial intelligence and machine learning. Digital health tools have the potential to improve our ability to accurately diagnose and treat disease and to enhance the delivery of health care to individuals and nations. (Chang & Foster, 2021).
According to the Federal Drug Administration, digital health technologies help providers reduce inefficiencies, improve access, reduce costs, increase quality and make medicine more personalized for patients. (Bernstein, 2021). At the same time, digital health technologies enable patients and consumers to manage and track health and wellness-related activities more efficiently. The stakeholders include clinicians, researchers and scientists from a variety of disciplines beside healthcare, economics, engineering, public health, and the social sciences to name a few. In spite of a 79% increase in funding from $21.3B in 2020 to $57.2B in 2021, successful development and deployment of digital health solutions will
still require interprofessional expertise and a well-informed workforce and public to face future needs and challenges. (CBInsights, 2022)
This Seminar will focus on:
• Current and future states of digital health
• The impact on health professions’ curricula, research, entrepreneurship and challenges such access, equity, social determinants of health, ethics policies/regulations and evidence
• The benefits and challenges of digital health becoming an emerging interprofessional field
How Summit Theme Will Be Addressed:
The focus of this seminar will address the Summit Theme, Partnerships Advancing Care with People and Communities. Through panel discussions with professionals working in areas of digital health, participants will have the opportunity to explore how digital health can impact the entire health and education continuum, patient care, communities, policies, and ethics.
Objectives:
After attending this seminar, participants will be able to:
1. Describe concepts of digital health, its purpose, benefits, opportunities and challenges.
2. Debate current and future roles of interprofessional education and practices in digital health.
3. Identify areas of digital health for their own further study and research
Actionable Skills and/or Practical Knowledge Intended for the Participants to Gain:
1. A general understanding of digital health, its key components and potential challenges
2. Implications for integrating digital health in educational curricula
3. Identification of resources for their own study and research
References
Chang, R., & Foster, I. (n.d.). IEEE conferences. IEEE International Conference on Digital Health 2021 Panel Discussion: Education for Digital Health. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://conferences.computer.org/icdh/2021/program/panels.html
Bernstein, C. (2021, March 11). What is Digital Health (Digital health care) and why is it important? SearchHealthIT. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/digital-health-digital-health care.
CBInsights. (2022, January 20). State of Digital Health 2021 report. CB Insights Research. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/digital-health-trends-2021/
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The National Center OICPD is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs). This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.