Given the seemingly unlimited number of digital healthcare solutions available on the market today, it’s not exactly easy to figure out which ones will help you move the needle on population health in healthcare. For example, when considering apps to help people manage their diabetes, do you offer one focused on nutrition? Physical activity? Glucose monitoring? Or all of the above? Similarly, when considering digital healthcare solutions to help people quit smoking, do you choose one that includes human coaching? Behavioral therapy? Digital support community? An interactive breath sensor? Or all of the above? Digital healthcare solutions for mental health are also challenging to sort through with similar questions to answer.
These examples highlight the many challenges in digital health evaluation. However, the importance of digital health and technology in population health cannot be understated. Choosing the right digital healthcare solution is critical.
Importance of digital health
In this article, we provide four questions to help spark conversations about digital health in healthcare that can help you choose a solution to improve population health.
What population are you targeting? We’re talking about the specific group of people for whom you want to improve health outcomes. Will you target high-risk patients who increase healthcare costs? Those with chronic conditions? What about preventive health to help people manage personal health behaviors in a way that prevents disease? It’s important to establish leadership alignment on goals and expectations. Each population is different, but this is a good thing because it will help you address challenges in digital health evaluation and narrow your focus when considering potential solutions. Your ability to identify and understand your population’s unique unmet medical and non-medical needs is paramount. For example, patients in rural versus urban areas may benefit from different types of digital healthcare solutions. The same is true for older adults.
What data do you need for population health management? Does the digital healthcare solution collect the data you need to improve the health of your target population and gain additional insights for future improvements? Does the data integrate with your electronic health record? Also critical is whether the data is accurate and reliable—particularly when providers will use digital health in healthcare to inform clinical treatments.
What evidence can the vendor provide that the digital healthcare solution improves population health? For example, has it performed a randomized controlled clinical trial? Longitudinal cohort study? Ask questions about any research the vendor has performed, including what research methodology it used. Understanding the presence (or absence) of scientific evidence can help alleviate some of the challenges in digital health evaluation.
What is its patient adoption rate? Just because you offer a digital healthcare solution doesn’t mean patients will—or can—use it. What does the vendor say about initial adoption rates? Do those rates change over time? If so, how? Be sure to dig into the user experience and whether you’ll need to address challenges with digital literacy, reduce cost-related barriers, or improve Internet connectivity. All of this (and more) can affect patient adoption. And keep in mind that when data gaps due to poor adoption exist, this may create biases related to artificial intelligence algorithms into which the data feeds. These are important conversations to have with your vendor.
Population health in healthcare: Looking ahead
Choosing the right digital healthcare solution to improve population health requires a mindful approach centered on your target population and what you hope to achieve. Contact us to learn how Panda Health can help you address the challenges in digital health evaluation so you can make informed decisions.
