Why Doctors Are Critical To Digital Health Deployments

Doctors remain an indispensable part of modern society despite all the technological advancements in healthcare. Hospital administrators and policymakers need to enable and empower doctors as an integral part of digital health deployments. Today digital health is integrated as part of national health policies and priorities in several countries to benefit people by bridging health infrastructure gaps equitably and sustainably. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognised digital health as a means to achieve global health and well-being, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 2030). The WHO defines digital health as an umbrella term encompassing eHealth using advanced computing sciences such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), genomics, big data, business analytics, blockchain, and other emerging technologies. Digital health enabled healthcare and medicine to evolve from practising trepanning to performing critical surgeries using robotics and monitoring patients through remote intensive care units.