Using and choosing digital health technologies: a communications science perspective.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Communication Science
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Digital health technologies (DHTs) offer potential benefits for healthcare performance and staff morale.
• However, the implementation and use of DHTs can lead to communication degradation, increased patient risks, and reduced staff satisfaction if not skillfully designed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide leaders and researchers with a non-technical overview of using a communications perspective to assess, design, and implement DHTs.
• To encourage further research into the implementation and use of DHTs for improved healthcare outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A narrative overview approach was employed, using examples to illustrate the issues and benefits of introducing DHTs.
• The overview highlights insights from communications science relevant to the design and use of DHTs in healthcare.

Main Results:

• Communications research reveals that non-verbal communication can be lost or degraded in digitally mediated forms, often unrecognized.
• Skillfully designed and implemented DHTs can improve healthcare performance and staff morale.
• A communications perspective aids in assessing how DHTs complement professional relationships and devising safer implementation strategies.

Conclusions:

• Leaders and managers can utilize this overview to better question the impact of DHTs on healthcare and play a stronger role in their implementation.
• Communications science offers valuable insights for a multidisciplinary approach to evaluating and implementing DHTs to enhance healthcare performance.