Digital Technologies for Health and Wellbeing in Ageing Societies

This book covers the use of digital technologies to improve human health and wellbeing. Included are policy trends in Japan, innovative examples, and recommendations for future directions, providing references not only for Japan but for other countries as well. In Japan, digital technologies have been introduced in health and wellbeing services over the past 20 years. These technologies have expanded the scope of healthcare from simply treating illness to promoting health and preventing disease. Early adopters, both providers and recipients of the digitally enabled services, have reaped the advantages of their introduction; however, these technologies have not yet been adopted by the country as a whole. For that reason, and especially with the decline in the working-age population, the government has adopted measures to promote and facilitate the use of digital technologies for health and wellbeing. Those and other steps are being taken to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health and wellbeing services. This book introduces the current status of the use of digital technologies to promote the health and wellness of recipients. It also explains the improvement of healthcare institutions using digital data as evidence. Additionally, for comparison, the book shows trends in international standardization activities.