Research Opportunities and Visions for Smart and Pervasive Health

Improving the health of the nation's population and increasing the capabilities of the US healthcare system to support diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease is a critical national and societal priority. In the past decade, tremendous advances in expanding computing capabilities–sensors, data analytics, networks, advanced imaging, and cyber-physical systems–have, and will continue to, enhance healthcare and health research, with resulting improvements in health and wellness. However, the cost and complexity of healthcare continues to rise alongside the impact of poor health on productivity and quality of life. What is lacking are transformative capabilities that address significant health and healthcare trends: the growing demands and costs of chronic disease, the greater responsibility placed on patients and informal caregivers, and the increasing complexity of health challenges in the US, including mental health, that are deeply rooted in a person's social and environmental context.