Today we see more clearly than ever that taking care of our own health has a knock-on effect on the health of society as a whole. Medical history will tell how responsibility was the biggest factor in containing the pandemic. The supererogatory responsibility of the healthcare workers looking after patients in an extreme and unprecedented situation. The civic duty of most citizens, who are staying at home in accordance with the recommendations of the health authorities.

After a lockdown that gave us time to reflect on things and weigh their true worth, we inevitably cotton on to the quintessential value of health and perhaps our individual and collective duty as to properly care for it. Individually, we can make sure we eat healthily, exercise, check our blood pressure, and avoid illness-generating situations of stress… And we can also “empower” ourselves, taking on a proactive and watchful role to make ourselves skilled and informed patients capable of making health-conducive decisions.

Information and communications technologies are an ally in pursuit of this individual goal. And even more so in the collective goal of bringing digital healthcare to fruition, thereby helping to sustain our healthcare system, the value of which is being demonstrated as never before. The Spanish Health Ministry is working in liaison with scientific associations to establish algorithms and ICU-access criteria, also buying coronavirus testing kits; online maker communities are making medical supplies with 3D printers; virtual desktops transfer working activity to homes; apps like Coronamadrid or Andalusia’s Salud Responde give citizens self-testing resources; telemedicine consultations for patients suffering other pathologies instead of health-center visits in non-urgent situations; tablets on which hospitalized patients receive virtual hugs and kisses, breaking down the myth of the coldness of technology; and virtual happy hours among friends… Digital technology was already available, it only had to be used more and its many benefits tapped into, including in the field of healthcare.

Technology allowing us to take responsibility for our own health

The democratizing effect of digital technology is responsible, among many other things, for giving us enough information to play an active role in our own healthcare and enhancement of our wellbeing. Just as we are now participative, involved, and independent citizens capable of making informed decisions in any other area of our lives, we can likewise take on responsibility for managing our own health. Together with our clinicians’ diagnoses and recommendations there is an added possibility of obtaining “healthy” information from shared experiences on forums for patients, medical specialists, medical research, or scientific articles shared by research centers or hospitals around the world. The Internet has made all this possible, bringing conversations about our ailments to a new, virtual and global space.

By now we should all agree that caring for our own health should be considered to be more than a mere option. Good health is our most valuable asset. How could we shirk this responsibility? The paternalistic role played by doctors until recently, shouldering all responsibility for their patients’ health, and the trusting, somewhat “childish” attitude of the latter are all bound to change in this century of digital health. Those who look out for our health and wellbeing are worthy of our trust, but without our forfeiting our own involvement and collaboration in this common goal. And what better time to show this?

In addition to being the world’s biggest medical library, the Internet is a channel enabling remote patient-doctor communication or communication between clinicians from different specialties, using telemedicine platforms like Antari.

This web platform has all necessary wherewithal (routine and emergency healthcare, videoconference, online information, alerts, monitoring plans, etc.) to allow our healthcare workers to monitor chronic patients (many of them elderly) in lockdown situations like today’s, without putting these patients at risk, or care for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms without leaving them to their own devices.

It would also allow conclusions to be drawn to identify the most successful treatment of the virus if, as seems only too likely, it rebounds in the fall, as well as making further headway on the eagerly-awaited vaccine.

For the time being, while our healthcare professionals and scientists, including the Higher Scientific Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas: CESIC) and those working at Hospital Clinics are all joining forces to achieve these goals with the help of technology, our contribution to protecting ourselves and the public at large is none other than that of following the prescribed treatment: acting responsibly and looking after our own health by following the indications of the health authorities.

Author: Maole Cerezo