Introduction to Digital Health and Prevention

Over the past twenty years or so, healthcare has been changing in ways we did not see coming. This chapter, Introduction to Digital Health and Prevention, takes a closer look at how things like mobile health apps, eHealth platforms, wearables, telemedicine, big data, blockchain, and AI are now part of public health. These aren't just for treating illnesses—they're helping people stay healthy, spot problems earlier, and take care of themselves day to day. It really began with electronic health records and early telemedicine. Now, AI tools that use machine learning, language processing, and even computer vision can warn about risks and guide better use of resources. Of course, that raises questions—who owns the data, how is it used, and is it fair? Rules like GDPR and HIPAA, plus “data ethics by design,” try to keep things in check. In the end, digital health works best when it's fair and open to all.