Title: In an era of digital health, where do pharmacists fit in?
Abstract: During the DigitalHealth.Rx Summit on March 11, 2021, experts spoke about the ways in which pharmacy can integrate digital health technologies into practice—as well as how pharmacists can lead this technological revolution in health care. The summit, chaired by Parisa Vatanka, PharmD, CTTS, senior director of corporate alliances at APhA, coincided with APhA2021 Virtual. The summit opened with Daniel Kraft, MD, painting a picture of what this digital future looks like with some of the available technologies—from wearables, virtual reality, and AI to 3D printing, just to name a few. “It's not about any one technology, but the convergence of all different types of technology […] coming together to enable us to do things in smarter, better ways,” said Kraft, who is founder and chair of Exponential Medicine and founder of Digital.Health. He pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has in many ways sped up the revolution in health care technology. As a sector of the economy, health care is known as being one of the slowest adopters of technology. Patients and their health outcomes have traditionally been characterized using data sets visible only in clinical settings. But advances in remote patient monitoring could switch that on its head, according to many of the speakers. “We want to be continuous with your data in order to be more proactive about health and health care,” said Kraft. Timothy Aungst, PharmD, from MCPHS University, and Ravi Patel, PharmD, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, spoke about the fundamentals of digital health and where pharmacists fit into this changing ecosystem, which will soon be the standard, according to Aungst. “We see a growing aspect of adults engaging with health technology,” he said. Smart watches have helped ignite this revolution. In fact, 42% of American adults use some form of digital health tracking, and 30% of patients now use a wearable health device on a daily basis. As pharmacists become more involved in patients’ care, Patel said, “we can better understand the needs of patients through the data that can come through so many places.” The technology can also help health care practitioners, along with their patients, make better, more informed decisions. As one example, pharmacists can think about medication adherence and what's possible with technology to collect more data points related to an individual's behavior. Right now, adherence is at most subjective, based on a patient's reported adherence rates or gathered from billing data. What does digital health mean?01SensorsWearables, IoT-enabled devices, and a general approach to collecting data from use in real time. Can be devices or signals from sensors on the body.02Mobile apps Health-related apps are ubiquitous, but no more so than those that users have come to trust every day. These apps are becoming evidence based and gaining FDA clearance.03Telehealth Reaching patients where they are remotely through devices, smartphones, and computers may lower the logistical issues many people face for their health needs.04Artificial intelligence (AI) Processing the sheer amount of data coming from all the devices, wearables, and health records is imposing but possible with analytical engines.05Voice assistants Using voice to reach users aside from direct touch will likely supplant the need for patients to be directly responsible for performing actions.06Robotics and automation Using automation with robotics and AI is a novel means to conduct services traditionally done by humans. 01SensorsWearables, IoT-enabled devices, and a general approach to collecting data from use in real time. Can be devices or signals from sensors on the body.02Mobile apps Health-related apps are ubiquitous, but no more so than those that users have come to trust every day. These apps are becoming evidence based and gaining FDA clearance.03Telehealth Reaching patients where they are remotely through devices, smartphones, and computers may lower the logistical issues many people face for their health needs.04Artificial intelligence (AI) Processing the sheer amount of data coming from all the devices, wearables, and health records is imposing but possible with analytical engines.05Voice assistants Using voice to reach users aside from direct touch will likely supplant the need for patients to be directly responsible for performing actions.06Robotics and automation Using automation with robotics and AI is a novel means to conduct services traditionally done by humans. Regulation could cut into the hype of many available products, said Megan Coder, PharmD, MBA, from Digital Therapeutics Alliance, and Jennifer Goldsack, executive director of the Digital Medicine Society. “We are looking at products that deliver evidence-based, therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease,” not health and wellness products, said Goldsack. FDA's Digital Health Center of Excellence provides companies several different pathways for clearance. There are also disparities to think about as technology continues to evolve and become accessible. As Kraft pointed out, barriers to “digital determinants of health” include battery life to sustain the technology and lack of access to WiFi. Ritesh Patel, chief digital officer of health at Ogilvy, spoke with Glen Tullman about the evolution of the health care technology industry. Tullman was previously CEO of Allscripts as well as founder, former executive chair, and CEO of Livongo Health, the first “at-scale consumer digital health company to empower people with chronic conditions.” Tullman said pharmacists can lead the revolution in digital health. Other speakers included Grace Cordovano, PhD, BCPA, founder of Enlightening Results; Jen Horonjeff, PhD, founder and CEO of Savvy Cooperative; Patrick Carroll, MD, chief medical officer of hims & hers; Randy Parker, CEO and founder of GeniusRx; Stephen Buck, vice president and general manager at Ro Pharmacy; Karen Martell, MA, vice president and general manager of endocrinology at Alto Pharmacy; Lindsey Valenzuela, PharmD, associate vice president of population health integration at Desert Oasis Healthcare; Thomas Brazeal, PharmD, clinical pharmacist at Desert Oasis Healthcare; Benjamin Bluml, RPh, senior vice president of research and innovation at APhA; and Aman Bhatti, MD, VP of global medical affairs and head of biopharma partnerships at AliveCor. The DigitalHealth.Rx Summit culminated in a Thought Leaders Assembly where pharmacy experts presented on key topics in health care and technology within the current health care landscape. To catalyze next steps for the profession, attendees engaged in breakout discussion groups to explore opportunities, challenges, and needed resources to successfully transition to new practice norms where digital health products and solutions are seamlessly integrated into care. For the full list of speakers and programming, visit apha.us/DigitalHealthagenda. APhA joins inter-industry stakeholders to drive digital health adoptionDigital health is rapidly evolving and creates an opportunity to transform pharmacy practice. In late 2020, APhA joined other leaders to drive the adoption of digital clinical measures for remote patient monitoring through a “Tour of Duty” and ultimately the release of a refreshed version of these digital clinical measures, known as “The Playbook: Driving Adoption.” The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), the organization behind the effort, describes The Playbook as a “comprehensive and accessible how-to guide [that] supports all stakeholders working to advance the safe, effective, ethical, and equitable use of digital clinical measures.”“Applying digital clinical measures in pharmacy can augment our approach to medication optimization, improving quality and outcomes of care,” said Parisa Vatanka, PharmD, CTTS, senior director of corporate alliances at APhA, who represented the pharmacy profession during DiMe's latest Tour of Duty.According to DiMe, The Playbook should serve as a shared foundation for advancing digital clinical measurement and transforming clinical trials, patient care, and public health through remote monitoring.“Just like our car has different sensors, providing actionable insights, our bodies will be the same,” said Vatanka. These health signals from sensor-enabled medications and tools that measure and communicate biomarkers can be monitored remotely and the data then analyzed to determine what's best for patient care.Vatanka said pharmacists need to be directly involved in digital health to help drive the conversation—not try to fit in after the fact. She anticipates this will happen by folding digital health into the pharmacy school curriculum, providing continuing pharmacy education, and integrating pharmacists into interprofessional, value-based care models, in addition to pharmacy's involvement with DiMe's work.At the end of April 2021, DiMe hosted an event to launch the refreshed version of The Playbook as a public meeting with colleagues from FDA, the European Medicines Agency, and all contributors to the guide.Learn more at dimesociety.org. Digital health is rapidly evolving and creates an opportunity to transform pharmacy practice. In late 2020, APhA joined other leaders to drive the adoption of digital clinical measures for remote patient monitoring through a “Tour of Duty” and ultimately the release of a refreshed version of these digital clinical measures, known as “The Playbook: Driving Adoption.” The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), the organization behind the effort, describes The Playbook as a “comprehensive and accessible how-to guide [that] supports all stakeholders working to advance the safe, effective, ethical, and equitable use of digital clinical measures.” “Applying digital clinical measures in pharmacy can augment our approach to medication optimization, improving quality and outcomes of care,” said Parisa Vatanka, PharmD, CTTS, senior director of corporate alliances at APhA, who represented the pharmacy profession during DiMe's latest Tour of Duty. According to DiMe, The Playbook should serve as a shared foundation for advancing digital clinical measurement and transforming clinical trials, patient care, and public health through remote monitoring. “Just like our car has different sensors, providing actionable insights, our bodies will be the same,” said Vatanka. These health signals from sensor-enabled medications and tools that measure and communicate biomarkers can be monitored remotely and the data then analyzed to determine what's best for patient care. Vatanka said pharmacists need to be directly involved in digital health to help drive the conversation—not try to fit in after the fact. She anticipates this will happen by folding digital health into the pharmacy school curriculum, providing continuing pharmacy education, and integrating pharmacists into interprofessional, value-based care models, in addition to pharmacy's involvement with DiMe's work. At the end of April 2021, DiMe hosted an event to launch the refreshed version of The Playbook as a public meeting with colleagues from FDA, the European Medicines Agency, and all contributors to the guide. Learn more at dimesociety.org.
Publication Year: 2021
Publication Date: 2021-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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