Of the many technological trends already in play before 2020, that have accelerated since the COVID world arrived, Digital Health is certainly one of them. Going forward in our individual and collective life course, it is no longer merely a trend.
By accepted broad definition, Digital Health technologies include software and devices for everything imaginable, from electronic medical and health records and data analysis, to mobile health diagnostic and monitoring apps, virtual health care and robotics.
Indeed, to varying degrees we have been living with digital in our health care systems for years, behind the scenes or right up front, on your screens – though incremental the applications have been. And like in almost every field of endeavour where technology developments seem to move at the speed of light, Digital Health is a multi-faceted concept that integrates with many elements in our social experiences, including the way we travel. Watch for digital health vaccine passports.
While paying such close attention over the last eight years to the evolution of Age Tech (technologies for healthy aging) largely focused on practical solutions for older adult populations; on a big picture scale I have understood Age Tech in conjunction with other technologies in the Digital Health spectrum, which applies to everyone through their life course.
Digital Health, an age inclusive global strategy & career opportunity
Two weeks ago I caught a brief news feature that sharply reminded me of how this expansion of Digital Health has not only become an age inclusive global strategy, but also an opportunity for anyone looking for new career options that have some long range prospects for learning and growth, including I suspect, work in developing new public health policy and education, and ethics.
Right on my doorstep, in Hamilton, Ontario, Mohawk College, I learned, has now rolled out its first stand-alone degree along with a postgraduate certificate – Digital Health at Mohawk starting September 2021. Eleven career options (four as analysts), are present there on the website.
In the Mohawk Bachelor’s Degree one of the topics you will learn about are policies on privacy and security of personal health information and records. This addresses only one element of the many concerns in the comprehensive WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025(published in 2021) where it states:
“Digital health should be an integral part of health priorities and benefit people in a way that is ethical, safe, secure, reliable, equitable and sustainable… developed with principles of transparency, accessibility, scalability, replicability, interoperability, privacy, security and confidentiality.”
Still, much to advance in overall health literacy of older adults
Adding to Canada’s stake in the ground on advancing this Digital Health future, it is worth noting that Digital Health Canada is the professional association that represents this sector and offers learning programs, certificates and a webinar series.
Great, but when it comes to the everyday person, with a focus here on older adults, there is still much to advance when it comes to overall health literacy, let alone Digital Health literacy.
With a specific look at Digital Health literacy, the authors state that while consumer use for digital health related purposes is growing: “…access diminishes across the age continuum, and concerns regarding the digital divide and equitable access to online resources persist.”
Reading this highly educational chapter by Donelle & Rootman, as well as the WHO Digital Health strategy document, and hearing the Mohawk College news; I am convinced that while the future is digital, as we enter the Decade of Healthy Ageing, there is a real need now for health educators and those providing professional services (in particular for older adults), to amplify their own health literacy to help others break through systemic challenges to grasping digital health.
