What is the Difference Between Digital Health and Health Informatics?

I have received questions from listeners of the Health Analytic Insights podcast on what is the difference between digital health and health informatics? This can be confusing, especially as some might use these two terms interchangeably, however, I believe there are slight differences which might impact which area you would like to work in.

This below video shows the slight differences:

In my opinion, Digital Health is the process of digitizing health records by transforming paper versions of patients’ health information and entering in this information into an Electronic Health Record system, which might be developed by an Electronic Health Record vendor such as Epic or Cerner. I think of Digital Health as the input stage. One might input health information into mHealth apps or the wearable device you are wearing might automatically input your step count or heart rate. Other areas of Digital Health can include, how we share this data between different health systems through health information exchange or telehealth/telemedicine which has been especially popular during the pandemic.

When I think of the field of Health Informatics, I think of this as the analysis stage. We take the health data that was input in the form of an electronic health record or wearable app and we transform this raw data into actionable outcomes which can improve patient outcomes. This could look like building a report or dashboard which tracks re-admission rates which might be sourced from the patient’s health record. By analyzing this report or dashboard one could look at historical trends that might be influencing patients to be re-admitted. For example, there could be a lack of medication adherence that might be helped by engaging with community nurses to follow up with patients upon discharge.

Here are some common terms used with respect to the Digital Health field: mHealth apps, telehealth/telemedicine, EHR/EMR records – digitization of patient health records, health information exchange, wearable devices, personalized medicine (genomics data), healthcare chatbots

Here are some common terms used with respect to the Health Informatics field: Medical Informatics, Biomedical Informatics, Health Data Science, Healthcare Analytics, Health Analytics

I hope this overview gave you and understanding of the differences between the Digital Health and Health Informatics field! Don’t forget to check out the Health Analytic Insights podcast for more tips on how to break into the health informatics field.