Originally published December 5, 2023 on HemAware.org

Roshni Kulkarni, M.D., recalls a time when a patient was attacked by a wild turkey and wanted advice about whether he needed to take his factor.

“He was 60 or 70 miles from me, so we did a telemedicine visit. And I could see he had a 6-inch laceration on his leg,” she says. “Fortunately, he had just taken his factor the day before, and the injury site looked pretty dry. I brought in my infectious disease specialist, who said the patient needed a tetanus shot.”

The ability to use a video screen and internet connection to deliver health care — called telehealth — can be useful in situations such as these, says Kulkarni, who is professor emerita in pediatric hematology/oncology and director emerita for the Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders at Michigan State University.

Telehealth is just one example of digital health, a broader movement in health care using digital tools to enhance the patient and provider experience. And from Kulkarni’s perspective, there are many reasons to be optimistic about how it can help people with inheritable blood and bleeding disorders access comprehensive care more conveniently.

But questions remain: How do we overcome some of the challenges inherent in the digital experience? And how can patients and providers best use digital tools to enhance the quality of health care without diminishing the personal touch?