Prospects and role of digital technologies in Russian healthcare reforming

Abstract

Background. Modern digital technologies use can solve many problems of Russian healthcare system. The digital medicine development should be accompanied by the informatization of all participants of the process of providing medical services. Analysis and assessment of the changes taking place in society and in the health care system itself in digitalization terms are necessary for making effective management decisions aimed at improving the population health. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to analyze the digital medicine state and prospects for the development. Materials and methods. The analysis of foreign and domestic literature on digital medicine was used to identify current trends in this area and the variety of technologies used. The data analysis from public opinion polls gave an idea of the main problems of Russian healthcare. The study of Internet resources, like information and discussion platforms for medical professionals, as well as survey data, made it possible to identify the main aspects of the informatization process in the healthcare system. Results and discussion. There were highlighted: the main advantages of information technologies use in the healthcare sector, the priority areas for the digital medicine short term development, the level of understanding of telemedicine among healthcare workers, the main areas of discussion regarding digital medical technologies, as well as important problems, risks and trends in this area. Conclusion. The authors identified eight promising areas for the digital medicine short term development. The study of Internet resources has shown that medical social networks are an important channel for healthcare informatization, including professional adaptation, especially of young specialists, to work with new technologies. The Internet also allows physicians to expand their professional capabilities with the help of software products for laboratory research, diagnosis and treatment. All participants of the medical and related industries are actively entering the digitalization process, striving to create a unified system for electronic data exchange. The main problem that slows down the development of digital medicine in Russia and which needs to be addressed at the state level is ensuring data security. A key measure to solve this problem is information about digital health opportunities through social media. At the content creation level there must be built trust to this channel.