10th International Congress on Information and Communication Technology

Authors - Mmapula Rampedi, Funmi Adebesin
Abstract - The healthcare sector has generally been reluctant to adopt digital technologies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the industry to accelerate its digital transformation. Digital twins, a virtual replica of human organs or the entire human body, is revolutionizing healthcare and the management of healthcare resources. Digital twins can improve the accuracy of patients’ diagnoses through access to their virtual replica data. This enables healthcare professionals to make informed decisions about patients’ conditions and treatment options. This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review that investigated how digital twins are being utilized in the healthcare sector. A total of 6,714 papers published between 2019 and April 2024 were retrieved from four databases using specific search terms. A screening process based on inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in a final set of 34 studies that were analyzed. The qualitative content analysis of the 34 studies resulted in the identification of five themes namely; (i) the technologies that are integrated into digital twins; (ii) the medical specialties where digital twins are being used; (iii) the different application areas of digital twins in healthcare; (iv) the benefits of the application of digital twins in healthcare and; (v) the challenges associated with the use of digital twins in healthcare. The outcome of the study showcased the potential for the adoption of digital twins to revolutionize healthcare service delivery by mapping the medical specialties of use to the different application areas. The study also highlights the benefits and challenges associated with the adoption of digital twins in the healthcare sector.