What is a global strategy on digital health?

 

A global strategy on digital health is a plan that outlines how digital health technologies can be used to improve health outcomes around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) unrestricted a global strategy on digital health in 2020, which outlines five key areas for action:

·        Promoting equity in access to digital health resources. This means ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status, has access to the benefits of digital health.

·        Using digital health to address key health system challenges. This includes using digital health to improve the quality of care, reduce costs, and make health systems more efficient and sustainable.

·        Protecting people, populations, and health care professionals from the misuse of digital health information. This includes ensuring that health data is secure and that it is not used for malicious purposes.

·        Promoting the appropriate use of digital health technologies as digital public goods. This means ensuring that digital health technologies are nearby and affordable to everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status.

·        Building a strong evidence ignoble for digital health. This means conducting research to determine the effectiveness of digital health technologies and to identify the best practices for using them.

The WHO global strategy on digital health is a roadmap for how to use digital health to improve health outcomes around the world. It is a call to action for governments, health care providers, and the private sector to work together to make digital health a reality for everyone.

Here are some of the benefits of using digital health technologies:

·        Improved access to care: Digital health technologies can make it easier for people to access care, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. For example, telehealth services allow people to connect with a doctor before other health care provider remotely, and mobile health apps can provide people with information and support about their health.

·        Increased efficiency: Digital health technologies can help to make health systems more efficient and effective. For instance, electronic health records can help to improve the coordination of care, and big data analytics can be used to classify trends and patterns in health data.

·        Enhanced quality of care: Digital health technologies can help to progress the quality of care by providing doctors and other health care providers with access to more information and by making it easier to track patient progress. For example, wearable devices can collect data about a person's physical activity and sleep patterns, which can be used to help doctors develop personalized treatment plans.

However, there are also some challenges associated with digital health, such as:

·        Security and privacy: Digital health data is often sensitive, so it is important to ensure that it is secure and that it is not used for malicious purposes.

·        Accessibility: Digital health technologies can be expensive, so it is important to ensure that they are nearby to everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status.

·        Lack of evidence: There is still a lack of evidence about the effectiveness of many digital health technologies. This makes it difficult to know which technologies are the most effective and how they should be used.

Despite these challenges, digital health has the potential to revolutionize the way we deliver and receive health care. By working together, governments, health care providers, and the private sector can make digital health a reality for everyone and improve health outcomes around the world.

Why is digital health important?

Digital health is important because it has the potential to progress health outcomes, reduce costs, and increase access to care. Here are some of the specific benefits of digital health:

·        Improved patient outcomes: Digital health can help patients manage their chronic conditions more effectively, track their health data, and stay connected with their healthcare providers. This can lead to better health outcomes, such as lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, and fewer hospital admissions.

·        Reduced costs: Digital health can help to decrease healthcare costs by making it easier for patients to access care, providing more efficient care delivery, and preventing chronic conditions. For example, telemedicine can help patients avoid unnecessary travel to the doctor's office, and remote patient monitoring can help to detect and manage chronic conditions early.

·        Increased access to care: Digital health can help to increase access to care by making it easier for patients to connect with healthcare providers, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. For example, telehealth can provide access to care for patients in rural areas or those who have difficulty traveling to the doctor's office.

In addition to these specific benefits, digital health can also assistance to improve the overall quality of care by making it more efficient, personalized, and patient-centered. For example, digital health can be used to collect and analyze data about patients' health, which can help providers to make better decisions about treatment.