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Digital Health

According to the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN), digital health is the use of information technology/electronic communication tools, services and processes to deliver health care services or to facilitate better health. Digital health helps Canadians access better quality care more efficiently through services such as electronic medical records, telehomecare, virtual visits and patient portals (Canada Health Infoway, 2018). Essentially, digital health is a broad reference to technology solutions that support the delivery of clinical care.

The use of electronic health records (EHRs), virtual and mobile health solutions have become relatively commonplace across Canada, but the degree to which these systems are being used, varies by jurisdiction and setting.

Consider watching these CASN videos and learning resource as examples and elaboration on digital health in nursing:

A Canadian organization which features content on digital health is the Canadian Health Infoway.

From: Module 1 In Summary – Digital Health

Digital Health by Dipu Patel (Editor)
ISBN: 0443239029
Publication Date: 2024
Digital Health: Telemedicine and Beyond describes practical ways to use digital health tools in clinical practice. With a strong focus on case studies and patient outcomes, this title provides an overview of digital medicine, terms, concepts, and applications for the multidisciplinary clinical practitioner. Chapters provide a concise, yet comprehensive understanding of digital health, including telemedicine, mHealth, EHRs, and the benefits and challenges of each.
Digital Health Technology for Better Aging by Andreoni, Giuseppe, editor.; Mambretti, Cinzia, editor.
ISBN: 3030726630
Publication Date: 2021
This book describes the multidisciplinary approach needed to tackle better aging. Aging populations are one of the 21st century's biggest challenges. National health systems are forced to adapt in order to provide adequate and affordable care. Innovation, driven by digital technology, is a key to improving quality of life and encouraging healthy living. Well-designed technology keeps people empowered, independent, and mobile; however, despite widespread adoption of ICT in day-to-day life, digital health technologies have yet to catch on. To this end, technology needs to be effective, usable, cheap, and designed to ensure the security of the managed data. In the era of mHealth, mobile technology, and social design, this book describes, in six sections, the collaboration of polytechnic know-how and social science and health sectors in the creation of a system for encouraging people to engage in healthy behavior and achieve a better quality of life.
Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025. by World Health Organization
ISBN: 9789240020924
Publication Date: 2021
The Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 (“the Global Strategy”) was published to guide member states' efforts to strengthen health systems through the application of digital health technologies for consumers and other health care system actors.
Healthcare of the Future 2022 by T. Bürkle (Editor); K. Denecke (Editor); J. Holm (Editor)
ISBN: 1643682814
Publication Date: 2022
There can be no doubt that digital technologies are set to become ever more intrinsic to many areas of healthcare in the future.This book presents the proceedings of Healthcare of the Future 2022, held on 20 May 2022 in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. This 2022 edition of the medical informatics conference has the subtitle and theme: Digital Health - From Vision to Best Practice! The conference explores recent advances in the deployment of digital technologies in areas such as eHealth, mHealth, personalized health and workflow-based health applications.

According to CASN, health informatics is the use of information technology (including both hardware and software) in combination with information management concepts and methods to support the delivery of health care (Mandil, 1989). Heatlh informatics is an umbrella term which includes medical, nursing, dental and pharmacy informatics among others. It focuses on the recipient of care instead of the discipline of the caregiver (Kennedy & Hussey, 2015),

In summary, health informatics is focused on information and communication technology (ICT) uses in health care by nurses and other clinicians and addresses many topics including decision support, online clinical documentation, and provider order entry applications. Additionally, it focuses on the design, implementation, and adoption of ICTs in clinical practice settings.

A good organization to learn more about how health information impacts Canadian public health is the CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information). The CIHI provides comparable and actionable data and information that are used to accelerate improvements in health care, health system performance and population health across Canada.

A relevant journal which provides great content on all aspects of health informatics is the open access journal, International Journal of Medical Informatics.

From: Module 1 What is Health Informatics? – Digital Health

Achievements, Milestones and Challenges in Biomedical and Health Informatics. by Mantas, J.; Hasman, A.; Haux, R.
ISBN: 1643683411
Publication Date: 2022
This book presents the proceedings of the International Symposium on Achievements, Milestones, and Challenges in Biomedical and Health Informatics, held in Athens in 2022. It celebrates the career of Professor John Mantas and examines the evolution of biomedical and health informatics (BMHI) over the past four decades. The book includes 17 peer-reviewed papers by distinguished experts, highlighting technological advancements, key achievements, and ongoing challenges in BMHI. Topics covered include genomics, precision medicine, machine learning, and mobile health applications.
Enabling Health Informatics Applications by J. Mantas (Editor); A. Hasman (Editor); M. S. Househ (Editor)
ISBN: 1614995389
Publication Date: 2015
Informatics and technology have long been indispensable to the provision of healthcare and their importance continues to grow in this field.This book presents the 65 full papers presented at the 13th annual International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare (ICIMTH 2015), held in Athens, Greece, in July 2015. The conference attracts scientists and practitioners from all continents and treats the field of biomedical informatics in a very broad framework, examining the research and applications outcomes of informatics from cell to population, and covering a number of technologies such as imaging, sensors and biomedical equipment as well as management and organizational subjects such as legal and social issues. The conference also aims to set research priorities in health informatics.
Global Health Informatics by Heimar Marin (Editor); Eduardo Massad (Editor); Marco Antonio Gutierrez (Editor); Roberto Jaime Rodrigues (Editor); Daniel Sigulem (Editor)
ISBN: 0128046171
Publication Date: 2016
Global Health Informatics: How Information Technology Can Change Our Lives in a Globalized World discusses the critical role of information and communication technologies in health practice, health systems management and research in increasingly interconnected societies. In a global interconnected world the old standalone institutional information systems have proved to be inadequate for patient-centered care provided by multiple providers, for the early detection and response to emerging and re-emerging diseases, and to guide population-oriented public health interventions. The book reviews pertinent aspects and successful current experiences related to standards for health information systems; digital systems as a support for decision making, diagnosis and therapy; professional and client education and training; health systems operation; and intergovernmental collaboration.- Discusses how standalone systems can compromise health care in globalized world.
Health Informatics by Ramona Nelson; Nancy Staggers
Call Number: R858 .A1 H425 2018 (Barrie Campus)
ISBN: 9780323402316
Publication Date: 2017
Awarded second place in the 2017 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Information Technology category. See how information technology intersects with health care! Health Informatics: An Interprofessional Approach, 2nd Edition prepares you for success in today's technology-filled healthcare practice. Concise coverage includes information systems and applications such as electronic health records, clinical decision support, telehealth, ePatients, and social media tools, as well as system implementation. New to this edition are topics including data science and analytics, mHealth, principles of project management, and contract negotiations.

According to CASN, nursing informatics has been described as incorporating the science of nursing with information, technology, communication and the use of analytical sciences to support the integration of data, information, knowledge and wisdom into the provision of evidence-based nursing care. (Topaz & Pruinelli, 2017; American Nurses Association, 2014).

To summarize, nursing practice is informed by data, information and knowledge derived from multiple sources (e.g., assessments, evidence, experience). Data and information are used to support care planning, decision-making, and evaluation for evidence-based practice.

Consider these key nursing organization documents on the important topic of nursing informatics:

Please consider checking the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association which is devoted to the topic of nursing informatics.

There are some nursing journals which specialize in nursing informatics:

From: Module 1 In Summary – Digital Health

Essentials of Nursing Informatics, 7th Edition by Virginia K. Saba; Kathleen A. McCormick
ISBN: 1260456781
Publication Date: 2021
Essentials of Nursing Informatics provides the information and insights readers need to manage and process data to improve the quality and outcomes of healthcare. Topics include the use of computers in nursing administration, practice, education, and research; computer systems and information theory; electronic medical records, continuum of care information technology systems, and personal health records; coding; and government, clinical, and private sector system requirements. This revised and updated edition covers the latest changes in technology, administration, policy, and their effects on healthcare informatics in the U.S., with contributing international authors from Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
An Introduction to Nursing Informatics, Evolution, and Innovation, 2nd Edition by Susan M. Houston (Editor); Tina Dieckhaus (Editor); Bob Kircher (Editor); Michelle Lardner (Editor)
ISBN: 0429759614
Publication Date: 2018
Nursing informatics (NI) is the specialty that integrates nursing science with information management and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Nursing Informatics supports nurses, consumers, patients, the interprofessional healthcare team, and other stakeholders in a wide variety of roles and settings to achieve desired outcomes. This is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology. An Introduction to Nursing Informatics, Evolution and Innovation, 2nd Edition is the ideal gateway to all the professional possibilities this continuously evolving discipline has to offer.
Nursing Informatics by Ursula H. Hübner (Editor); Gabriela Mustata Wilson (Editor); Toria Shaw Morawski (Editor); Marion J. Ball (Editor)
ISBN: 3030912361
Publication Date: 2022
This new edition of the classic textbook on health informatics provides readers in healthcare practice and educational settings with an unparalleled depth of information on using informatics methods and tools. However, this new text speaks to nurses and -- in a departure from earlier editions of this title -- to all health professionals in direct patient care, regardless of their specialty, extending its usefulness as a textbook.
Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge by McGonigle, Dee, author.; Mastrian, Kathleen Garver,
ISBN: 1284220524
Publication Date: 2022
"Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, Fifth Edition is a foundational text for teaching nursing students the core concepts of knowledge management while providing an understanding of the technology tools and applications where a certain level of proficiency is required. A practical guide for understanding how to leverage modern technology, the text teaches students how to acquire, process and disseminate knowledge.

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) and AMS Healthcare have an important report entitled, "Nursing & Compassionate Care in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Engaging the Emerging Future" which reveals a nursing perspective on artificial intelligence (AI). This report informs nurses in all roles and sectors, other health professionals, educators, health-service administrators, researchers and policy makers about the opportunities and potential challenges of emerging technologies powered by artificial intelligence. The report reveals the implications of AI for nursing practice, nursing leadership, policy and research and nursing education.

For example, current artificial intelligence health technologies (AIHTs) being used in a variety of clinical settings include:

Virtual health-care assistant apps: Apps integrate chatbots to simulate interactive human conversation between artificially intelligent care providers (AICP) and patients
Predictive analytics: Incorporates AI using machine learning to identify patterns in data and forecast future outcome
Smart healthcare: Emerging technology which integrates smart sensors, wearables, network communications, predictive analytics and AI
Robotics: robots that demonstrate the ability to perform specific clinical functions and, with the aid of AI, to simulate clinical decision-making

Also consider reviewing the Canadian Nurses Association's blog post, "8 recommendations for how nurses can maximize their use of AI" which includes some of these recommendations:

Invest in education and training programs
Develop and adhere to ethical guidelines and standards
Encourage nurses to evaluate AI solutions
Maintain a patient-centred approach to care delivery

From Beyond the hype: it’s time for nursing to take a close look at artificial intelligence & RNAO-AMS_Report-Nursing_and_Compassionate_Care_in_the_Age_of_AI_Final_For_Media_Release_10.21.2020.pdf

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Health Care and Medical Sciences: Best Practices and Pitfalls by Aliferis, Constantin ; Simon, Gyorgy J
ISBN: 9783031393556
Publication Date: 2024
This open access book provides a detailed review of the latest methods and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in medicine. With chapters focusing on enabling the reader to develop a thorough understanding of the key concepts in these subject areas along with a range of methods and resulting models that can be utilized to solve healthcare problems, the use of causal and predictive models are comprehensively discussed.
Diabetes Digital Health, Telehealth, and Artificial Intelligence by Facp Klonoff (Editor); Frcp Kerr (Editor); Faap Espinoza (Editor)
Call Number: https://www-sciencedirect-com.georgian.idm.oclc.org/book/9780443132445/diabetes-digital-health-telehealth-and-artificial-intelligence
ISBN: 0443132437
Publication Date: 2024
Diabetes Digital Health, Telehealth, and Artificial Intelligence explains how to develop and use the emerging technologies of digital health, telehealth, and artificial intelligence to address this important public health problem to deliver new hardware, software, and processes. The book explores trends in developing and deploying the three most important emerging technologies for diabetes: digital health, telehealth, and artificial intelligence. This book is essential to clinicians, scientists, engineers, industry professionals, regulators, and investors, offering the tools that will be used to create the next generation products to support a precision medicine approach to manage diabetes.
Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health : Large Multi-Modal Models. WHO Guidance. by World Health Organization
Call Number: https://www-sciencedirect-com.georgian.idm.oclc.org/book/9780443132445/diabetes-digital-health-telehealth-and-artificial-intelligence
ISBN: 9240084754
Publication Date: 2024
WHO is issuing this interim guidance to assist Member States in mapping the benefits and challenges associated with use of LMMs for health and in developing policies and practices for appropriate development, provision and use. The guidance includes recommendations for governance, within companies, by governments and through international collaboration, based on ethical guiding principles.
Healthcare Transformation with Informatics and Artificial Intelligence by Mantas, J.; Gallos, P.; Zoulias, E.
ISBN: 1643684019
Publication Date: 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is once again in the news, with many major figures urging caution as developments in the technology accelerate. AI impacts all aspects of our lives, but perhaps the discipline of Biomedical Informatics is more affected than most, and is an area where the possible pitfalls of the technology might have particularly serious consequences. This book presents the papers delivered at ICIMTH 2023, the 21st International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare, held in Athens, Greece, from 1-3 July 2023. The ICIMTH conferences form a series of scientific events which offers a platform for scientists working in the field of biomedical and health informatics from all continents to gather and exchange research findings and experience.