Digital Connectivity: The Sixth Vital Sign

• Published in: Journal of diabetes science and technology Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 1303 - 1308
• Main Authors: Klonoff, David C., Shang, Trisha, Zhang, Jennifer Y., Cengiz, Eda, Mehta, Chhavi, Kerr, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2022
• Subjects: Commentaries; COVID-19; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Pandemics; Telemedicine; Vital Signs; digital health; connectivity; vital sign; telehealth; virtual health
• ISSN: 1932-2968; 1932-2968; 1932-3107
• DOI: 10.1177/19322968211015241

Digital health and telehealth connectivity have become important aspects of clinical care. Connected devices, including continuous glucose monitors and automated insulin delivery systems for diabetes, are being used increasingly to support personalized clinical decisions based on automatically collected data. Furthermore, the development, demand, and coverage for telehealth have all recently expanded, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical care, and especially diabetes care, are therefore becoming more digital through the use of both connected digital health devices and telehealth communication. It has therefore become necessary to integrate digital data into the electronic health record and maintain personal data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Connected digital monitoring combined with telehealth communication is known as virtual health. For this virtual care paradigm to be successful, patients must have proper skills, training, and equipment. We propose that along with the five current vital signs of blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, and pain, at this time, digital connectivity should be considered as the sixth vital sign. In this article, we present a scale to assess digital connectivity.