Digital twins for health: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Biomedical Informatics
• Computational Medicine

Background:

• Digital twins (DTs) are increasingly adopted across industries, with significant recent expansion into healthcare.
• The concept of a digital twin for health (DT4H) promises to transform healthcare delivery, disease management, and personal well-being.
• While DT initiatives exist in other sectors, DT4H is an emerging field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of current DT applications in healthcare.
• To examine existing consortium research centers and identify their limitations.
• To survey emerging research and development opportunities in healthcare DTs.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of current DT applications in healthcare.
• Analysis of consortium research centers and their identified limitations.
• Survey of emerging R&D opportunities in the DT4H landscape.

Main Results:

• DTs are being applied in various healthcare contexts, though DT4H remains nascent.
• Existing research centers face limitations that hinder widespread DT4H adoption.
• Significant opportunities exist for future research and development in DT4H.

Conclusions:

• DT4H has the potential to revolutionize healthcare systems and improve human life.
• Big data, data science (DS), and artificial intelligence (AI) are key enablers for DT4H advancement.
• A global collaborative effort among stakeholders is envisioned to drive DT4H innovation and enhance worldwide healthcare quality.