A very close friend, Chris, who is a very accomplished professional horseman, and his family came to our home for dinner this week. He could hardly wait to show us his WHOOP, a wearable device that monitors his health parameters, including heart health, sleep, strain, and stress. It combines 24/7 insights with personalized coaching. His entire family joined a lengthy conversation about digital health. They were adamant that this device was improving his health awareness and his health. Chris is now actively engaged in his own health on a daily basis.
“Digital health is not only a technological but a cultural transformation in which the role of patients also needs to shift from being a passive stakeholder of care to becoming proactive with tools and information at their disposal.” (Adapted from NCBI)
Chris declared with pride that all the professional horsemen are using health monitoring wearables. This declaration highlights one of the most significant transformations human healthcare is undergoing in modern history – the digital health revolution. And the revolution is moving quickly. The cover of a 2011 Technology Review displayed, “The Measured Life,” showcasing new self-tracking devices that could make us healthier, happier, and more productive. The cover of a 2014 Time revealed, “Never Offline,” stating that the Apple Watch is just the start of how wearable technology will change your life – like it or not. In a 2022 issue of Medical Design Briefs, the cover showed, “Digital Health Dominates the Future.” The cover of a 2024 issue of Healthcare was devoted to, “Innovating Digital Health for All Transforming Healthcare.” And these are but a few.
The medical smartphone underpins the next frontier in digital health with >90% of people in the U.S. having a smartphone. The smartphone, smart watch, and smart rings, combined with artificial intelligence, other wearable technologies, telemedicine, remote monitoring, predictive analytics, and personalized medicine, are rapidly changing how healthcare is delivered, experienced, and managed. What once seemed futuristic has become part of everyday life for millions of patients. Today, 71% of U.S. adults use health-related apps, and 64% use health devices (Research3 Insights, 2026). The survey also found that wearable adoption is rising rapidly, increasing by 24% in 2026 from a 20% increase in 2024. These tools are becoming part of everyday life, supporting routines, motivation, and peace of mind. They certainly are for me, as I now use four devices and multiple iPhone apps. The technology already exists and is improving every day within and outside healthcare.
“It drives me crazy that you can order Christmas presents on Amazon faster than you can connect with your healthcare provider.” (Crystal Bloj, Enterprise Digital Transformation Officer, Medical University of South Carolina)
A notable benefit of digital health is that it is moving healthcare beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics into homes, workplaces, and daily life. In addition to the health parameters captured by WHOOP, continuous glucose monitors track diabetes in real time. Devices measure blood pressure and ECGs comparable in quality to hospital measurements. At home EEGs are now possible. Smartphone selfies provide health parameters by using a short facial video. AI powered imaging systems assist physicians in detecting disease earlier and more accurately. In concert, healthcare is becoming more proactive rather than reactive and focused on prediction, prevention, and continuous management rather than episodic treatment. All these benefits are punctuated by people becoming more aware of and interested in their own health.
Telemedicine is another beneficiary of digital health with apps designed to deliver concierge-level services directly to patients. Accurate health monitoring and disease tracking have the potential to make a telehealth visit comparable, if not better in some cases, than an in-clinic visit. Telehealth visits provide convenient access to care regardless of geography, which means more healthcare for more people – reinforced by digital health.
“Digital health can also bring efficiency, but I think first of all it will bring comfort for people that want to get healthcare in a place where they want to, at the moment they need it and also in the way they wish to have it.” (Lucien Engelen, Global Strategist Digital Health)
Several forces are driving this transformation:
- Consumer demand for convenience and accessibility
- Growing interest by individuals in actively participating in their own healthcare
- Advances in artificial intelligence and connected technologies
- Expansion of remote monitoring capabilities
- Rising healthcare costs
- Workforce shortages
- Vast growth in healthcare data
Do these driving forces sound familiar? These same forces are affecting Veterinary healthcare.
Pet parents and other animal owners increasingly expect Veterinary care to mirror the sophistication and convenience they experience in their own healthcare. They also seek convenience and accessibility. They want digital communication, virtual consultations, personalized health insights for their animals, home monitoring, online scheduling, and AI-assisted support tools. At the same time, Veterinary medicine faces many of the same pressures as human healthcare, such as workforce shortages, rising costs, increasing caseload complexity, and expanding demands for greater access to care.
As a result, Veterinary healthcare is entering its own era of digital transformation.
“Digital transformation in animal health care is giving new meaning to animal wellness, surpassing simple treatment.”
Wearable technologies are spanning species. For pets they are already monitoring activity, sleep, heart rate, and other physiologic parameters. Smart collars, smart harnesses, smart vests, and zero touch monitors are among the many forms available for in-hospital and in-home use. Some use Bluetooth technology and a new pet tracker uses direct satellite connectivity. Wearable technologies are also emerging in equine health as halter monitors, harnesses, wearable garments (slinky), those attached to tack during exercise, and injectable biochips. For cattle there are intelligent ear tags, neck collars, environmental scanners, and thermal imaging. For pigs there are smart ear tags, collars, and flank bands.
In addition to early disease detection, remote monitoring tools are helping veterinarians manage chronic diseases, such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, epilepsy, cardiac disease, respiratory disease, and obesity. Computer vision, like Companion, enables visual oversight of animals in home environments by pet parents and veterinarians. AI increasingly supports diagnostic imaging, triage, medical decisions making, clinical documentation, and more. As in human healthcare, digital devices boost the capabilities of telemedicine, expanding access to Veterinary expertise, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
“Digital technologies are allowing for a level of individualized care never before achieved in animal health.” (HealthforAnimals)
Perhaps most importantly, digital health is a prime example of One Health, that inextricable link between human and Veterinary health. We have an excellent opportunity for human and Veterinary healthcare to drive the digital health revolution forward together, learning from each other. Certainly, Veterinary medicine can learn from human healthcare’s successes and challenges, and vice versa. The Veterinary profession can adopt digital tools thoughtfully while preserving the human-animal-interaction bond that remains central to care. Important insights for human healthcare could arise from Veterinary applications across multiple species that vary in size, physiology, and environment.
It is critical to keep an eye on the real value of digital health. These digital health technologies should not replace relationships; rather, they should strengthen communication, improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and allow Veterinary professionals to spend more meaningful time focused on patient care and client engagement – all with greater access to patient data.
With digital health, the future Veterinary practice will look very different from today’s model. Progressively, care will extend into the home. Data from wearables, sensors, and remote diagnostics will provide continuous insight into patient health. AI systems will help identify subtle disease patterns earlier than ever before. Veterinary teams will use technology to enhance decision-making, improve outcomes, and personalize care plans for individual animals. With AI and predictive analytics, there should be solid movement towards integration within healthcare systems, connected care, interoperability, and personalized care.
“Connected Health is a patient-centered model in which devices, services, or interventions are designed around patients’ needs and health data are shared to enable proactive and efficient care.”
Importantly, the digital health revolution is far more than technology. It is about improving lives – for patients, families, veterinarians, technicians, and entire healthcare teams. It is also about improving animal welfare, strengthening the human-animal bond, and expanding access to high quality care.
The digital transformation of human healthcare offers a compelling preview of what is coming in Veterinary medicine and what is already here. The question no longer is whether Veterinary healthcare will experience its own digital revolution, but how quickly and effectively veterinarians and animal owners will embrace this remarkable opportunity.
And remember, my friend, Chris, like most horse people, has horses, cattle, dogs, and cats. In fact, horse owners have an average of 2.5 dogs each. When will they join the Veterinary digital health revolution by expecting digital health devices for all their animals, regardless of species? It is critical that veterinarians lead this digital health revolution to ensure they are optimally involved with clients and patients.