Digital Health
Quick facts on global digitalization
70%+
More than 70% of countries have a digital health strategy, and scaled digital health programs are underway in every region.1
95%
Ninety-five percent of the world’s population is now covered by a mobile broadband network, of which only 55% use the internet regularly. This range in access is due to challenges in the reliability of the connections, the cost of data, and access to mobile internet devices.2
44%
Despite challenges in internet accessibility, the number of internet users has grown by approximately 44% in low-income countries since 2020 (compared to high-income countries’ growth of 1%).3
Digital tools have become essential to daily life and have transformed virtually every sector, with innovations developing at extraordinary speeds. Health care is no exception. With the persistence of significant global health challenges such as chronic underfunding, inequalities in outcomes, and continued barriers to accessing care, there is scope for digital health solutions to accelerate progress toward more intentional and efficient primary health care systems.
Defined by the WHO, digital health is the systematic application of information and communications technologies, computer science, and data to support informed decision-making by individuals, the health workforce, and health systems, to strengthen resilience to disease and improve health and well-being for all.4
There is a wide variety of possible use cases for digital tools. Some promise to improve the accessibility or quality of care, like chatbots or telemedicine. Others function at the health systems level, like health finance information systems or data analytics systems.
The World Health Organization’s classification of digital interventions, services, and applications in health is organized along three axes: the health system challenges that digital health may help address, specific digital health interventions that could be implemented to address the challenges, and digital applications and services that effectively deliver the digital health interventions.5
Given how new digital technologies are and how rapidly they are evolving, it remains to be seen which interventions can have the greatest impact on which health challenges, but researchers and practitioners continue to test new approaches and gather evidence.
Health system challenges that digital health could address
Health systems in many low- and middle-income countries face obstacles to the delivery of high-quality health services that everyone can easily access and afford, and want to use. Although evidence of early impact is sparse, digital health has the potential to clear away some health systems challenges. The table shows how digital health could address those obstacles.
| Health system challenges | How digital health could address the health system challenge |
|---|---|
|
Ineffective and inequitable resource allocation |
Digitally powered data and analytics can help advocates and policymakers build the case for health funding, and health information systems can help facilitate the administration of finance-related data. |
|
Limited supply to meet demand |
Digital tools, especially logistics management systems, can help health systems manage inventory. Meanwhile, digital training tools can save staff time and make health workers more productive and efficient. |
| Fragmented health system governance | Data interchange and interoperability software can help connect applications and services across institutions. |
| Fragmented and inefficient care for patients | Digital health tools can help track a person’s health status and services with electronic health records and transmit targeted alerts with streamlined communications systems. |
| Low-quality care | Digital health tools can help address quality issues by providing prompts and alerts based on protocols, checklists, and decision support. |
| Access to the system by patients | Through high-quality telemedicine, digital health can help health care providers reach more people with care. |
Despite digital health’s potential to help address some key health system challenges, there are also barriers to successfully implementing digital health solutions.
One set of digital health implementation challenges revolves around knowing when and where digital solutions are most appropriate and can generate the greatest value. A second set of implementation challenges revolves around barriers to the implementation, scale-up, and sustainability of digital health interventions.
Core challenges of digital health implementation include:
- Opportunistic, short-term, and provider-focused approaches that do not put people first
- Leadership gaps and disjointed, siloed digital solutions make it difficult to generate, link, and use data
- Piecemeal efforts with minimal country ownership, financing, capacity, and trust
Our Partners:
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1
World Health Organization (WHO). Global Initiative on Digital Health: Coordinated Support for Country-Led Digital Health Transformation. Geneva: WHO; 2024. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/digital-health-documents/who_brochure_gidh_web.pdf?sfvrsn=479ad67b_3&download=true
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2
World Bank. Digital-in-Health: Unlocking the Value for Everyone. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2023. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/06ffb4d1-a7c0-4563-9feb-f14fa8395e32
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3
International Telecommunication Union. Internet use. Facts and Figures 2023. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2023/10/10/ff23-internet-use/
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4
World Health Organization (WHO). Digital Implementation Investment Guide: Integrating Digital Interventions Into Health Programmes. Geneva: WHO; 2020. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240010567
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5
World Health Organization (WHO). Classification of Digital Interventions, Services and Applications in Health: A Shared Language to Describe the Uses of Digital Technology for Health. 2nd ed. Geneva: WHO; 2023. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/373581/9789240081949-eng.pdf?sequence=1
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