医療情報学連合大会

Diabetes is a common, serious and data-rich disease. The modern management of diabetes is increasingly dominated by digital health tools including wearable sensors, mobile applications, decision support systems, wireless communication tools and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. The application of digital health provides new data streams that can be combined to create unique approaches for diabetes prevention and management based on a precision medicine paradigm. In addition, data from digital health technologies, combined with other major determinants of health, will lead to better understanding of the heterogeneity of diabetes resulting in more personalized care.
In the United States and elsewhere, the burden of diabetes falls disproportionately on populations also facing health disparities. Consequently, there exists a digital divide in diabetes care. The major drivers of this digital divide include the cost of the technologies, access barriers, health and digital illiteracy as well as the negative impact of the social determinants of health. A major goal of digital health is the facilitation of sustained positive behavior change and cost savings to patients, healthcare systems and other stakeholders. However, the digital divide is a key barrier to achieving health equity through this behavior change.
Recent studies suggest that the adoption of digital health technologies can be predicted and that many of the drivers of the digital divide can be ameliorated. Further, the introduction of artificial intelligence has the potential to reduce the burden for people living with diabetes and clinicians as well as improving health and financial outcomes.
Success of digital health within diabetes care can be replicated across many other common and serious diseases as well as being the major tool for the promotion of optimum health.