PERSON CENTERED MEDICINE AND DIGITAL HEALTH: ARE THEY COMPATIBLE?

Abstract

To some, person centered medicine and digital health would appear incompatible. The digital divide, the lack of person-centered data in algorithms, the concept of rule-oriented robots replacing fallible but morally human clinicians, the stress caused by electronic health records, and problems with privacy and data security are real concerns. But digital technologies needed to be understood as tools that can support or improve person-centered care across the continuum of disease, from purely provider-centered tools to purely person-centered ones. This reflective piece attempts to reconcile the apparent differences between the concurrent revolutions in person centered medicine and advanced technology so that they can benefit each other.