Table of contents
Digital medicine…
- Describes a field concerned with the use of technologies as tools for measurement, intervention, and enhancing human health.
- Its products are driven by high-quality hardware, software, and increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) that support the practice of medicine broadly, including treatment, recovery, disease prevention, and health promotion for individuals and across populations.
- AI-enhanced products can analyze large volumes of data, identify patterns, and enable predictive modeling, providing personalized care and decision support.
- These tools can function independently or in combination with pharmaceuticals, biologics, devices, or other technologies to optimize patient care and health outcomes.
- By empowering patients and healthcare providers with intelligent, accessible, and adaptive tools, digital medicine addresses a wide range of conditions through high-quality, safe, and effective measurements, AI-driven insights, and data-driven interventions.
Who practices digital medicine?
The same individuals that practice traditional medicine: from pharmacists to physicians and nurses to health navigators. We also include medical researchers, from physician investigators to experts studying behavioral and population health.
In the era of digital medicine – and in particular the era of generative AI – new stakeholders are essential to the practice of digital medicine. This includes data scientists, AI ethicists, and regulatory experts who ensure the safe and responsible integration of AI into healthcare. Engineers and technologists developing AI tools will also play a critical role in supporting clinical decision-making and patient care.
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Who are other stakeholders in digital medicine?
Developers of traditional (non-software) medical products — biopharma and medical device companies — are stakeholders in this field as the line between ‘traditional’ and ‘digital’ medicine continues to blur.
Clinical care providers remain at the center of medicine and are ultimately the experts who drive decision making at the point of care.
Data scientists will play an increasing role as the density of data available from digital data tools revolutionized our industry. Similarly, cyber-security experts and ethicists will have critical roles in this new, digital era in healthcare.
Experts in generative AI and large language models will play a crucial role in healthcare by developing personalized interventions, enhancing clinical decision-making, and optimizing patient outcomes. Their work will drive improvements in both clinical care and health economics, shaping the future of healthcare delivery.
Engineers — both hardware and software — will be central to the advancement of digital medicine, providing the tools this industry will be built on. They will need to work closely with other stakeholders to understand the nuances of a highly regulated industry built on individuals’ health data.
Funders — both government and non-governmental funding organizations that support health research will have significant impact on the direction and pace of the evolution of digital medicine.
Healthcare researchers design and execute studies that either provide the substrate for future digital development or examine digital tools themselves.
Patients are the stakeholders at the center of digital medicine, and we also recognize the critically important role of caregivers.
Physician-scientists are central to the discovery and development of novel measurements and treatments and are responsible for the ethical and safe conduct of research.
Regulators and payors will be as influential in digital medicine as they are in the development and practice of, as well as access to, traditional medicine.
