Digital Health & New Technologies

Within the fields of both oncology and supportive care, digital health is recognized as critical to enhancing the accessibility, efficiency, and quality of care.

Digital health — the use of technology to improve health and healthcare — is a simple concept, but a broad field that encompasses a wide range of tools and services like telehealth and virtual care, electronic health records, eHealth, mobile health (apps and wearables), and personalized medicine. Digital health expands on the concept of eHealth by including newer technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data, genomics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The main objectives of digital health are to increase access to healthcare services, improve the quality and efficiency of care, lower healthcare costs, empower individuals to better manage their health, and support healthcare professionals in their work. Ultimately, digital health is about “transforming how health systems serve people – more equitably, more effectively, and with greater attention to individual needs” (WHO, 2021).

The aims of this study group are to set the international agenda for digital health in supportive cancer care, advancing MASCC’s leadership in this rapidly evolving field. The group will promote education and awareness, foster multidisciplinary research collaboration, and shape best practice for the effective, ethical, and equitable use of digital health in routine care. Recognizing that digital health underpins all aspects of supportive care, members will engage and collaborate across MASCC study groups to drive innovation and integration across the organization.

Reference: World Health Organization (WHO). Global strategy on digital health 2020-2025. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.