Digital Healthcare–Pros and Cons

The Health Information Technology (HIT) has revolutionized the delivery of healthcare in US since its inception in 2004, especially during the last decade. The digital healthcare technology, especially as Electronic Health Record (EHR), has greatly impacted the health information management in US, having transformed the paper-based (analog) medical record to electronic (digital) with the potential to keep health informationform Womb (prenatal) to Tomb (postmortem), called longitudinal health record. EHR functionality has been extended by Health Information Exchange (HIE) technology that has enabled exchange of health information among providers for care coordination and then eHealth Exchange initiative enabling sharing of health information nationally from anywhere, anytime and by anyone authorized. The digital healthcare has recently been supplemented by Telehealth for healthcare delivery to remote areas and the Internet of Health/Medical Things (IoHT / IoMT) as wearable devices to monitor physical activity, health status and manage chronic disease conditions.