Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers

Rheumatology, the medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), is evolving with the emergence of digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), virtual visits, mobile health (mHealth), wearable medical devices, s...

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Main Authors: Diego Benavent, Loreto Carmona, Jose Francisco García Llorente, María Montoro, Susan Ramirez, Teresa Otón, Estíbaliz Loza, Antonio Gómez-Centeno
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Open Exploration Publishing Inc. 2024-04-01
Series:Exploration of Musculoskeletal Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A100738/100738.pdf
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author Diego Benavent
Loreto Carmona
Jose Francisco García Llorente
María Montoro
Susan Ramirez
Teresa Otón
Estíbaliz Loza
Antonio Gómez-Centeno
author_facet Diego Benavent
Loreto Carmona
Jose Francisco García Llorente
María Montoro
Susan Ramirez
Teresa Otón
Estíbaliz Loza
Antonio Gómez-Centeno
author_sort Diego Benavent
collection DOAJ
description Rheumatology, the medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), is evolving with the emergence of digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), virtual visits, mobile health (mHealth), wearable medical devices, social media, websites, digital therapeutics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies offer new opportunities to improve essential aspects of care, such as care access or disease management. They can significantly reduce the risk of errors and the workload of rheumatologists, while enhancing communication between physicians and patients, resulting in better quality of care. Moreover, digital health technologies can significantly improve research outcomes. However, digital health technologies in rheumatology also face specific barriers such as privacy, security concerns, incremental costs as well as limited digital health literacy and access. Therefore, further analysis, actions and strategies are needed to overcome these barriers. This article explores the impact of digital health technologies on rheumatology practice and highlights their contributions and challenges. By understanding the immense potential and overcoming the obstacles, the way for a future where digital health technologies are integrated into daily rheumatology care may be envisioned, in order to empower patients and healthcare providers.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2836-6468
language English
publishDate 2024-04-01
publisher Open Exploration Publishing Inc.
record_format Article
series Exploration of Musculoskeletal Diseases
spelling doaj-art-92d9d9a4dda4460f8200dc41699224d02025-08-20T03:35:20ZengOpen Exploration Publishing Inc.Exploration of Musculoskeletal Diseases2836-64682024-04-01229210510.37349/emd.2024.00038Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriersDiego Benavent0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9119-5330Loreto Carmona1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4401-2551Jose Francisco García Llorente2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7525-4492María Montoro3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1807-7044Susan Ramirez4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5538-5126Teresa Otón5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3622-7146Estíbaliz Loza6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4607-9178Antonio Gómez-Centeno7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8674-6692Rheumatology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, SpainInstituto de Salud Musculoesquelética, 28039 Madrid, SpainRheumatology Department, Hospital de Galdacano, Galdakao, 48960 Bilbao, SpainPfizer Medical Department, Pfizer, Alcobendas, 28108 Madrid, SpainPfizer Medical Department, Pfizer, Alcobendas, 28108 Madrid, SpainInstituto de Salud Musculoesquelética, 28039 Madrid, SpainInstituto de Salud Musculoesquelética, 28039 Madrid, SpainRheumatology Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d’Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT), Parc Taulí, 1, 08208 Sabadell, Barcelona, SpainRheumatology, the medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), is evolving with the emergence of digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), virtual visits, mobile health (mHealth), wearable medical devices, social media, websites, digital therapeutics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies offer new opportunities to improve essential aspects of care, such as care access or disease management. They can significantly reduce the risk of errors and the workload of rheumatologists, while enhancing communication between physicians and patients, resulting in better quality of care. Moreover, digital health technologies can significantly improve research outcomes. However, digital health technologies in rheumatology also face specific barriers such as privacy, security concerns, incremental costs as well as limited digital health literacy and access. Therefore, further analysis, actions and strategies are needed to overcome these barriers. This article explores the impact of digital health technologies on rheumatology practice and highlights their contributions and challenges. By understanding the immense potential and overcoming the obstacles, the way for a future where digital health technologies are integrated into daily rheumatology care may be envisioned, in order to empower patients and healthcare providers.https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A100738/100738.pdfrheumatologydigital health technologiesbenefitsbarriers
spellingShingle Diego Benavent
Loreto Carmona
Jose Francisco García Llorente
María Montoro
Susan Ramirez
Teresa Otón
Estíbaliz Loza
Antonio Gómez-Centeno
Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
Exploration of Musculoskeletal Diseases
rheumatology
digital health technologies
benefits
barriers
title Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
title_full Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
title_fullStr Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
title_full_unstemmed Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
title_short Empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies: contributions and barriers
title_sort empowering rheumatology through digital health technologies contributions and barriers
topic rheumatology
digital health technologies
benefits
barriers
url https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A100738/100738.pdf
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