Introduction

The rapid advancement of digital technologies is reshaping clinical practice, including how infectious diseases are diagnosed, treated, and managed. From AI‑driven diagnostics to remote monitoring and virtual care, digital medicine is increasingly embedded in clinical workflows.

The Digital Medicine for Infectious Diseases collection brings together research that explores the clinical application of digital medicine across the infectious disease care pathway. This is a cross-journal collection, uniting contributions from five Nature Portfolio journals- Nature Communications, Nature Medicine, Communications Medicine, Communications Health, and npj Digital Medicine.

Why this topic matters

Infectious diseases often require rapid diagnosis, timely intervention, and continuous monitoring. Digital medicine offers new ways to meet these demands by enabling:

• Faster and more accurate diagnosis through AI enabled tools
• Continuous assessment of disease progression using digital biomarkers
• Remote monitoring and follow-up beyond traditional healthcare settings
• Personalised and adaptive treatment strategies
• Continuity of care during outbreaks and health system disruption

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of digital technologies in accelerating diagnostics, optimising resource allocation, and supporting care delivery at scale.

This cross-journal collection contributes directly to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being by advancing the clinical application of digital medicine for infectious disease care. It aligns closely with SDG 3.3, which aims to end epidemics of major infectious diseases, by showcasing research on AI-driven diagnostics, digital biomarkers, remote monitoring, digital therapeutics, and telemedicine models that enable earlier detection, more precise treatment, and improved disease management. The collection also supports SDG 3.d, which focuses on strengthening early warning, risk reduction, and health system preparedness, through studies on clinically validated digital interventions, virtual care platforms, and governance frameworks that support safe, scalable deployment. Together, the research highlights how digital medicine can enhance resilience, maintain continuity of care during outbreaks, and improve equitable access to high-quality infectious disease treatment.

Explore More

This collection welcomes contributions from clinicians, public health researchers, technologists, and data scientists working to advance digital medicine for global infectious disease challenges. Please click here to explore the full collection in detail.