Digital twins to enable better precision and personalized dementia care

Abstract

In this perspective paper, we want to highlight the potential benefits of incorporating digital twins to support better dementia care. In particular, we assert that, by doing so, it is possible to ensure greater precision regarding dementia care while simultaneously enhancing personalization. Digital twins have been used successfully in manufacturing to enable better prediction and tailoring of solutions to meet required needs, and thereby have enabled more effective and efficient deployment of resources. We develop a model for digital twin in the healthcare domain as a clinical decision support tool by extrapolating its current uses from the manufacturing domain. We illustrate the power of the developed model in the context of dementia. Given the rapid rise of chronic conditions and the pressures on healthcare delivery to provide high quality, cost-effective care anywhere and anytime, we assert that such an approach is consistent with a value-based healthcare philosophy and thus important as the numbers of people with dementia continues to grow exponentially and this pressing healthcare issue is yet to be optimally addressed. Further research and development in this rapidly evolving domain is a strategic priority for ensuring the delivery of superior dementia care.

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