Document Type
Article
Keywords
digital twins; health digital twins; medical digital twins; digital twin technologies; healthcare; digital twins challenges
Publisher
MDPI
Publication Source
Future Internet
Rights Management
CC - BY
Abstract
The use of Digital Twin technology has been expanding rapidly, and projections indicate that it will continue to proliferate across various applications, use cases, and industries, including healthcare. In recent years, the healthcare sector has seen an acceleration in digital transformation. This fast-paced change offers both opportunities and risks, especially with emerging technologies like digital twins, which are relatively untested and still in the early stages of adoption in medical care. This paper aims to conduct a literature review to explore how digital twins facilitate intelligent automation in healthcare. It defines the concept, traces the technology’s evolution and development, reviews its key enabling technologies, and examines current trends and challenges. The paper also presents a range of application examples in personalized medicine and public health, concluding with a succinct discussion of the primary technical and ancillary challenges, as well as the ethical issues that arise when applying digital twin technology to human subjects.