Digital Health is Health.

Digital health is health?

Okay. As I write that, I realize it sounds strange. Believe me, I get it. I grew up in a time when health was anything but digital. Actually, I grew up in a time when nothing was digital.

But health has always been about the physical world. Gym class. Sports. Training. Dieting. Hard work. Every year you’d see your doctor, and what did they call it? A physical! But times change. And I guess it’s time to change with them — especially for those of us who live with chronic conditions.

That’s led me, as old school as I am, to embrace digital health.Well, in the FDA’s words, “digital health includes categories such as mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (IT), wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine,and personalized medicine.”

So… heart rate monitors, activity trackers, continuous glucose monitors, Bluetooth scales, and much more. Plus all the information those devices gather about us. Digital health puts all those pieces together and improves our lives.

It’s a big deal. I mean, think about it. Most of us grew up without knowing a whole lot about our health. Sure, we knew when we got sick. We knew when we felt bad and when we felt good. Maybe some family history. But as for specific information about our health? We had what our doctors had. Tests here and there. Our heights. Our weights. Whatever we told them about our lives. And all that was what made up our medical records.

So, as strange as it sounds, I’ll say it again: “Digital health is health.”

Digital health is health?Digital health is health.

Today, my care team has ongoing access to an overview of my health between visits. And I see more, know more, and can do more — for myself.

It’s change–change for the better. And I’m happy to say—I’m changing with it.