[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":323},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-covid-19-was-needed-for-telemedicine-to-finally-go-mainstream":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":188,"relatedBooks":322},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":35,"project_category":42,"contact_email_category":48,"yst_prominent_words":49,"class_list":70,"better_featured_image":92,"acf":124,"yoast_meta":132,"_links":135},27293,"2020-03-31T10:00:00","2020-03-31T08:00:00",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=27293&_wpnonce=258a021372&status=auto-draft&type=post","2021-01-21T09:58:21","2021-01-21T08:58:21","covid-19-was-needed-for-telemedicine-to-finally-go-mainstream","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcovid-19-was-needed-for-telemedicine-to-finally-go-mainstream",{"rendered":17},"COVID-19 and the rise of Telemedicine",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>Telemedicine has not had the success story it had hoped to achieve. The method, involving remote health-related services such as monitoring, advice and education between doctors and patients online over a secure connection, promised to be at the forefront of the future of medicine. It promised to make state-of-the-art healthcare more accessible without the need to wait hours in line. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, the reality is that only \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fremarkable-examples-of-telemedicine\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">a handful of countries and regions\u003C\u002Fa> adopted the concept, but telemedicine remains merely a concept for many. In fact, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedcitynews.com\u002F2017\u002F12\u002Fconsumers-telehealth\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">a study showed\u003C\u002Fa> that in the U.S. alone, \u003Cstrong>82 percent of consumers do not use such services\u003C\u002Fstrong>. This sad reality can be attributed to the lack of improper infrastructure to support it and to the lack of awareness. Another factor is that \u003Cstrong>cultural aspects haven’t been taken into consideration,\u003C\u002Fstrong> like it’s usually the case in digital health. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, \u003Cstrong>some even question its reliability and effectiveness\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Put to blame is the very quality of these services. \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.wsj.com\u002Farticles\u002Fstudy-of-telemedicine-finds-misdiagnoses-of-skin-problems-1463344200\" target=\"_blank\">A study with researchers posing as patients\u003C\u002Fa> found that remote doctors across 16 different telemedicine apps misdiagnosed serious skin conditions. What’s concerning is that some doctors operating through these services didn’t even have a license to practice in their patients’ regions. Such issues even led to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F29\u002Fwhy-telemedicine-is-a-bust.html\" target=\"_blank\">reimbursement questions\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"One Minute Challenge: Telemedicine - The Medical Futurist\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FdQ-rjGz15yM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But then came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. This ongoing global crisis forced healthcare institutions and regulatory bodies to turn to alternative ways of providing healthcare while limiting exposure to the virus. And telemedicine is presenting itself as the ideal solution to these woes by limiting patient displacement to hospitals, allocating hospital capacity to important cases, all while curbing the disease’s spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cp>Let’s see how the COVID-19 forced the healthcare world to do a 180° on telemedicine and what awaits this technology in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>And then came COVID-19…\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Just a couple of months ago, no one could have predicted the extent of the COVID-19’s effect on society. Entire countries are under lockdown in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. \u003Cstrong>Digital health \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhow-digital-health-technology-can-help-manage-the-coronavirus-outbreak\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cstrong>fares as an adequate solution\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong> in these circumstances. \u003C\u002Fstrong>Robots help in \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2020\u002F01\u002F23\u002Fhealth\u002Fus-wuhan-coronavirus-doctor-interview\u002Findex.html\" target=\"_blank\">monitoring infected patients\u003C\u002Fa> to limit contact with medical personnel, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F23\u002Ftech\u002Fchina-tech-coronavirus-outbreak\u002Findex.html\" target=\"_blank\">deliver medical supplies and disinfect wards\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Coronavirus Outbreak in the Era of Digital Health and A.I. \u002F Episode 11 - The Medical Futurist\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002Fr9VeCmM8--4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fworklife\u002Farticle\u002F20200309-coronavirus-covid-19-advice-chinas-work-at-home-experiment\" target=\"_blank\">companies\u003C\u002Fa> and even \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2020\u002F3\u002F6\u002F21168463\u002Fcoronavirus-covid19-seattle-public-schools-networks-broadband\" target=\"_blank\">schools\u003C\u002Fa> adopt the work-from-home solution, remote consultation is also becoming an increasingly attractive option in healthcare. \u003Cstrong>The COVID-19 pandemic brought telemedicine into a new light.\u003C\u002Fstrong> As medical professionals need to stay healthy and disease-free, the need for remote technologies skyrocketed. Both the \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cdc.gov\u002Fcoronavirus\u002F2019-ncov\u002Fphp\u002Fpreparing-communities.html\" target=\"_blank\">CDC\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fapps.who.int\u002Firis\u002Fbitstream\u002Fhandle\u002F10665\u002F331215\u002FWHO-2019-nCov-IPCPPE_use-2020.1-eng.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">WHO\u003C\u002Fa> are advocating for telemedicine to monitor patients and reduce risks of them spreading the virus by traveling to hospitals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Following this lead, The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aafp.org\u002Fpatient-care\u002Femergency\u002F2019-coronavirus\u002FCOVID-19-daily\u002Ftelehealth.html\" target=\"_blank\">Academy of Family Physicians\u003C\u002Fa> and the \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ama-assn.org\u002Fdelivering-care\u002Fpublic-health\u002Fkey-changes-made-telehealth-guidelines-boost-covid-19-care\" target=\"_blank\">American Medical Association (AMA) \u003C\u002Fa>released related guidelines. The US Government also \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hhs.gov\u002Fabout\u002Fnews\u002F2020\u002F03\u002F17\u002Fsecretary-azar-announces-historic-expansion-of-telehealth-access-to-combat-covid-19.html\" target=\"_blank\">took significant steps\u003C\u002Fa> in order to expand telemedicine services. We’ve also seen practical examples like the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.globenewswire.com\u002Fnews-release\u002F2020\u002F03\u002F03\u002F1994551\u002F0\u002Fen\u002FBergen-New-Bridge-Medical-Center-Expand-Telehealth-Service-for-COVID-19.html\" target=\"_blank\">dedicating a COVID-19 telemedicine service\u003C\u002Fa>.  “These are the moments that we were built for,” \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fapnews.com\u002F54da28f75c478ac1130170677958a7b5\" target=\"_blank\">said Dr. Jason Tibbels\u003C\u002Fa>, an executive with telemedicine provider Teladoc Health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>A ready-made option\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Telehealth is bridging the gap between people, physicians and health systems, enabling everyone, especially symptomatic patients, to stay at home and communicate with physicians through virtual channels, helping to reduce the spread of the virus to mass populations and the medical staff on the frontlines,” \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcareitnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftelemedicine-during-covid-19-benefits-limitations-burdens-adaptation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">said Dedi Gilad\u003C\u002Fa>, CEO and co-founder of Tyto Care, a telemedicine technology company. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Dedi Gilad’s quote greatly summarizes the importance of telemedicine under the threat of COVID-19. It’s an adequate option to lift the burden from existing healthcare infrastructures. \u003Cstrong>It’s a readily available solution that allows those following treatment for other conditions to continue doing so or even filter out potential COVID-19 cases remotely.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In fact, telemedicine companies are evolving with the times. Companies like \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fplushcare-insider\u002Fplushcares-covid-19-response-including-our-efforts-to-launch-at-home-testing-82a5ebc5e3c1\" target=\"_blank\">PlushCare\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.everlywell.com\u002Fblog\u002Fnews-and-info\u002Four-commitment-to-fighting-covid-19\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Everlywell\u003C\u002Fa> plan to release at-home COVID-19 testing kits. This can neatly tie in with their existing remote consultation services. Others like \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.doctorondemand.com\u002Fcoronavirus\">Doctor on Demand\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.heydoctor.com\u002Fservices\u002Fcoronavirus\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">HeyDoctor\u003C\u002Fa> offer free coronavirus risk assessments. These then direct high-risk patients towards a video or phone consultation with a physician. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"510\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002Fat-home-covid-19-test-768x510.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27295\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002Fat-home-covid-19-test-768x510.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002Fat-home-covid-19-test.png 893w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.everlywell.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Overload\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While existing telemedicine services are ready-made options to help manage this pandemic, prior to the current situation, they were not widely adopted. This is leading to an overload influx towards these solutions. Before the pandemic, only 1 in 10 US patients used telemedicine services, according to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jdpower.com\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2019185_telehealth_usage_and_awareness.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a J.D. Power survey\u003C\u002Fa>. Now the tides have drastically changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Stakeholders and patients alike are now scrambling to find a telemedicine service, a sector which is facing an unprecedented demand. Appointments via PlushCare are up by 70%. Amwell, another service, had its app use increase by a whopping 158% in the US since January. “\u003Cstrong>Any technology infrastructure experiencing such a large increase in demand would experience impact\u003C\u002Fstrong>,” \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fqz.com\u002F1821549\u002Ftelemedicine-faces-unprecedented-demand-in-the-wake-of-coronavirus\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">said Holly Spring\u003C\u002Fa>, Amwell vice-president of corporate communications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F054-telemedicine-1-768x432.png\" alt=\"telemedicine\" class=\"wp-image-22474\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F054-telemedicine-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F054-telemedicine-1-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F054-telemedicine-1-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F11\u002F054-telemedicine-1.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Conversely, \u003Cstrong>telemedicine services have the potential to overload hospitals\u003C\u002Fstrong>. This is because of their poor adoption, as not all institutions have the equipment to deliver remote consultations and allocate the required staff and resources. In a pandemic where the medical staff itself gets infected and quarantined, the pool of available providers is even smaller. But even this is a two-sided coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“By deploying advanced telehealth solutions, physicians are expanding their reach – even if quarantined – with the ability to remotely examine and diagnose more patients in a shorter amount of time, minimizing the number of patients entering hospitals and medical facilities,” \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcareitnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftelemedicine-during-covid-19-benefits-limitations-burdens-adaptation\" target=\"_blank\">said Gilad\u003C\u002Fa> of Tyto Care. \u003Cstrong>Telemeicine will significantly reduce additional pressure\u003C\u002Fstrong>, he added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>In a bubble?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ajmc.com\u002Fjournals\u002Fissue\u002F2020\u002F2020-vol26-n4\u002Fincorporating-telemedicine-as-part-of-covid19-outbreak-response-systems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">recent paper\u003C\u002Fa> from The American Journal of Managed Care discussed the need for and challenges to incorporating telemedicine amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It concluded that “although certain legal, regulatory, and reimbursement challenges remain, the COVID-19 outbreak may be the right impetus for lawmakers and regulatory agencies to promulgate further measures that facilitate more widespread adoption of telemedicine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It might be the case that telemedicine is experiencing a bubble which will burst post-COVID-19. Under normal circumstances, regulations and pricing issues might stifle its growth as it has been the case so far. The technology might recede back into oblivion, only to rise up during the next outbreak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002Ftelemedicine-service-768x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25384\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002Ftelemedicine-service-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002Ftelemedicine-service-512x256.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002Ftelemedicine-service.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: https:\u002F\u002Fintouchhealth.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, \u003Cstrong>another global public health crisis is likely to happen\u003C\u002Fstrong>. In less than a decade we’ve seen the likes of MERS, Ebola, Zika virus and COVID-19. The latest one has shown the importance of telemedicine and key stakeholders should embrace the technology and make it an integral part of the healthcare system. This will help work towards the digital health agenda while also preparing for an eventual emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align:center;\">\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fplugins\u002Fpost.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmedicalfuturist%2Fposts%2F2802757973152153&show_text=true&appId=302609456435813&height=631\" width=\"\" height=\"671\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden;display:block;\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" >\u003C\u002Fiframe>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Telemedicine has not had the success story it had hoped to achieve. The method, involving remote health-related services such as monitoring, advice and education between […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",16,27309,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32,33,34],6479,521,499,494,[36,37,38,39,40,41],425,3085,637,723,207,3083,[43,44,45,46,47],947,949,950,952,953,[],[50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69],1571,3055,1617,3063,1631,3065,1683,3071,1719,3073,1723,3075,1987,3077,2625,3079,2655,3081,2825,2829,[71,14,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91],"post-27293","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-future-medicine","category-healthcare-design","category-telemedicine","tag-technology-2","tag-covid19","tag-telehealth","tag-telemedicine","tag-digital-health","tag-covid","project_category-company","project_category-educators","project_category-medical-professionals","project_category-policy-makers","project_category-researchers",{"id":24,"alt_text":93,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":94,"media_details":95,"post":5,"source_url":123},"telemedicine and COVID-19","image",{"width":96,"height":97,"file":98,"sizes":99,"image_meta":121},1920,1080,"2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small.jpg",{"medium":100,"large":106,"thumbnail":111,"medium_large":115,"1536x1536":116},{"file":101,"width":102,"height":103,"mime-type":104,"source_url":105},"COVID-telemed-small-370x208.jpg","370","208","image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-370x208.jpg",{"file":107,"width":108,"height":109,"mime-type":104,"source_url":110},"COVID-telemed-small-768x432.jpg","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-768x432.jpg",{"file":112,"width":113,"height":113,"mime-type":104,"source_url":114},"COVID-telemed-small-150x150.jpg","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-150x150.jpg",{"file":107,"width":108,"height":109,"mime-type":104,"source_url":110},{"file":117,"width":118,"height":119,"mime-type":104,"source_url":120},"COVID-telemed-small-1536x864.jpg","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-1536x864.jpg",{"aperture":122,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":122,"copyright":27,"focal_length":122,"iso":122,"shutter_speed":122,"title":27,"orientation":122},"0","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small.jpg",{"cta_type":125,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":126,"related_posts_footer":129,"related_posts":20},"subscribe",[127,128],24762,24757,[130,131],26049,16450,{"yoast_wpseo_title":133,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":134,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"COVID-19 and the rise of Telemedicine - The Medical Futurist","Telemedicine & COVID-19: Coronavirus brought telemedicine into a new light. Some hospitals screen patients with a COVID-19 telemedicine service",{"self":136,"collection":142,"about":145,"author":148,"replies":151,"version-history":154,"predecessor-version":158,"wp:featuredmedia":162,"wp:attachment":165,"wp:term":168,"curies":184},[137],{"href":138,"targetHints":139},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F27293",{"allow":140},[141],"GET",[143],{"href":144},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[146],{"href":147},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[149],{"embeddable":26,"href":150},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F16",[152],{"embeddable":26,"href":153},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=27293",[155],{"count":156,"href":157},11,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F27293\u002Frevisions",[159],{"id":160,"href":161},27571,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F27293\u002Frevisions\u002F27571",[163],{"embeddable":26,"href":164},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F27309",[166],{"href":167},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=27293",[169,172,175,178,181],{"taxonomy":170,"embeddable":26,"href":171},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=27293",{"taxonomy":173,"embeddable":26,"href":174},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=27293",{"taxonomy":176,"embeddable":26,"href":177},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=27293",{"taxonomy":179,"embeddable":26,"href":180},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=27293",{"taxonomy":182,"embeddable":26,"href":183},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=27293",[185],{"name":186,"href":187,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[189],{"id":131,"date":190,"date_gmt":191,"guid":192,"modified":194,"modified_gmt":195,"slug":196,"status":13,"type":14,"link":197,"title":198,"content":200,"excerpt":202,"author":204,"featured_media":205,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":206,"categories":207,"tags":208,"project_category":219,"contact_email_category":220,"yst_prominent_words":221,"class_list":229,"better_featured_image":241,"acf":275,"yoast_meta":276,"_links":279},"2017-10-12T16:34:33","2017-10-12T14:34:33",{"rendered":193},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=16450","2022-05-17T14:20:05","2022-05-17T12:20:05","digital-maps-help-fight-epidemics","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-maps-help-fight-epidemics",{"rendered":199},"Digital Maps Help Fight Epidemics",{"rendered":201,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Have you ever thought that it would be possible to monitor drug overdoses, Zika cases or the spread of the flu in real-time? Have you ever imagined that satellites would be able to tell how and where a malaria epidemic will happen months before the actual outbreak? It is mind-blowing how, in the last years, digital maps developed to a level where they serve as effective tools for evaluating, monitoring and even predicting health events. That’s why I decided to give a comprehensive overview of digital maps in healthcare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>John Snow, cholera and the revolution of maps in healthcare\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Before Game of Thrones monopolized John Snow’s name, he was known among data journalists as the doctor who revolutionized \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fblogs.plos.org\u002Fpublichealth\u002F2013\u002F03\u002F13\u002Flessons-from-the-ghost-of-john-snow\u002F\">how we look at data, maps, epidemics or microbes\u003C\u002Fa>. When a cholera outbreak decimated the population of London in 1854, John Snow did something that no one before: \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fnews\u002Fdatablog\u002F2013\u002Fmar\u002F15\u002Fjohn-snow-cholera-map\">he mapped the cases\u003C\u002Fa>. Nowadays, it seems evident – but it is only because John Snow showed the way. Before he created his revolutionary map, people believed that cholera spreads around by miasma in the air. Yet, his representation exposed that the death cases clustered around one particular water pump, and soon he was able to find the source of the devastating epidemic. In the end, it turned out that sewage from a nearby cesspit polluted the water for the pump; where someone dumped a baby’s nappy contaminated with cholera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>John Snow’s discovery was crucial in identifying the source of the epidemic and fighting it off more effectively. If only we had similar maps from earlier cholera or bubonic pest outbreaks! Combining geography and healthcare has proved to be a game changer in countering epidemics ever since the first iconic cholera map; now digital technologies are here to strengthen the fight against deadly diseases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-16451\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"820\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fjohn-snow-s-cholera-map.jpg\" alt=\"digital maps in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-16451\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fjohn-snow-s-cholera-map.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fjohn-snow-s-cholera-map-768x724.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fjohn-snow-s-cholera-map-512x483.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fjohn-snow-s-cholera-map-265x250.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Dr. John Snow’s iconic cholera map of London’s Soho\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Countering epidemics on account of our private sphere?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There is already a grown-up generation who doesn’t really understand the concept of physical maps – and doesn’t need to. Folding out a large map and searching for the spot where you are and where you want to go? Struggling to find that teeny-tiny name of a small back-alley? What’s that about? You just type the name into your smartphone and in seconds, you’ll see it on a digital map. It’s fast, accurate and interactive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While John Snow had to get information about every single cholera death to be able to pin the cases on his map, digital maps work in a reverse way. Users allow the map to register certain data about them, which might be relevant to that particular digital visualization. Did you see a traffic jam while driving to work? Pin it, so others will know about it, too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Yet, what’s not that obvious at first is how much data we give up about ourselves when using digital maps. When you use Google Maps on any devices, it tracks every single step you take! There is an \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fbgr.com\u002F2014\u002F08\u002F28\u002Fgoogle-maps-location-tracking-opt-out\u002F\">opt-out option\u003C\u002Fa>, but not many people know about it and the standard setup is to allow to store users’ data. Before you freak out and change your settings, there are certain questions to consider. If epidemics or huge flu, cholera or any other outbreaks could be monitored and successfully countered by digital maps, would you opt out of the system knowing that your data also adds to the whole? Where would you draw your “red line” meaning the boundary of your personal privacy that you would never cross, even if it was for the sake of the entire society?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-maps-generation.jpg\" alt=\"Digital Maps in Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-16452\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-maps-generation.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-maps-generation-768x501.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-maps-generation-512x334.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-maps-generation-383x250.jpg 383w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Gruesome death rates call for effective solutions\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is a difficult question, and in most cases, companies decide instead of you. Although looking at the statistics about recent epidemics, the idea of deploying any means possible, including leveraging on digital maps, to stop the spread of deadly diseases seems plausible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For example, in the last 100 years, there have been four major flu pandemics including the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918 that killed up to 100 million people worldwide. The \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.co.uk\u002Fmediacentre\u002Flatestnews\u002F2017\u002Fpandemic\">UK’s Government National Risk Register estimates that\u003C\u002Fa> infectious diseases are an even greater risk since 2015 and pandemic flu is the key concern as 50% of the population could be affected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to the \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fgho\u002Fmalaria\u002Fepidemic\u002Fdeaths\u002Fen\u002F\">WHO’s database\u003C\u002Fa>, malaria caused the death of approximately 438,000 people in 2015. One of the most serious epidemics in the last years, the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fmediacentre\u002Ffactsheets\u002Ffs103\u002Fen\u002F\">cost the lives of more than 25,000 people\u003C\u002Fa>. Sporadically, there are still cholera outbreaks in Africa or South America. In 2016, 2420 deaths were reported to the WHO worldwide. Moreover, you probably won’t believe it but there are still places where you could catch the bubonic plague hundreds of years after its first ravage. Between 2010 and 2015, 584 people died because of the plague, most likely in the three most endemic countries: Peru, Madagascar or the Democratic Republic of Congo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"609\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fglobal-malaria-death.png\" alt=\"digital maps in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-16453\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fglobal-malaria-death.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fglobal-malaria-death-768x538.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fglobal-malaria-death-512x358.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fglobal-malaria-death-357x250.png 357w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>With NASA satellites against malaria\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nicely drawn electronic maps indicating various pieces of information could help in healthcare prevent, closely follow or monitor the spread of diseases, first of all, infections. It is amazing what technology already knows when we feed it with appropriate data, and how it “reasons out” the grey spots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Engadget \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.engadget.com\u002F2017\u002F09\u002F17\u002Fsatellites-help-predict-malaria-outbreaks-months-in-advance\u002F\">reported that\u003C\u002Fa> researchers \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nasa.gov\u002Ffeature\u002Fgoddard\u002F2017\u002Fusing-nasa-satellite-data-to-predict-malaria-outbreaks\">are using\u003C\u002Fa> data from NASA satellites (such as the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.engadget.com\u002F2016\u002F06\u002F27\u002Fgoogle-earth-maps-higher-quality-imagery\u002F\">Landsat\u003C\u002Fa> series) to predict malaria outbreaks by identifying areas where the soil moisture creates prime breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that transmit malaria. They know that floods and deforestation tend to create mosquito-friendly pools of water – compare that with fine-grained models of human behavior (say, loggers or miners who work in wet conditions) and you have a unified system that can anticipate outbreaks about three months in advance, right down to individual households. This is truly amazing and clearly shows the trends! Imagine that in the future, flue outbreaks might be anticipated in your neighborhood based on live maps, and the local municipality together with the healthcare system would immediately act upon it, so you could get vaccinated three months ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>With live maps against emerging diseases and for safer travels\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This scenario is not even that far off in the future if you consider the various online tools for monitoring various outbreaks and health emergencies. For example, look at \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthmap.org\u002Fen\u002F\">Healthmap.org\u003C\u002Fa>, which monitors, organizes, filters, visualizes and disseminates online information about emerging diseases in nine languages. The interactive map uses freely available online information – such as Google Maps, news aggregators as Google News or Baidu, the information of WHO, ProMED Mail for monitoring diseases – to monitor outbreaks and emerging public health threats real-time. The team behind the highly innovative, nicely designed and incredibly useful map consists of researchers, epidemiologists and software developers at \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.childrenshospital.org\u002F\">Boston Children’s Hospital\u003C\u002Fa> founded in 2006.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The WHO also recognized the value in interactive maps for both individuals and decision-makers. One of its teams created the International Travel and Health Interactive Map, where you can check the spread of various diseases around the globe before getting on the road. This simple, but useful tool allows people to prepare for their travels more effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The U.S. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, grown from a core of three initial members in 2007 to a staff of more than 300, provides geospatial analyses about diseases, injuries, and risk-factors at the local, national and global level. If you look at the interactive \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthdata.org\u002Fdata-visualization\u002Fus-health-map\">U.S. Health Map\u003C\u002Fa>, you’ll be able to explore health trends for plenty of types of cancer, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes and more. Such data visualized on maps is incredibly useful for policy-makers to make sense of trends and introduce effective measures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HealthMap\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fplayer.vimeo.com\u002Fvideo\u002F27433633?dnt=1&app_id=122963\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Tracking the opioid crisis real-time\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Real-time maps are also deployed in the fight against one of the most serious problems in the U.S. lately, the opioid crisis. According to The Guardian’s \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fsociety\u002Fng-interactive\u002F2016\u002Fmay\u002F25\u002Fopioid-epidemic-overdose-deaths-map\">truly fascinating and terrifying visualization\u003C\u002Fa>, overdoses multiplied exponentially in the last 16 years. Today, more Americans die from drug overdoses than car crashes or gun fatalities. In all, drug overdoses killed 47,000 people in the U.S. in 2014. That’s 130 deaths per day, on average. The majority of those deaths – 29,000, or 80 per day – involved an opioid, for example, prescription pain meds or heroin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In order to somehow make sense of the devastating phenomenon, the Washington\u002FBaltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area decided to create a tool that would give law enforcement and health officials the data they need to respond to the public health crisis as swiftly as possible. The result was a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.wired.com\u002Fstory\u002Fbaltimore-built-an-app-to-map-opioid-overdoses-in-real-time\u002F\">web app called ODMAP\u003C\u002Fa> that combines street-level data with tools from Esri, the digital mapping company, to help public health officials, police departments, and first responders track and respond to overdoses in real time. While there are many apps tracking the opioid crisis, ODMAP is particular as it tracks specifically overdoses and throughout the entire U.S.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The app visualizes the geographic correlations of overdose cases, and it turned out that overdoses happen in a similar manner as epidemics spread around. Thus, if overdoses happen in one community, officials get a head on from ODMAP where the “epidemic” could spread in the next 8-10 hours. So, health, as well as law enforcement officers, get the chance to prevent the tragedies. The tool is so powerful and spread so quickly that since its launch in January 2017, 70 counties across 19 states are actively contributing data to the system. And that’s just the beginning, I would say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-16454\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fus-opioid-crisis.png\" alt=\"digital maps in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-16454\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fus-opioid-crisis.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fus-opioid-crisis-768x447.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fus-opioid-crisis-512x298.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fus-opioid-crisis-430x250.png 430w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: The Guardian, Nadja Popovich: A deadly crisis: mapping the spread of America’s drug overdose epidemic; data from 2014\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>From the Zika until wheelchair accessibility\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Not only the opioid crisis is monitored with the help of digital technologies in the U.S. In March 2017, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fhealthtechmagazine.net\u002Farticle\u002F2017\u002F03\u002Fdigital-technology-fighting-epidemics\">HealthTech reported\u003C\u002Fa> that U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) is using geographic information systems to track and better combat the Zika virus spread by mosquitos. The CDC has put out a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgeohealth.hhs.gov\u002Farcgis\u002Fhome\u002Fwebmap\u002Fviewer.html?webmap=02a5756e3bcf4f02b34e0579402cbb36&extent=-129.2945,21.8015,-64.3872,51.0007\">publicly available interactive map\u003C\u002Fa> to provide states with information about the spread of the virus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Panama, another country battling mosquito-borne illnesses, in February 2017, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fhealthtechmagazine.net\u002Farticle\u002F2017\u002F03\u002Fdigital-technology-fighting-epidemics\">IBM partnered with the Gorgas Memorial Institute\u003C\u002Fa> to create a surveillance system and associated mobile app that can relay time-sensitive information from field investigators to researchers, health officials and policymakers. The Central American country started to test the app in three locations, and it plans to introduce in the whole country in 2018.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the UK, researchers started a \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.co.uk\u002Fmediacentre\u002Flatestnews\u002F2017\u002Fpandemic\">nationwide citizen science experiment\u003C\u002Fa> in September 2017 with the help of an app to investigate how the flu spreads around. Volunteers can \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.co.uk\u002Fmediacentre\u002Flatestnews\u002F2017\u002Fpandemic\">download the BBC Pandemic App onto their smartphones\u003C\u002Fa>. The free app will anonymously collect vital data on how far users travel a day; they will be asked for information about the number of people they have come into contact with during this time. This data will be used to simulate the spread of the flu to see what might happen when – not if – a real pandemic hits the UK. The app could help improve public health planning and outbreak control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fpandemic-app.jpeg\" alt=\"digital maps in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-16455\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fpandemic-app.jpeg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fpandemic-app-768x384.jpeg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fpandemic-app-512x256.jpeg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fpandemic-app-458x229.jpeg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And if you thought that digital maps in healthcare only map out emerging epidemics, I have to disappoint you. In September 2017, Google announced its \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.citylab.com\u002Flife\u002F2017\u002F09\u002Fgoogle-gets-serious-about-mapping-wheelchair-accessibility\u002F539220\u002F\">latest project for indicating wheelchair accessibility\u003C\u002Fa> better around specific locations. The campaign will crowdsource data from its 30 million \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmaps.google.com\u002Flocalguides\">Local Guides\u003C\u002Fa> worldwide, who contribute tips and photos about neighborhood establishments in exchange for points and small prizes like extra digital storage space. And while the tech giant’s undertaking doesn’t seem to be ground-breaking – researchers and disabilities activists have, on a smaller scale, been working to create apps and interactive maps to help the disabled community navigate cities – Google’s reach will definitely give an impact to the project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Considering the latest trends, digital maps will gain more significance in epidemiology, but also in first response situations, such as natural disasters and emergencies – and healthcare decision-making in general. Data visualizations on live maps could prove to be invaluable when taking new policy measures in medicine and healthcare. However, we also have to take into consideration data privacy issues and the boundaries of transparency, if we want to live in a balanced society in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u=5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3&id=efd6a3cd08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.google.com\u002Furl?q=https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u%3D5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3%26id%3Defd6a3cd08&source=gmail&ust=1534355444917000&usg=AFQjCNH9L0BP3FQtAahXcvw9Dg9JLtyZDw\">\u003Cb>Subscribe To The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":203,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Have you ever thought that it would be possible to monitor drug overdoses, Zika cases or the spread of the flu in real-time? Have you ever imagined that satellites would be able to tell how and where a malaria epidemic will happen months before the actual outbreak? It is mind-blowing how, in the last years, digital maps developed to a level where they serve as effective tools for evaluating, monitoring and even predicting health events. That’s why I decided to give a comprehensive overview of digital maps in healthcare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,16456,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[32,33,34],[209,210,211,36,212,213,40,214,215,216,217,218],275,745,289,519,630,733,246,743,271,744,[],[],[50,222,223,224,225,226,227,228],1681,1693,1729,1883,3117,3181,4429,[230,14,72,73,74,75,76,78,79,80,231,232,233,81,234,235,85,236,237,238,239,240],"post-16450","tag-healthcare","tag-epidemiology","tag-innovation","tag-gc4","tag-digital-technology","tag-interactive-maps","tag-future","tag-maps","tag-health","tag-epidemics",{"id":205,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":94,"media_details":242,"post":131,"source_url":274},{"width":243,"height":244,"file":245,"sizes":246,"image_meta":272},870,544,"2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data.jpg",{"medium":247,"large":252,"thumbnail":257,"medium_large":261,"large_old_512x320":262,"medium_old_400x250":267},{"file":248,"width":249,"height":250,"mime-type":104,"source_url":251},"mapping-and-data-370x208.jpg",370,208,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data-370x208.jpg",{"file":253,"width":254,"height":255,"mime-type":104,"source_url":256},"mapping-and-data-768x480.jpg",768,480,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data-768x480.jpg",{"file":258,"width":259,"height":259,"mime-type":104,"source_url":260},"mapping-and-data-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data-150x150.jpg",{"file":253,"width":254,"height":255,"mime-type":104,"source_url":256},{"file":263,"width":264,"height":265,"mime-type":104,"source_url":266},"mapping-and-data-512x320.jpg",512,320,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data-512x320.jpg",{"file":268,"width":269,"height":270,"mime-type":104,"source_url":271},"mapping-and-data-400x250.jpg",400,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data-400x250.jpg",{"aperture":122,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":122,"copyright":27,"focal_length":122,"iso":122,"shutter_speed":122,"title":27,"orientation":122,"keywords":273},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmapping-and-data.jpg",{"related_posts":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":277,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":278,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":197},"Digital Maps Help Fight Epidemics - The Medical Futurist","As a result of the latest innovations, digital maps in healthcare serve as effective tools for evaluating, monitoring and even predicting health events.",{"self":280,"collection":285,"about":287,"author":289,"replies":292,"version-history":295,"predecessor-version":299,"wp:featuredmedia":303,"wp:attachment":306,"wp:term":309,"curies":320},[281],{"href":282,"targetHints":283},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16450",{"allow":284},[141],[286],{"href":144},[288],{"href":147},[290],{"embeddable":26,"href":291},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[293],{"embeddable":26,"href":294},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=16450",[296],{"count":297,"href":298},15,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16450\u002Frevisions",[300],{"id":301,"href":302},45545,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16450\u002Frevisions\u002F45545",[304],{"embeddable":26,"href":305},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F16456",[307],{"href":308},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=16450",[310,312,314,316,318],{"taxonomy":170,"embeddable":26,"href":311},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=16450",{"taxonomy":173,"embeddable":26,"href":313},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=16450",{"taxonomy":176,"embeddable":26,"href":315},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=16450",{"taxonomy":179,"embeddable":26,"href":317},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=16450",{"taxonomy":182,"embeddable":26,"href":319},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=16450",[321],{"name":186,"href":187,"templated":26},[],1788765988921]