Technology has progressed at a rapid rate in the 21st century and a direct outcome of it has been improvement in the field of medical research and the health of humans.
More and more people have become conscious of the requirements and deficiencies of their bodies.
Key Takeaways
- Digital health encompasses a broad range of technology-based solutions for health care, while health informatics focuses on managing and analyzing health data.
- Digital health includes telemedicine, mobile health apps, and wearables, while health informatics involves data analytics, electronic health records, and data sharing.
- Both digital health and health informatics aim to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs in health care.
Digital Health vs Health Informatics
Digital health refers to the use of digital technologies, such as mobile devices, wearables, apps, and telemedicine, to manage and improve health and wellness. Health informatics is the application of information and communication technologies to healthcare, in the areas of data management, etc.
Digital Health refers to a system of software, technology, wearables, and applications that are meant for keeping a check on the health of consumers and improving the overall healthcare system
by integrating the use of sensors and artificial intelligence in devices meant for medical use. They increase access to healthcare and make it cheaper.
Health informatics is the field of study of engineering and other scientific developments that are aimed to make the process of tending to a patient more efficient and accurate.
They include software designed for hospitals.
Accurate and fast record-keeping and tracking are also made possible by innovating in healthcare informatics.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Digital Health | Health Informatics |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Digital Health refers to the maintenance of health using technology and devices created for the same purpose. | Health informatics refers to the systems that maintain medical databases. |
| Target | It is meant for use by end consumers. | It is employed in organizations that maintain patient databases such as hospitals. |
| About | Digital Health uses wearables, applications, and other software to improve the physical and mental health of a person. | Health Informatics uses smart acquisition for data, and its maintenance and processing to streamline the medicinal industry. |
| Role | It has a developing role in modern society as people can get medical attention for some trivial issues themselves. | It has had a pivotal role in modern medicine since all hospitals use systems designed for them particularly. |
| Scope | The scope of digital health is very widespread and is used in many ways to tend to problems. | Health Informatics, although very innovative, is limited in scope to big organizations. |
What is Digital Health?
Digital Health refers to the integration of technology in the process of taking care of oneself.
It uses sensors, devices, software, applications, and other technology to keep a tab on the healthcare data and process it.
The data is then delivered to the consumers to help them know their health and the areas they need to improve on.
Many fitness trackers are also available in the market which are devices that record heart rates, blood oxygen, calories burned, steps walked, etc. which prove to be really essential while exercising, which is very important to maintain proper health, at all ages.
Digital health takes the focus away from only doctors and includes researchers, scientists, and other innovators who design solutions that aid in the maintenance of health by using data gathered from actual sources.
Digital health aids doctors and other healthcare experts in improving their craft since, unlike humans, computers can process a lot of data at once very fast.
Digital health also includes various therapeutic methods and telemedicine to take care of mentally stressed and unstable people.
Stress-relieving apps and games are also plentily available in the market.
Digital improves the efficiency of the healthcare system and reduces pressure on it.
What is Health Informatics?
Health Informatics refers to the application of Information Technology in the field of healthcare.
It aims at streamlining the healthcare system by equipping healthcare organizations such as hospitals with the latest technology
which makes them more efficient and an existing system can treat more patients using the latest IT systems.
Health Informatics is employed mainly through the use of efficient and high-speed data processing and maintenance systems.
It deals with the acquisition, storage, and use of medical data so that it may be of maximum use.
It is a rapidly evolving field that merges healthcare and IT.
Examples of Health Informatics include patient portals, Electronic Medical Records, and Hospital management systems that maintain the details of all doctors, nurses, workers, patients, and their respective shifts and ailments and makes the data readily available to whoever needs it and can also transmit to other hospitals in case patients are sent to other units.
The advanced computing power of technology and its excellent management speed and precision has advanced human knowledge in the field of medicine manifolds.
The medical system of humans cannot function in complete manual mode and deal with the large human population relying on human skill alone.
Research has also been magnified thoroughly as heavy calculations can be done in seconds.
Main Differences Between Digital Health and Health Informatics
- Digital Health is aimed at consumers whereas Healthcare Informatics is aimed at the organizations which deal with consumers.
- Digital Health is the use of technology by consumers to aid their own health whereas Health Informatics is the management of patient data through technology.
- Digital Health is tailored for consumers so that they can also maintain their health which could not be done before and Healthcare Informatics is to better organize hospitals.
- Digital Health is not part of a network and is very much for individuals whereas Health Informatics is distributed among a network of organizations.
- Digital health is not a science but a method of supplying technology helpful in medical situations whereas Health Informatics is a science that also involves research.
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
