Imagine being able to affect healthcare from a distance and access\npatients and doctors from all different corners of the world. Well you don\u2019t\nhave to, it\u2019s already here. Virtual care, also known\nas telehealth, is using technology to have remote medical encounters between\ntwo parties. It\u2019s part of a broader group, called digital health, that includes\napps, virtual and augmented reality, machine learning, algorithms, genomics \u2013\neverything that will lead us to more personalized medicine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started out in this field by taking a chance on, what\nwas in 2013, a small startup. When I began it seemed that increasing patient and provider\nengagement to this new health modality was insurmountable. However, as I got\nmore experience, transitioned to an academic center where I run a program, started\nteaching not only\ntelehealth but also digital health, I realized there is a tremendous amount of data\nand tech that needs evaluation and validation to be implemented successfully\ninto healthcare. I do firmly believe in digital health, telehealth and that\nthese technologies can be used successfully in healthcare for three main\nreasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, patients use it. Technology has changed our lives tremendously\nin the last decade and much of our lives are dependent on it. Healthcare is\nstructured around us; the healthcare workers and we expect our patients to come\nto us for their care. However, all of the day to day choices, events, our health<\/em> happens mostly outside those\nsmall slivers of time where the patient is in front of us. We can leverage the\nsolutions already available to care better for patients at home and imagine\nwhat that would mean \u2013 we could evaluate home situations that affect health and\nleverage more family members to be involved. I\u2019ve had that experience multiple\ntimes. While some are concerned that this will affect how we are able to\nconnect as humans, the truth is that nothing is more personal than seeing\nsomeone where they are comfortable and seeing what they are like in a home\nenvironment. We have to remember they are inviting us there and treat it as\nsuch \u2013 a small glimpse into their world, a world we may be able to affect with\nsmall changes in their health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, health innovation is also going to change the way we\npractice, what can be done more efficiently, what we even have access to.\nTelehealth practiced between providers allows for our colleagues in rural or\nresource poor areas to get a video consult with a specialist. The specialist\ncan do a video consult, evaluate the workup and aid in creating a plan of\naction whether that means transfer or keeping the patient in their local hospital.\nThis is practiced all over the world and helps improve patient care and allows\nour colleagues to feel less isolated. Digital health solutions are going to\ngive us more automation whether that means triaging patients to level of care,\nreading radiology studies, improving what data we can access from patients\nsitting at home. It may seem futuristic but the base is there; what\u2019s missing\nis our research to ensure that these things are safe. However, with sustained\nand thoughtful investigation, there\u2019s no reason to believe we can\u2019t do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, it will change our whole system, it\u2019s going to change\neverything. We can\u2019t even fathom the ways that our practice will evolve but I\nassure you the way we practice now is not what we will be doing in twenty\nyears. Our students and residents will be doing this even more differently. Our\nrole is to take an active role to affect that change \u2013 to ensure technology is\nnot leaving behind groups that are traditionally left out of innovations. We\nhave to advocate for marginalized groups, ensure that machine learning is\nincluding unbiased data, and make sure what we do is safe, effective and\nnecessary for both patients and ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This ability to understand telehealth\u2019s pitfalls and potentials, realizing that I can help my colleagues understand it and that I can affect a small change to medicine is why I do what I do. However, this future is for everyone. I want to challenge all of you to be part of that change, not be afraid of the evolution of medicine and remember that it is our responsibility to use these new tools to create the future health care system that is equitable, accessible and effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch the full FIX19 talk below!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n