[Digital health and nursing : The future is now]

The digitalization of healthcare systems is no longer a trend but a reality, which is driven by the rapid developments in the fields of medicine, information and communication technology (ICT). It revolutionizes the practice of medicine by making innovative treatment forms possible by the accelerated exchange of patient data. In this way it brings tremendous advantages to all stakeholders in healthcare delivery. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, the decreasing number of physicians, long distances and poor road infrastructure between doctors and patients create loopholes in the delivery of healthcare services, especially in rural regions, which can at least partially be filled by the use of telemedicine. The acceptance of ehealth is the most important success factor in its use for the management of patients. User-friendliness, efficiency, effectiveness, legal safety and reimbursement of telemedical services are the important conditions for this. Furthermore, training and continuing training of healthcare personnel also drive the development of telemedicine. Factors delaying the use of telemedicine are partial lack of reimbursement and lack of interoperability among different systems of medical technology. Pilot projects serve to provide evidence for the usefulness and effectiveness of telemedicine. They also help to build the structural foundation on which telemedicine can develop. Examples of such projects are emergency triage, online video consultations and digital care projects. There are many emerging trends in the field of digital health, which are developing at different paces. Examples of such trends are artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain and augmented reality.