Brian Flatley, vice president of Consulting Services at S3 Connected Health looks at the digital health landscape and what its adoption means within pharma.
Digital health
Ageing populations and increased lifestyle-related risk factors mean chronic disease is on the rise. According to the ECDA, more than a third of the European population – over 100 million citizens – are affected by chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs); these NCDs also now account for 86% of deaths in the WHO European region.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has complicated the situation further as care for both acute illnesses and support for patients with long-term chronic conditions and NCDs is deferred, increasing the likelihood of health complications, more severe symptoms, and greater mortality rates.