Mobile health applications and services are becoming an essential tool in extending healthcare resources. There is a lot of scope for the growth for digital health in our country and thus, innovative, efficient, technology-supported interventions are the current need. To discuss this and more, PHDCCI recently organised a webinar on Digital Health: The Future, Series III on Mobile Digital Health Devices: The Covid-19 Pandemic Impact and Mobile Digital Health Roadmap. It also highlighted the benefits and role of digital health/telehealth technology. Pradeep Multani, sr. vice president, PHDCCI, talked about the global healthcare emergency led by Covid-19 which has exposed the gaps in handling pandemics even in the most advanced economies of the world. Multani further added that numerous apps are now available to assist healthcare professionals with many crucial tasks such as information and time management; health record maintenance and access; communications and consulting; reference and information gathering; patient management and monitoring; clinical decision-making; and medical education and training. However, the lack of standards and regulations, limited guidance from physicians in selecting healthcare apps, and resistance from traditional healthcare providers are some of the key factors restraining the growth of the market. He said, “the wearable medical device market is expected to reach over USD 27 million by 2023, a spectacular jump from almost USD 8 million in 2017 and shared some common wearable devices.”Mobile digital health is not a product, its a process, said Dr Jitendar Sharma, managing director, Andhra Pradesh Med Tech Zone (AMTZ). He added, “mobile digital health is a spectrum through which multiple products can be fitted which leads to the desired outcome.” Dr Sharma talked about three baskets of digital health innovation starting from traditional and evolving telemedicine program to smart wearables to the penetration of mobile health in medical equipment. He mentioned that the output should be safe, effective delivery of services with a seamless flow of data in a well-controlled architecture. Dr Sharma shared the details of EMRAI (Electronic Medical Records Alliance of India), which consists of two parts, the provider and service user part for accessing the patients’ records. He added, “there is a need for creating a platform so that it becomes easier for any hospital for getting the records of the patients for which every smaller hospital needs to come into the electronic medium in rural areas as well.” Dr N. Subramanian, chair-health committee, PHDCCI and director, medical services, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals told that the first telehealth centre was established in Aragonda in 2000 and after that, there has not been much improvement since long but as the pandemic affected the world, they have created controlled centres in the remotest part of India. He said, “telehealth has significantly addressed the major healthcare challenges like accessibility, availability and affordability.”Levi Shapiro, founder, mHealth Israel touched upon the major healthcare challenges in 2020 and particularly Covid-19 which has obscured many long-term structural needs in the health sector. Shapiro spoke about how the health tech investment transformed during these times from telemedicine to software applications to personalised medicines using AI and big data. Digital health and AI play a crucial role and combining these with digital health could be beneficial in various ways especially in rural areas, believes Dr Deep Goel, sr. director, Dr. B. L. Kapur Memorial Hospitals. He also talked about critical care and home care, where digital health could be very beneficial for better output. Dr Goel said, “some new applications and products like smart bedsheet can seamlessly record patient data like BP, heart rate etc and transfer it to the monitor, which lessens the doctor/nurse visit to the patient.”He also talked about the personalised treatment of a disease for a particular person which can be possible with mobile AI devices including robotic surgery. Dr Goel exclaimed, “the future of digital health is exciting and there’s a need for creating opportunities to make the life of a common man better by improving primary and secondary health care needs.”
