Digital Health Webinar Notes

Introduction

• Speaker: Tim Mackey, Director of Healthcare Research and Policy at UCSD Extension
• Purpose: Discuss the importance of digital health during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Guest Speaker: Dr. Daniel Haders, Managing Director of Healthcare Technology at Nex Cubed

What is Digital Health?

• Definition:
  • HIMSS: New age of digital health in healthcare.
  • WHO: Use of digital health solutions to achieve higher health standards globally.
  • Tied to UN Sustainable Development Goals focusing on health and equity.
• Modalities of Digital Health:
  • m-health: Use of mobile phones for health services/information.
  • Digital medicine: Intersection of mobile, computational, connectivity, and genomics.
  • Precision medicine: Tailoring medical experiences to individuals.
  • Quantified self: Individuals tracking their own health data.
  • Telemedicine: Remote delivery of healthcare using technology.

Technology Typologies in Digital Health

• Types of Technologies:
  • Mobile, gamification, communication, sensors, robotics, AI, big data, VR/AR, IoT.
• Goals of Digital Health:
  • Improve disease diagnosis, prevention, management, and patient safety.
  • Enhance participatory medicine and increase health equity.
• Challenges:
  • Cost considerations, data privacy, ethics, evidence base for effectiveness, reimbursement issues.

Digital Health Landscape

• Growth of Digital Health Companies:
  • Traditional companies rebranding as digital health companies (e.g., ResMed, 23andMe).
  • Increased academic interest and publication in digital health.
• Global Recognition:
  • WHO's resolution recognizing digital health as critical to global health.

Impact of COVID-19 on Digital Health

• Acceleration of Technology:
  • Pandemic seen as a catalyst for digital health innovation.
  • COVID-19 as the first pandemic in a post-digital era.
• History of Pandemics:
  • Previous pandemics (SARS, H1N1, Ebola) set the stage for digital health's role today.

Response Strategies During COVID-19

• Use of Mobile Technology:
  • Contact tracing, health behavior modifications (e.g., gamification).
• AI and Big Data:
  • Image recognition to detect pneumonia, data visualizations for public health insights.
• Robotics and Automation:
  • Ensuring social distancing and safety in healthcare settings.
• Social Media as a Tool:
  • Combat misinformation about COVID-19 and inform public health strategies.

Research and Initiatives

• Ongoing Research by Tim Mackey's Group:
  • Leveraging social media to track disease progression and public sentiment.
  • Geospatial analysis to understand demographic impacts of COVID-19.
  • Addressing the infodemic of misinformation and fraud related to COVID-19 products.

Dr. Haders' Perspective

• Digital Health's Role:
  • Shift from being a 'nice to have' to an essential part of healthcare.
  • Surge in telehealth adoption and changes in CMS reimbursement policies.
• Future Opportunities:
  • Remote patient monitoring and virtual care as the foundation for future healthcare delivery.
  • AI in drug discovery and repurposing drugs faster than traditional methods.
• Investments in Digital Health:
  • Historical context of digital health investments and current market trends.
  • Examples of successful companies adapting to the COVID-19 environment.
• Key Companies:
  • Repurpose.ai: AI-driven drug discovery.
  • RockStep Solutions: Enables virtual collaboration in pre-clinical settings.
  • eCare21: Infrastructure for virtual healthcare delivery.
  • SkillPower: Disease management for at-risk populations.
  • Porchlight: Mental health support in the digital age.
  • Tribe Health: Blockchain for interoperability in healthcare.

Conclusion

• Hope for the Future:
  • Innovation and human ingenuity can lead to improved healthcare systems post-COVID-19.
  • Emphasis on patient-centric, accessible, and equitable healthcare solutions.