Digital Health Age, UK: Cognizant’s Global Healthcare Consulting Leader Analyzes Digital Transformation and the Future of Connected Health

“Healthcare globally is moving towards connectivity centered around the patient, aiming to enhance the overall patient experience,” writes Trish Birch. “Although new technology has created an array of opportunities to connect hospitals, doctors, nurses and patients, there are a number of challenges that must be addressed before a truly connected healthcare system can be implemented.” Excerpts:

“The first is optimizing the existing IT infrastructure. The foundation for successful digital transformation often lies in optimizing the overall IT system. This means simplifying the underlying IT infrastructure and integrating analytics solutions to pool information from disconnected systems. Overhauling these existing systems allows for greatly improved communications between patients and medical staff.

Patients generate vast volumes of data with their mobile devices, smartphones, apps and web searches. When combined, these tell a crucial story of patients’ lifestyle, health habits and medication consumption, what we at Cognizant call “Patient Halos.” Although this data is not always readily accessible—and it is also tightly regulated—healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies can harness Patient Halos to power healthcare interactions while staying within regulatory limits.

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created new platforms on which healthcare devices and sensors are able to communicate with each other and with other machines, objects, environments and infrastructures.

Through digital connectivity, patients can also be empowered to participate in their own healthcare management and decisions. Patients who are more engaged will ultimately help decrease healthcare costs by avoiding hospital readmissions and reducing incidents of medication not being taken.


A key part of this effective preventative care is educating patients to make healthier choices and seek appropriate support. Technology such as wearables, coupled with game-like features (also known as gamification) that aim to increase motivation, can help patients initiate and sustain positive behavioral changes from treatment to rehabilitation and beyond.

We cannot deny the momentous opportunity that new technologies such as social, mobile, analytics, cloud (SMAC) and sensors bring to the improvement of patient care. However, to create a truly connected healthcare system, providers must first of all make sure the right infrastructure is in place to support analytics solutions and patient-centric technology—all with the support of and consent from the patient.”

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