Applications of digital twins in medicine and the ontological model of medical digital twins

Abstract

The article demonstrates the applications, essence and possibilities of digital twin technology and explains the advantages of digital twin technology and potential challenges. A digital twin is a digital copy that can be used to simulate the status of a physical object or system. The integration of digital twin technologies with the Internet of things, Big Data and Artificial intelligence offers innovative solutions for quicker detection of arisen problems (or problems to arise) related to changes in a real physical object and for making relevant decisions. The development of such solutions in the healthcare is crucial for preserving human health and providing people with higher-quality medical care. It is possible to get an early diagnosis of the disease and the selection of a more effective treatment method on the produced digital twin by transferring the patient’s physical characteristics and changes in his/her body to the digital environment. The article analyzes medical digital twins, categorizing their benefits into patient health, cost reduction, self-management, and other benefits. In order to ensure adaptability and effectiveness in disease therapy and healthcare management decision-making, the patientoriented ontology of healthcare is examined, and a four-level ontological model is suggested to create its digital twin. The creation of a patient-oriented digital twin of healthcare requires the creation of a digital twin of existing physical objects at each level of its ontological model. The creation of digital twin in healthcare opens wide opportunities for making decisions on provision of safe and high-quality medical care to patients.