Digital health is at the forefront of today’s healthcare context, representing a significant shift in medical services and health information management. Using technologies ranging from mobile doctor consultations to wrist-worn heart rate monitors, digital health offers easier access to healthcare, more effective treatments, and smarter self-management.
In this article, CDT explores aspects of digital health, from its definition to its benefits, and identifies potential challenges and solutions. Learn more in the next section.
What is Digital Health?
Digital health refers to the use of digital technologies to improve the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and health systems. From mobile apps to health information management systems (HIMS), digital health has great potential to improve access, quality of care, and reduce costs.
Benefits of Digital Health
Four key benefits of digital transformation in healthcare include
1. Easier Access
Making it easier and faster for patients to access healthcare, especially in rural and remote areas.
2. Better Care
Enable healthcare providers to deliver more accurate, timely and personalized care.
3. Efficiency
Improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery, reducing wait times and costs.
4. Collaboration
Improve collaboration among healthcare teams, including information sharing and coordination of patient care.
IT Components in Digital Health Implementation
Digital transformation has brought significant changes to the healthcare industry, creating more efficient, effective, and accessible solutions. Here are some of the IT components used in digital health.
Telemedicine
Enables remote consultations, real-time monitoring of patient conditions, and easy access to medical information.
Big Data and Analytics
The use of big data and data analytics supports disease prediction, more accurate diagnosis, and better treatment.
AI
Used in disease diagnosis, drug development, and more precise treatment recommendations.
Connected Medical Devices
Enables real-time patient monitoring and rapid response in emergency situations.
Wearable Devices
Devices such as smart watches or fitness bands that measure health data such as heart rate, sleep, and physical activity.
Hospital Information Management System (HIMS)
Used to manage electronic medical records, manage supplies, and communicate with patients.
Challenges of Digital Transformation in Healthcare
Although it provides various benefits, digital transformation in the healthcare sector cannot be separated from several challenges that need to be overcome, including.
1. Data Security
With the increased use of data in healthcare, security and privacy become critical issues that need to be carefully addressed.
2. Digital Equity
Not all individuals have equal access to technology, creating a digital divide that can affect overall access and quality of care.
3. Technology Adoption
Adopting new technologies into existing healthcare practices requires training of healthcare workers, infrastructure changes, and policy updates to smoothly integrate technological innovations.
Ethics and Regulation
As technology advances, ethical and regulatory considerations become increasingly important. For example, the use of AI in clinical decision-making raises issues of accountability and potential bias that must be carefully addressed.
In recognition of these challenges, CDT recommends an effective combination of solutions to ensure the success of digital transformation in healthcare. The solution consists of two key components: Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange and F5’s Healthcare Mobility Solution.
CDT Solutions Address Healthcare Digital Transformation Challenges
Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange: Cloud-native Security Innovation for Healthcare Organizations
Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange is a cloud-native security platform designed specifically to protect healthcare organizations from evolving security threats. Using the principle of zero trust, this solution ensures that all users and devices must be verified before they can access applications and data.
Key features of Zero Trust Exchange include:
- Authentication and Authorization
Ensures that only authorized users and devices gain access.
- Data Encryption
Provides an additional layer of security by thoroughly encrypting data.
- Threat Analysis
Uses threat analysis technology to quickly identify and respond to threats.
- Monitoring and Reporting
Provides complete visibility into network activity for monitoring and reporting.
Zero Trust can help organizations strengthen their defenses against cyber threats, maintain the integrity of patient data, and adapt to technological developments in healthcare.
Here are four additional benefits of Zero Trust Exchange:
- Combat Ransomware
Minimize the risk of ransomware by restricting access to only authorized entities.
- Infrastructure Efficiency
Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating network and security infrastructure.
- Telehealth Support
Transition to new care models, such as telehealth, by securing access to data from anywhere.
- Superior User Experience
Improve the user experience by providing secure access to applications and data from multiple locations.
F5’s Mobility Solution: A Trusted Security Solution for Healthcare Organizations
F5’s Mobility Solution is a proactive measure to protect healthcare organizations from the growing threat of mobile devices. It is specifically designed to create a complete, secure, and controlled network with single sign-on access across multiple locations and devices.
Key features of the F5 Mobility Solution include
- Single Sign-On Access
Ensure secure and efficient access across locations and devices with single sign-on.
- Network Service Scalability
Quickly scale network services to meet changing demand and ensure maximum uptime.
- Integrated Identity Management
Integrates with F5® BIG-IP® for effective identity management, consolidating LAN, wireless, and remote access into a single interface.
- Strong SSL Encryption
Provides multi-gigabyte per second SSL encryption that supports hundreds of logins per second for high security.
This solution enables healthcare organizations to meet the challenges of mobile devices with a reliable, secure solution while optimizing cost efficiency.
Here are the key benefits of the F5 Mobility Solution:
- Mobile Device Integration
Ensure seamless access to critical applications across devices, anytime, anywhere.
- Adapt to Clinical Needs
Gain complete control over application traffic and quickly respond to the changing needs of the hospital or medical environment.
- Reduce Costs
Unify infrastructure and simplify mobile security and compliance management to significantly reduce costs.
- Improve the Quality of Patient Care
Centrally deploy and manage applications to ensure the availability of critical data to improve the quality of patient care.
Read: Health Digital Transformation: Opportunities, Data Security Challenges and Solutions
Discuss Your Healthcare Security Needs with CDT’s Team of Experts
It’s time to enhance and strengthen your healthcare security with Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange and F5’s Mobility Solution. As an authorized partner of Zscaler and F5, Central Data Technology (CDT) will help you implement security solutions to protect patient data, overcome cyber-attacks, and ensure secure and reliable healthcare services.
Supported by a professional, experienced, and certified IT team, CDT can also help you with consulting, deployment, management, and post-sales support to avoid trial and error. Interested in Zscaler and F5 solutions? Contact us by clicking here.
Author: Wilsa Azmalia Putri
Content Writer CTI Group
