The role of digital twin technology in modern emergency care

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emergency care is operationally defined as time-critical acute care across pre-hospital services, emergency departments, and critical care units (excluding routine urgent care and elective admissions), demanding rapid decision-making under pressure. Digital twin technology, creating real-time virtual replicas through continuous data integration, represents a transformative shift in managing acute conditions, resource allocation, and outcome prediction in emergency medicine. AIM: This review examines the current applications, benefits, challenges, and future directions of digital twin technology in emergency care and medicine, highlighting its potential to revolutionise emergency healthcare delivery. METHOD: A comprehensive narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Studies published between January 2015 and June 2025 focusing on digital twin applications in emergency departments, trauma care, critical care, and prehospital emergency services were included. Grey literature, conference proceedings, and technical reports were also reviewed to capture emerging developments. RESULTS: Digital twins demonstrate significant utility across multiple emergency care domains including patient monitoring, resource allocation, workflow optimisation, predictive analytics, and training simulations. Key applications include real time patient condition prediction, emergency department capacity management, trauma response coordination, and personalised treatment planning. Despite promising outcomes, implementation challenges persist, including data integration complexities, computational requirements, and regulatory considerations. CONCLUSION: Digital twin technology holds substantial promise for enhancing emergency care delivery through improved decision support, resource optimisation, and predictive capabilities. Continued research, standardisation efforts, and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential for successful clinical integration and widespread adoption.

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