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The Digital Twin Revolution in Healthcare

Conference Paper · October 2020

DOI: 10.1109/ISMSIT50672.2020.9255249

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 The Digital Twin Revolution in Healthcare
Tolga Erol Arif Furkan Mendi Dilara Doğan
Training and Simulation Technologies Training and Simulation Technologies Training and Simulation Technologies
HAVELSAN A.Ş. HAVELSAN A.Ş. HAVELSAN A.Ş
Ankara, Turkey Ankara, Turkey Ankara, Turkey
terol@havelsan.com.tr afmendi@havelsan.com.tr ddogan@havelsan.com.tr

Abstract— Digital Twin technology entered our lives in the performing a vascular bypass operation to restore blood flow,
fields of production and engineering at the beginning with replacing the eye lens of cataract patients with a new lens, and
Industry 4.0, and it has also shown itself with studies that can be organ transplantations can actually be defined as engineering
evaluated as revolutionary in the field of health. The Digital activities in the health field [2].
Twin is a digital replica that allows modeling the state of a
physical asset or system. In the healthcare field, serious steps
have been taken in creating Digital Twins of patients as well as
Digital Twins of medical devices. The Digital Twin of the patient
is created as a result of transferring the patient's physical
characteristics and changes in the body to the digital
environment. This technology offers innovative and definitive
solutions for correct diagnosis and following the treatment
processes suitable for the patient, which is one of the most
important principles of medicine. At the same time, the use of
technology is seen in studies in the personalized medicine and Fig. 1. An Example of Digital Human Body and Data [3]
pharmaceutical industry. In this study, considering the
impressive potential of the Digital Twin technology in the field Errors that may occur in medical devices, incorrect
of health, qualified studies that will guide future studies are detection of medical findings, and misinterpretation of the
emphasized.
findings can lead to misdiagnosis, wrong diagnoses to wrong
Keywords—Digital Twin, Digital Transformation, Healthcare,
treatments, and wrong treatments that may result in negativity.
Industry 4.0 For this reason, it is very important to anticipate and prevent
errors. As a result of misdiagnosis and treatment, the patient's
I. INTRODUCTION vital functions may deteriorate, leading to irreversible
consequences in his life, and even the patient may lose his life.
With the COVID-19 pandemic process, the importance of
For example, if the leg muscle infarction is not diagnosed at
human health and health services has increased. In addition to
the right time, or if it is misdiagnosed and treated, it can cause
this, it has come to the fore to ensure that working lives are
muscle death in the leg and cause irreversible damage to the
sustainable from a distance and digitally. Governments and
leg, resulting in amputation or permanent disability. Digital
organizations have carried out various studies on digitalization
Twin technology will also help in early and accurate diagnosis
and plans/arrangements continue. The health sector has been
of cancer diseases. Cancer treatments are very difficult and
the most needed and demanding sector among the pandemic
risky processes for patients, patient relatives, and doctors. In
process. At the same time, in various fields, there have been
critical diseases, a group of different patients with the same
situations such as digitalizing systems so that business
disease may respond positively to a certain treatment method,
processes can be managed remotely, and product/system
but not another group. With this situation, Hippocrates' "There
development processes are accelerated. Meeting these
is no disease, there is a patient." [4] when we consider the
demands is possible with Digital Twin technology. Studies are
aphorism, the importance of personalized medicine is
carried out for both the health sector and the digitalization
understood. When we examine personalized medicine, we can
field. In the "Hype Cycle for Healthcare Providers, 2020"
talk about personalization of treatment, especially
report of Gartner, one of the leading research organizations in
personalized medicines based on data. Digital twins used for
the world, it is stated that the subject of "Digital Twins in
this purpose are built on computer-based, or in silico, models
Healthcare" is on the rise and the interest in technology is
that are fed individual and population data [5]. There are
gradually increasing [1]. Digital Twin technology, which is
Digital Twin studies, such as the creating of Digital Twin of
expected to increase in both the number and diversity of
the whole human body and personalized medicine, whose
healthcare activities, offers promising revolutionary solutions.
foundation is laid but expected to be completed in the future.
The Digital Twin is a digital copy obtained by modeling The studies will bring about revolutionary developments in
the state of a physical system, collecting data through sensors the health sector and will lead to an increase in the progress in
placed on these systems, and reflecting this data into digital the field of health and the success rates in the treatment
media. Digital Twins build a bridge between the physical and methods applied. In this study, we will examine the Digital
digital world by enabling us to understand the past and present Twin studies that have been and are planned to be carried out
processes and make predictions for the future. Known for its in the field of health, shedding light on the future, from the
various studies in the field of engineering, this technology has perspectives of digital patients, the pharmaceutical industry,
many applications in various branches in the field of health. hospital, and wearable technologies. Then we will make future
Similar to the engineering approach, it can also be applied to suggestions and predictions for Digital Twin technology in
the healthcare field. Predictive maintenance services involved healthcare.
in engineering, early failure predictions; In the field of health,
it refers to concepts such as predicting and early diagnosis of II. HEALTHCARE APPLICATIONS
diseases that may occur by examining organs or symptoms in With the development of technology day by day,
the body. In the case of atherosclerosis in the health field, developments are occurring in the field of healthcare.

978-1-7281-9090-7/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE

According to Markets and Markets' IoT in Health Market neural networks are formed and to create a detailed three-
report, the global IoT in healthcare market size is expected to dimensional brain map of the human brain. They conducted
grow from USD 72.5 billion in 2020 to USD 188.2 billion by various studies in the field of neuroscience and artificial
2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.0% intelligence to learn about the research problems in the article.
during the forecast period [6]. At the same time, two projects named Brain Initiative and
Human Brain Project were initiated in America to solve the
Digital Twin is used in the healthcare field for purposes
structure and connections of the human brain and transfer it to
such as improving, analyzing, and developing predictions for the computer. The Blue Brain Project is one of the sub-
patients, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry. This
projects of the Human Brain Project [8]. The project also
technology gives very successful results for processes and referred to as the Blue Brain Cell Atlas, is the most
machines. The development of the Digital Twin of the human
comprehensive and accessible resource describing the
body is similar to engineering products but consists of more
number, types, and locations of cells in all areas of the mouse
advanced and complex processes. Sensors can efficiently brain. He published the first three-dimensional atlas
provide data to the Digital Twin of the designed object but can
containing the entire mouse brain [9].
be more expensive and time-consuming as data from
individuals is often obtained through blood tests, imaging
systems, and health scans. However, the developments that
will be achieved as a result of the Digital Twin studies for the
human body will accelerate the diagnosis and treatment
processes and increase the accuracy rates. In this context, the
concept of "Digital Patient" has come to the fore with the
efforts to create the Digital Twin of the human body. The
digital patient is patient-specific modeling to support medical
decisions. This concept was introduced as part of an R&D
project funded by the European Commission. Digital Patient
Roadmap (Digital Patient Roadmap) report was prepared with
the DISCIPULUS project, which is part of the Coordination
and Support Action Plan financed by the European
Commission. With the project carried out within the scope of Fig. 2. An Example Brain Image from the Blue Brain Project in Digital
Environment [10]
the European Union 7th R&D Framework Program (2007-
2013), it is aimed to determine the roadmap for realizing the
Another work in the field of health is to create virtual twins
digital patient paradigm. Partners in the DISCIPULUS project of soldiers with the US Army and the University of Nevada.
were: University Col¬lege London, United Kingdom;
Digital twins of soldiers will be created using various imaging
empirica Communication and Technology Research, techniques such as MRI. Thus, it has been reported that organs
Germany; The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom;
can be produced by the 3D printing method by using models
Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Italy and Universitat Pompeu
in Digital Twins in case of any injury.
Fabra, Spain. Prominent recommendations according to the
Digital Patient Roadmap report are as follows: Sim & Cure is the first company to market a patient-based
simulation model that allows predicting the placement of
• Silico medicine, also known as computational
medical devices (flow guiding, intravascular device, laser-cut
medicine, includes modeling and simulation technologies that
stent) for aneurysm treatment. Sim & Size simulates each size
directly contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment
and device type based on the patient's unique anatomy to
planning, execution, and management of the disease. There is
provide the necessary information before implant sizing
a difficult process to overcome in creating a digital patient.
selection. In 25 countries, more than 250 hospitals and more
Integrated and interdisciplinary applied studies of biomedical,
than 2000 operations were simulated and aimed to minimize
mathematics, bioengineering, and computer science branches
the margin of error [11]. The first of the two main visions of
are needed.
the company is personalized medicine and the second is to
• More data is needed for the digital patient. To date, develop a treatment plan by securing the treatment applied to
only a few virtual patient projects have been completed. the patient [12]. In Sim & Cure's new method, 3D rotational
angiography is used to create a 3D model of the aneurysm and
• Virtual patient technology has been defined as a fully surrounding blood vessels after the patient is prepared for
autonomous process. However, there are two important points surgery. Sim & Cure's software imports the model of the
in the implementation of this vision in practice. The first of artery and presents it to the surgeon who chooses the points
these is the need for experienced people in the field for the defining the ideal end position on the artery and the size of the
processes of creating the Digital Twin due to the complex implant placed. Using software developed by ANSYS, the
nature of the human being. The second is that the collected physician can rotate and zoom the image to fully understand
data, which is important in terms of decision making, are the relationship between implant and aneurysm. Color coding
complete and made suitable for analysis [7]. can be used to show the exact area where the implant touches
We will examine digital twin health practices in four main the embolism (occlusion). A cross-sectional profile shows any
areas: digital patients, the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, gap between the implant and the artery. Each simulation takes
and wearable technologies. only 10 to 25 seconds depending on the device selected. The
surgeon can easily select and simulate additional devices and
A. Digital Patient sizes for analysis to determine which will provide the best
An article was published by Chinese researchers in 2018 results. In less than five minutes, the surgeon can complete the
to understand how the connections between memory and
simulation process, select the most suitable device, and initiate
the operation [13].
Thanks to the Digital Twin technology, the times when
physical parts in the machines need to be changed can be
detected early. Similarly, Philips created the “HeartModel”, a
personalized Digital Twin of the heart, which is an important
step towards the idea of the digital patient, starting with the
question of whether it is possible to discover and treat ailments
in the human body before they occur. Based on the unique
images of the heart, HeartModel adapts the generic model to
a personalized model. The Philips HeartNavigator tool, also
developed by Philips, combines the Computed Tomography
(CT) images obtained before the surgical procedure in a single
image of a patient's heart anatomy with a layer of live X-ray
information during surgery. The tool helps the surgeon select
the right device by simplifying prior procedure planning.
Provides real-time 3D insight to position the device during
surgery. This device is a physical guide for the surgeon on
how to proceed [14].
Fig. 3. An Example Heart Image from Philips HeartModel [15]
Siemens Healthineers produces intelligent algorithms that
can generate digital organ models based on large amounts of
data. Cardiologists in a research project at Heidelberg
University have tested these algorithms for cardiac
resynchronization therapy. This used therapy is a treatment
option for patients with chronic congestive heart failure. In the
study, cardiologists simulated the heart's electrical signals
with the help of electrodes in a computer environment and
created the Digital Twin with an artificial intelligence
infrastructure. Models created with MR images and ECG
measurements simulated the first and fully simulated heart.
Thanks to the created Digital Twin, it saves time in terms of
making a definitive diagnosis as well as performing various
treatment trials [16].
Siemens Healthineers Turkey, about new technologies in
health care and imaging solutions to digitalize international
participation 40th National Congress of Radiology
TURKRAD was introduced in 2019. Participating in the event
with the slogan 'We are Shaping the Future in Health',
Siemens Healthineers attracts great attention with the demos
of the Digital Twin technology and various products and
continues to work to offer the Digital Twin technology used
in different industries to the service of the health sector.
Following heart modeling, its first work in this area, the
company is moving towards developing the Digital Twins of
other organs, including the brain. Digital Twins, which are
routinely used by cardiologists, provide better results thanks
to pre-operative visualization and 3D imaging. This
technology, which provides great convenience to cardiologists
and cardiovascular surgeons, especially in correcting
congenital heart defects in babies, was introduced with a demo
at TURKRAD 2019. Siemens Turkey Healthineers has set up
a display for attendees who want to see their simple Digital
Twins. The application, which attracted attention, was
presented as a visual demo of the digital future in the health
sector, the route of sensitive and personalized medicine [17].
When the studies in the field of digital patients are
examined, most of the studies are aimed at developing the
Digital Twin of a whole human body and focused on the
creation of Digital Twins of some organs. It is not too far to
carry out studies on integrated Digital Twins, where the
number of studies in this field is increasing and the
interactions between organs will be seen.
B. Pharmaceutical Industry
Companies and researchers focused on longevity are
looking at body processes at the cellular level to see how aging
progresses, and try to find the right medicines and treatments
that can slow them down [5]. Some studies are also carried out
on optimizing medicine production processes and
personalized medicine issues. In addition to these subjects, the
Computational Science Laboratory of the University of
Amsterdam conducts studies in the fields of urban complex
systems, computational finance, computational biology,
complex systems theory, and computational bio-medicine.
The European CompBioMed project, in which a research
group in the laboratory participated, is concerned with the
development of the virtual human, as each human life and
physiology are different, the treatment method and medicines
should be personal, changes in the performance of the human
body can be seen with a virtual twin created by the genetic
code in the DNA of the people. Information in this area was
published in a short film. The film also includes information
about the application of appropriate treatment to patients, as
the effects of medicines on their bodies are first seen through
this virtual twin [18]. A virtual twin is told about how
medications can affect the right areas, what diet, exercise, and
habits are necessary to improve quality of life, and even how
bones can be strengthened [19].
The SIMULIA Living Heart project, which Dassault
Systèmes and the US Food and Drug Administration signed in
2014, signed a 5-year agreement, is the first study to use
Digital Twin technology specifically to see the interaction of
an organ with medicines. Thanks to this study, it is aimed to
reduce the activities of testing medicine trials on animals [20].
SIMULIA Living Heart is a Digital Twin model that has been
validated against a wide variety of clinical measurements and
created by simulating a human heart. Educators, researchers
in the field of cardiovascular, medical device developers,
clinicians, and many institutions worked together to create the
model. With computer simulation, doctors had the opportunity
to see what they cannot see due to the mobility of the heart
tissue and to study the complex structure in the heart by
experimenting with the same organ model. It leads to
personalized treatment by entering patient-specific vital signs
and promising research in future medical treatments [21].
IBM, together with the supercomputer Watson, aims to
simulate biochemical processes in the body by using artificial
intelligence techniques to detect cancerous cells in health data
obtained from the past. However, the interaction of the 37
trillion cells that make up the human body is a process that is
difficult to understand and almost impossible to follow.
However, even if each cell has different characteristics, it
carries the same genetic information. Damage to cells caused
by various reasons can cause the cells to divide and multiply
uncontrollably and tumor formation. The Alacris computer
model can interpret the developing situations by
understanding why the cell divides and the variables that cause
its death with 800 genes and 45 biochemical methods. Thus,
which medicines can stop dangerous cells from multiplying
uncontrollably can be tested on the Digital Twins of patients.
In a patient group with cancer, the mucous membrane tumor
in the frontal sinus could not be killed as a result of
chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation received during
normal treatment processes. However, 70% of the cells
dividing uncontrollably, as a result of the administration of
medicine developed only for breast and kidney cancer, which
was designed in the Digital Twin, the data obtained from the
biopsy of the tumor after a few months show that the rate of
dividing cells decreased to 15% [22].
Semic Health's Digital Body Total has developed the
Digital Twin of Artificial Intelligence-based human biological
systems or organs or molecular systems, based on aggregated
data and medical histories, to help diagnose current medical
conditions and predict possible health problems. Realistic
predictions can be made by testing scenarios such as adjusting
medicines doses for the treatment of many diseases such as
different types of cancer, liver sclerosis, Acute Myocardial
Infarction, Alzheimer's Disease on Digital Body Total [3].
Fig. 4. Semic Health's Digital Body Total Future Predictions [3]
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which has made various
initiatives to offer transformative therapies to patients all over
the world, has switched to Digital Twin technology in
production to shorten pharmaceutical processes that take years
to bring to market. By creating Digital Twins of all processes,
it can make realistic input-output predictions about
biochemical reactions that are difficult to model with machine
learning techniques used in Digital Twins [23].
Atos and Siemens are working with the pharmaceutical
industry to improve manufacturing with an innovative
solution based on a digital copy of the pharmaceutical
manufacturing process. With "Process Digital Twin" for
medicine production, currently tested in the pharmaceutical
industry and supported by IoT, artificial intelligence, and
advanced analysis, it aims to provide enhanced efficiency and
flexibility for long processes in the production of
pharmaceutical products. Digital Twins of physical processes
were created in the study and it was aimed to overcome the
difficulties in medicine production and efficiency by using
real-time data [24].
In order to benefit from the efficiency of the Digital Twin
technology in the pharmaceutical industry, intensive studies
have been carried out in areas that are expressed with
parameters such as the medicine production process, human
DNA, organs, cell behavior, etc. Developments in these areas
are expected to assist in optimizing the personalized medicine
and medicine launch processes planned for the pharmaceutical
industry.
C. Hospital
A Digital Twin study was carried out with Siemens
Healthineers to improve hospital processes due to high patient
demand, increasing waiting times, etc. in the radiology
department of Mater Private Hospitals in Ireland. Within the
scope of the study, a Digital Twin of the radiology department
fed with real data was created. With the Digital Twin, various
predictions were obtained and various scenarios were tested
on this twin. According to some data and recommendations of
Digital Twin for MPH;
• If less time is spent 13 minutes for CT and 25
minutes for MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging), patients'
waiting times may be shortened.
• If less time is spent 28 minutes for CT and 34
minutes for MRI, patients will be able to return faster.
• If MRI runs 32% and BT 26% more, the increased
equipment usage will not be left.
• If 50 minutes more hours of work per day for MRI,
personnel costs can be reduced and 9,500 Euros per year can
be saved [25].
Thus, in the light of the information provided by the
Digital Twin, the changes to be made in the planning and
organization for the radiology department of the hospital were
determined.
Fig. 5. Realistic 3D Animation of Hospital [26]
The use of Digital Twins is expected for many hospital
systems and resource management such as this study. In
particular, it can be used in matters such as solving lack of the
resource in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic
process.
D. Wearable Technologies
The startup acceleration center General Electric Health
Innovation Village, which supports 26 local startups in the
fields of health and medicine in Helenski, operates in
partnership with USA-based Startup Health, the world's
largest digital health hub. GE also offers an innovative
approach by bringing health to the cloud. Engineers in
Helsinki specifically observe patients and are working on
wireless devices that will not exceed a bandwidth soon and
transmit other information such as heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration, etc. to the cloud continuously. With this
information to be analyzed by software, Digital Twins of each
of the people can be created and the system is working to
develop software that can alert doctors in unexpected crises
[27].
Sooma, one of the startups that creates solutions that
change people's lives in the healthcare industry with wearable
technology, develops devices that simulate the electrical
signals of the brain to treat depression, other neurological and
psychiatric disorders. Patients use these devices for 30
minutes in single-use and 5 days a week for 2 weeks. The
patient places an electrode on each of his temples that sends
an electronic signal to the brain. The positive electrode boosts
immediate brain activity, which is very useful for dealing with
depressive symptoms. Studies show that brain activity and
metabolism in depressive patients is reduced or impaired.
With the simulation of these areas, it is possible to restore
normal brain functions and reduce symptoms of depression.
With the Sooma Software Suite, patients can also be
monitored at home. An application is installed on the phone
of the patient where he can enter data about his daily mood
and feelings. All these data are updated and uploaded to a
cloud that the doctor can access on the internet. By examining
these data and simulations, the doctor can monitor the
treatment process and make changes in the treatment program.
Although Sooma anticipates the use of this technology in
hospitals very soon, it aims to create an alternative to
depression drugs and to eliminate the side effects of drugs by
reducing the use of drugs [28].
Developing products that use muscle activation
technology and electromyography (EMG) for a new
dimension in understanding the behavior of muscles, Myontec
analyzes the activity in the muscles and their responses to
exercises according to the general health of the body and
transfers them to a digital environment thanks to the
technology placed between the threads, and makes more
effective exercises in the light of these data. The company
examines the user's activities through shorts they have
developed, calculates the threshold at which the muscles
perform best, increases training efficiency, and provides
information about the warming and cooling times by reducing
the risk of muscle injury [29]. The technology integrated into
the product called Myontec Mbody Pro measures the electrical
activity of the muscles during training and provides an
understanding of how they behave under what conditions.
With the sensor technology in the product, it records and
analyzes the EMG data in the muscles together with the heart
rate, heart rhythm, and heart rate. Thanks to real-time data and
post-exercise analysis, it allows users to make their working
techniques healthy and efficient, and to detect and prevent
problems such as imbalances and deviations in your muscular
system [30].
Expanding and combining wearable technologies that
enable patients to be tracked physically and mentally will
increase efforts to create and track innovative and wider
Digital Twins. In the near future, wearable Digital Twin
technologies will be applied to examine changes in the
musculoskeletal system of patients with mobility impairments
as well as paralysis.
III. FUTURE INSIGHTS
With the work done in the field of Digital Twin and the
developments in IoT, sensors, big data, and artificial
intelligence technologies, which have a large share in the
formation of the Digital Twin, the number and variety of
innovative studies in this field will increase. Before physical
interventions such as medicine therapy, radiotherapy, or
surgical operations are performed on the human body, various
studies can be carried out to make sure that it is really
necessary. Even if it is not preferred in case of difficulties in
diagnosing diseases, a method that can be applied is to use
exploratory surgery. With the creation of a holistic Digital
Twin of the human body, the disease can be diagnosed by
examining the necessary regions on the patient's Digital Twin,
without using the exploratory surgery method, which can
sometimes be painful for the patient and prolong the patient's
treatment process. If the treatment method considered suitable
for the disease is tested on the patient's Digital Twin and is
expected to yield successful results with a high probability, the
relevant treatment may be applied to the patient.
In the field of physiotherapy, the Digital Twin technology
can be used to monitor the muscle development of patients, to
monitor the changes in the cells in the spine and bone
movement with physical therapy in conditions such as
scoliosis. Following the treatment process with the personal
data of the patient, predictions can be made for its
improvement. With the creation of Digital Twins of these
patients who receive physiotherapy as a result of in-vehicle
and out-of-vehicle traffic accidents or paralyzed patients to be
able to stand, walk and return to their former lives,
information about what kind of treatment could be followed.
In addition, thanks to real-time data transfer, various Digital
Twin studies can be performed on changes in exercise and
muscle activities, whether the strain or exercises show the
right effect. It can be understood whether the patients respond
to the treatment by following their condition and whether the
treatment provides the desired effect. In addition, by testing
various treatment methods on the patient's Digital Twin,
which one is most suitable, time is saved and costly treatments
that will not respond positively to the patient are avoided.
With the introduction of technologies in the field of
personalized medicines, it is aimed to accelerate the medicine
development processes and to decrease the use of test subject
animals. In addition, studies are carried out to detect and
reduce the side effects of drugs early. Some patients may
experience allergic reactions to the active ingredients of
certain drugs. For example, a patient who is allergic to
Sulfonamide, which is included in some antibiotic drugs, may
cause rash-like reactions as well as life-threatening situations
due to the use of Sulfonamide-containing drugs [31]. Serious
health problems can occur as a result of allergic reactions to
many substances such as these. Many people do not know that
they are allergic to such substances. For this reason, some
chemical properties in the Digital Twins of patients can be
examined before administering certain medications that may
cause an allergic reaction. In allergies that cannot be detected
by blood tests such as sulfonamide, it is possible to use
medication on the real patient in a controlled manner and by
examining real-time data feeding the patient's Digital Twin by
doctors to detect and prevent complications that may occur
early.
With the developments in 5G and infrastructure
technologies, Digital Twin studies can be carried out to check
the health of military teams that go to special operations, to be
aware of the situation when they are injured, and how to
intervene. Soldiers can transmit data to their Digital Twins in
a distance, wearing clothing that is equipped with sensors but
does not restrict mobility.
 Digital Twin technology can also be used in organ [5]
transplantation, to resolve uncertainties about whether tissue
adaptation will be achieved after transplantation or to predict
probability. [6]
While the demand for hospitals has intensified especially
during the COVID-19 pandemic process, the problem of
capacity and resources has come to the fore in many issues
such as the number of respirators, intensive care units, and [7]
healthcare personnel in hospitals. With the creation of Digital [8]
Twins of hospitals or departments, resource management and
planning can be viewed from a broad perspective in terms of
more accurate management of resources in hospitals, so that
needs-oriented activities can be better planned. As a result of [9]
machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques used in
Digital Twins, various remedial predictions can be made to
optimize process and resource use. New approaches gained in [10]
light of foresight can be tested on the hospital/department's
Digital Twin. The situations obtained as a result of the
scenarios run on the Digital Twin will be examined and the [11]
methods found right by the authorized experts can be applied
in the hospital/department. Thus, more efficient processes can [12]
be created for resource management activities.
[13]
IV. CONCLUSION
Digital Twin studies in the field of health have mainly
focused on the creation of twins of the organs in the human [14]
body, understanding the cell behavior in the body, and
applying appropriate medicines and treatments. Furthermore,
in parallel with the development of sensor, IoT, and machine
[15]
learning technologies and the development of imaging
systems, Digital Twin technology will also accelerate. With
this rise in technology, great strides will be taken towards [16]
creating the Digital Twin of the entire human body that has
long been desired. In addition, there will be widespread use of [17]
the Digital Twin to solve the problems in the management of
hospital systems and medical resources, which have become
more prominent with the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, it
is expected that Digital Twin solutions will be used to
[18]
accelerate the vaccine and medicine development processes
that occur with COVID-19. In this study, we discussed the
important Digital Twin studies conducted in different
branches of health, which could lead to new studies, and [19]
talked about our predictions about what kind of developments
these technologies may develop in the future. In the future, in
addition to the health field mentioned in this study, detailed
[20]
studies can be carried out on Digital Twin technology from
different perspectives such as aerospace, military, education,
security systems. Besides, studies can be conducted for more
specific application areas that have not been done yet in the
field of health. [21]
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