What is your conception of the digital health ecosystem?
Discuss the significance and impact of the digital health ecosystem on the transformation of healthcare services delivery systems in the United States.
How does the evolution of the digital health ecosystem in the United States compare to other developed and developing countries?
REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. (MINIMUM OF 200 WORDS)
CLASSMATE’S POST
My conception of the digital health ecosystem is that it has advanced rapidly and vastly, particularly in more recent years when we were forced to develop and implement digital health technology further to care for patients during the pandemic, something many were not prepared for. There were a lot of growing pains throughout this process, to say the least, but this evolution, while still progressing, has closed some of the gaps in care and allowed patients to be an advocate for their own health and wellbeing. This ecosystem, which starts with the patient, or consumers, at the center of care, allows more control and say in how their journey to better health begins, progresses, and even when it ends, and this starts with access to digital health technology. Knowledge is crucial and living in an instant-gratification world has allowed for technology, for better or worse, to help streamline data usage into user friendly and accessible products.
The impact of the digital health ecosystem on the transformation of healthcare services delivery systems in the US is overwhelming; everything is connected from individual to group, medical schools, hospital, laboratories, government regulations and policies, pharmacy, insurance, and the list continues. It all comes down to one thing: the consumers. We are ALL consumers in this field. And in the US, many companies are moving towards patient-centered care; we are no longer only focusing on disease management after-the-fact, but moving towards a value-based care model to support preventative medicine and whole body and mind health. None of these movements would not be possible without digital health technology and the continued development of healthcare services delivery systems.
A survey by McKinsey & Company offered to key healthcare leaders showed that convenience is seen as the main success factor for customers, followed by trust and impact on health outcomes 77% of survey respondents expected high demand for convenient digital health ecosystems among customers. While one of the core beliefs is that patients want integrated journeys (as noted in the previous section, 90 percent generally agreed), there are three success factors that are considered even more important than end-to-end journeys. Respondents “consider convenience as success factor number one to reach and retain customers with [their] digital health solutions.” Following this, trust (60 percent) and impact on health outcomes (53 percent) are seen as important requirements to satisfy the needs of the customer. (Biesdorf, Deetjen, & Kayyali, 2021). Because of this, some countries are not only gaining access to digital health technology, but are implementing it, according to the Future Health Index 2019, a study commissioned by Philips. The study is based on primary research conducted in 15 countries, and the research probes the experiences of both healthcare professionals and people, including both current and previous patients. Their experiences are mapped across two pillars of the Quadruple Aim: improved patient experience and improved staff experience. Philips’ survey describes China and Saudi Arabia primarily and in some cases India and Russia as forerunners in terms of digital health use and adoption and countries from whose experiences other countries globally can learn from. China especially appears to be ahead in terms of healthcare professionals recommending patients to use digital health technology or mobile apps to monitor vital signs compared with peers in other countries. A full 60 percent of Chinese healthcare providers recommend patients use digital health technology or mobile apps to monitor their blood pressure compared with the global 15-country average of 44 percent. (Parmar , 2019)
Biesdorf,S., Deetjen, U., & Kayyali,B. (2021, October 12). Digital health ecosystems: Voices of key healthcare leaders. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/digital-health-ecosystems-voices-of-key-healthcare-leaders
Parmer, A. (2019, June 14.) China, other countries, beating US in digital health adoption. Retrieved from Med City News: https://medcitynews.com/2019/06/us-lagging-behind-china-and-other-countries-in-digital-health-adoption/
