By Ginny Jacobs, PhD, M.Ed, MLS, CHCP, FSACME, FACEHP
Are you adopting new ideas into your CPD practice?
Are you staying apprised of advancements in health technology?
“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – and not a threat.”
– Steve Jobs
Key Questions: As CPD professionals, are we steadily introducing innovation into our practice? Are we keeping pace with the new tools and technologies being made available to healthcare providers (HCPs)? Are we aware of the digital health advancements that are designed to serve as tools for their patients?
Innovation is described as the process of bringing about new ideas, methods, products, services, or solutions that have a significant positive impact and value.
I had the opportunity to attend the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) again this year. The meeting, which features the latest innovations in consumer technology, was hosted in Las Vegas and the January gathering drew more than 148,000 attendees from around the globe, which means CES rebounded to its pre-COVID attendance levels. The attendees included more than 4100 exhibitors (including roughly 1200 start-ups).
CES has had a reputation for significant product launches, such as the VCR in 1970 and the introduction of electric vehicles in more recent years. There is always a lot of excitement around new technological advances, and this year was no exception, with an exciting tone set by a kick-off keynote presentation by Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO.
Over the span of the four-day meeting, typical discussion topics, presentations, and products spanned a wide range of industries (e.g., robotics, accessibility, entertainment, mobility, electric vehicles, smart homes, etc.). I believe there were two main highlights especially worthy of note in this year’s program:
- A significant focus on advancements in digital health (i.e., use of digital technologies to improve health care delivery, management, and monitoring). NOTE: Digital health refers to tools aimed at enhancing patient care and health outcomes, such as:
- telemedicine,
- mobile health apps,
- wearable devices, and
- health information technology;
- An intentional shift in the CES programming from theory to the more practical application of how technology is being integrated seamlessly into our lives. NOTE: That concept should be music to the ears of anyone who promotes implementation science, as too often new innovations land with a splash, yet their true value is not always fully demonstrated.
Confirmed by the recent World Health Organization (WHO) extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health, digital technologies are now integral to daily life, and the world’s population has never been more interconnected. WHO highlighted how innovation, particularly in the digital sphere, is happening at unprecedented scale and that fact was certainly evident at CES.
Those who work in CE/CPD are wise to discover and embrace the pivotal role innovation can play in the field’s future growth, survival, and success. Very often, we talk in CE/CPD about being innovative, yet many of the advancements appear to focus on operational efficiency. For example, how many of you have noticed sessions for CPD staff focused on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to streamline CPD-related administrative activities? Those steps can be helpful, however, we should not stop there.
Ideally, more attention would be paid to ensure that CPD stays apprised of (and aligned with) the digital advances available to those in the field who are on the frontline delivering healthcare. In so doing, the education being delivered to healthcare providers can more positively impact their patients (consumers), who are often independently seeking healthcare solutions.
The CPD profession has an obligation to develop and support faculty. The quality of care and quality of life experienced by patients who are treated by members of the healthcare team can be enhanced through the influence of CPD’s innovative educational strategies. To be innovative, it is important for educators to keep pace with the technological advancements and tools being made available to HCPs and patients.
CES responded to the following question: How has digital health put technology in the hands of patients to improve their healthcare experiences?
Here are a few highlights taken from the 2026 CES:
Digital Health
Digital health is designed to empower patients by providing tools to help them manage their health more effectively. For example, mobile apps and telehealth services enhance access to information and facilitate communication with healthcare providers (HCPs), which can lead to improved healthcare experiences and outcomes.
Digital health continues to accelerate innovations focused on accessibility, early detection, outcome prediction, and virtual nursing. Several breakthroughs were showcased at CES alongside smart home technologies designed to support living and aging in place. From wearables and FDA-approved over-the-counter monitoring devices to telehealth and agentic AI, digital health solutions are expanding access to care, empowering consumers, and supporting clinicians.
Accessibility Technology
- Many new developments have focused on breaking down barriers by making devices and environments more usable for people of all abilities. Wearables like AR glasses, smart watches, and rings now offer real-time assistance, personalized alerts, and advanced health tracking, while many smartphones integrate features such as live captioning.
AI, wearables, and tools are being leveraged to support independent living. enhanced magnification, object identification, and at-home hearing tests. In the home, voice assistants, smart appliances, and security systems are helping older adults safely age in place, showing how accessibility innovation is improving quality of life and expanding independence worldwide. It was interesting to see how AARP has entered into collaborative arrangements with several new technologies. AgeTech Collaborative is a growing category of technology solutions designed to meet the needs of the world’s aging population. These include products, services, and experiences across industries that aim to make the process of aging easier, through the use of mobility aids, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
Robotics
- Robotics “physical AI” has turned breakthroughs in artificial intelligence into adaptable machines capable of delivering complex real-world outcomes. Innovation is accelerating through:
- analytical AI, which enables robots to process more data and make smarter decisions, and
- generative AI, which powers simulation-based training so robots learn through virtual experience rather than rigid programming.
Humanoid robots are emerging as a major frontier, moving from single-task roles toward collaborative assistants, while robotics overall is expanding across home, industrial, medical, supply chain, and mobility applications to improve safety, efficiency, and workforce resilience.
Smart Glasses and Wearables
- The wearables market continues to expand, by adding value across health, fitness, accessibility, and entertainment. This is primarily driven by momentum in smart and augmented reality (AR) glasses, as well as expanding smartwatch and smart ring markets. The latest smart glasses, which were displayed at CES, show a product that has evolved with generative AI voice interfaces for hands-free daily use. In addition, it offers features like real-time translation, recording, and even QR payments.
Health-focused wearables are also gaining traction. ranging from earbuds pursuing FDA approval for over-the-counter hearing aid capabilities to advanced ECG smartwatches and increasingly capable smart rings. These devices are seeing wider adoption, with doctors beginning to recommend them for tracking meaningful wellness data.
Smart Home
- Smart home technology refers to a system of internet-connected devices and appliances that can be remotely monitored and controlled. This technology is designed to not just enhance convenience and energy efficiency in a home, but the benefits can extend to enhanced security monitoring for older individuals living alone. These systems can communicate with each other and can be managed through a central hub or smartphone app.
The healthcare system is clearly overburdened and many well-meaning HCPs are challenged by the constraints they face (e.g., resistance to change, lack of time, lack of data, etc.). The introduction of innovative technology could lighten the load and help empower patients and caregivers to be more engaged in their personal healthcare and monitoring.
The CES aims to ignite the spark of creativity within individuals. It encourages us to think differently, challenge the status quo, and cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. All those elements are critical to one’s ability to introduce innovative practices within our life.
What better time is there for CPD to adopt a similar approach? How can CPD design educational strategies that more closely align with the technological advancements being introduced in the field?
The pace of change in the field of healthcare calls attention to the need for CPD professionals to think differently and to cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. Is there an opportunity to leverage tools and data sources that would enhance the decision support process and raise the bar on the overall quality of care being delivered?
How can we, as educators, help encourage HCPs and patients to embrace new, innovative practices designed to raise awareness and improve health monitoring? What educational strategies can help guide individuals to leverage new tools and technology designed to support and enhance the quality of care?
It is not enough to think of how AI can help improve CPD efficiency and reporting. Promoting innovation in healthcare involves creating an environment that encourages new ideas and technologies to improve patient care AND operational efficiency. This can be achieved by fostering collaboration among HCPs, investing in research and development, and supporting diverse leadership to adopt and advance innovative, practical solutions.
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Ginny Jacobs, PhD, M.Ed, MLS, CHCP, FSACME, FACEHP
Chief Editor, CE News
Raghav Wusirika, MD, MBA
Associate Editor, CE News
NOTE: Please let me or Raghav know if you have ideas or submissions for future issues of CE News. We will strive to continue to highlight innovative practices, impactful research, and valuable expertise to advance the field of CE/CPD in the health professions in the best interest of clinicians, patients, and communities.
