Relevance of digital identity in modernising healthcare
Relevance of digital identity in modernising healthcare unknown
Digital identity is more important than ever in the healthcare space, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. The unprecedented crisis witnessed cyberattacks on healthcare systems across the world, leaving the sensitive medical information of patients vulnerable to misuse or theft. Digital identity can be typically defined as a one-to-one relationship between a human and their digital presence. For, e.g., Aadhaar is a form of digital identity in India and is also the largest national digital identification program in the world.
When it comes to healthcare, digital identity plays a crucial role in protecting vital medical information, optimising efficiency, and ensuring proper access. These factors make it a significant tool in modernising healthcare.
Why digital identity is important in healthcare?
There are several reasons that make digital identity significant in healthcare. Giving patients more control over their health data is one of the primary benefits it offers. It enables patients to manage access to their medical records by healthcare providers. For instance, patients can choose to share information with just their primary care physician and no other doctors.
Another crucial aspect highlighting the importance of digital identity in healthcare is that it would enable patients to get better care by simplifying provider access to their records. For instance, if the patients have seen various specialists or received care at different facilities, then it can be challenging for providers to get a clear picture of a patient’s health history.
Apart from that, digital identity would help reduce errors and improve safety in healthcare. It would also help stop fraudulent activity in healthcare.
How digital identity can play a pivotal role in modernising healthcare
Digital identity became more important in the face of an unprecedented health crisis. One example is how digital identity improved infection control during the Covid pandemic. As per a report, the use of digital identity in hospital settings during the pandemic improved infection control, facility operations, and clinical care.
There is no doubt that digital identity is the foundation of a modern healthcare IT system that is the need of the hour. Ensuring proper access, protecting medical information or sensitive patient data, and optimising efficiency are invaluable pillars of an increasingly complex healthcare system. Digital identity management is key to protecting these pillars. By allowing a solid digital identity framework, healthcare organizations can position themselves for success and reap benefits like protection against attacks, ensuring the right access at the right times, streamlined compliance and reporting, and enhanced patient care.
Challenges
Increased reliance on digital identity can have increased vulnerability to things such as identity theft, financial damage, and data loss, even as the benefits of cloud-based services and digital workflows are incredibly important. Data facilitates digital health practices, but increased use of data collection tools can raise privacy-related concerns. To overcome these challenges including ethical ones, a robust mechanism can be devised to take care of compliance and regulations, apart from integrating doctors, patients, and other stakeholders on a single platform. The whole process needs to become hassle free for users and also to address the gaps like digital divide and hesitancy in accepting technology.
Conclusion
In the face of constant, often unpredictable change and a rapidly evolving healthcare technology landscape, healthcare organizations can deliver quality care by managing digital health effectively. The modern healthcare system would find it hard to serve its most pertinent purpose of delivering quality care without a secure and efficient digital identity management framework.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.