Today's Perspective
Kristin Wiisanen, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
The term digital health sounds enticing: it’s optimistic and appealingly future-oriented. But what does it really mean? Recently, I realized that I had been thinking of digital health as something that could be layered on top of our current health care system, like icing on a well-baked cake. In this context, digital health makes health care taste better—it increases the accessibility and palatability of a solidly established product. But digital health is so much more than that. In its best form, it doesn’t simply add a new method to access patients and their data, but transforms patient care.
This month’s Pharmacy Today cover story explores digital health in its current state. From continuous glucose monitoring devices to telehealth to artificial intelligence, digital health is booming. And we are learning that it’s not just about the technology, it’s what you do with it. Scott Nelson, a pharmacist in bioinformatics education at Vanderbilt University, points out that these new technologies allow pharmacists to, “do more high-level executive thinking and offer compassion and support to patients—things that computers can’t do.” It is these elements that are at the heart of the pharmacist’s place in digital health and our role in improving patient care and, ultimately, patient outcomes.
In this issue, you’ll also get the latest on new drug approvals, recommendations for kiwifruit to improve GI health and get updates on medication errors with transdermal patches. You can also find answers to common patient questions after receiving the COVID vaccine and learn how to make sure patients get their flu shot this fall. Stay up to date with your CPE credit with this month’s article on establishing trauma-informed care practices in pharmacy settings.
How do we harness the potential of digital health in our profession to improve patient care? What pieces of the puzzle are unique to pharmacists? It is essential that we see digital health through a pharmacy-oriented lens to answer these and other important questions. Only through changing our perspective can we ensure a robust digital health future for pharmacists.