Digital Connectivity: The Sixth Vital Sign.
David C KlonoffTrisha ShangJennifer Y ZhangEda CengizChhavi MehtaDavid C KlonoffPublished in: Journal of diabetes science and technology (2021)
Digital health and telehealth connectivity have become important aspects of clinical care. Connected devices, including continuous glucose monitors and automated insulin delivery systems for diabetes, are being used increasingly to support personalized clinical decisions based on automatically collected data. Furthermore, the development, demand, and coverage for telehealth have all recently expanded, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical care, and especially diabetes care, are therefore becoming more digital through the use of both connected digital health devices and telehealth communication. It has therefore become necessary to integrate digital data into the electronic health record and maintain personal data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Connected digital monitoring combined with telehealth communication is known as virtual health. For this virtual care paradigm to be successful, patients must have proper skills, training, and equipment. We propose that along with the five current vital signs of blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, and pain, at this time, digital connectivity should be considered as the sixth vital sign. In this article, we present a scale to assess digital connectivity.
Keyphrases
- electronic health record
- healthcare
- blood pressure
- public health
- type diabetes
- resting state
- mental health
- white matter
- functional connectivity
- big data
- multiple sclerosis
- machine learning
- newly diagnosed
- palliative care
- high throughput
- pain management
- heart rate
- quality improvement
- health promotion
- affordable care act
- insulin resistance
- spinal cord injury
- chronic kidney disease
- neuropathic pain
- social media
- medical students
- adverse drug
- patient reported