DIGITAL HEALTH:
STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT
WHY DIGITAL HEALTH?
The shift from analogue to digital ways of working requires investment and enables net benefits. Of course, the strategy and investments have to be made wisely, in both technology and capacity building. But if this happens, then there can be improvements in quality, access and efficiency over existing ways of working. Just as importantly, investing in digital health can offer transformative new ways of working.
There are many issues to consider. The Asian Development Bank Guidance for Investing in Digital Health (download online version), and the accompanying Digital Health Impact Framework (DHIF), are intended to help decision-makers to make good choices. This document provides an Overview. First of all there are 11 key points to review.
COUNTRY CONTEXT
Each country is different, but have policy goals in common: to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Learn more
STAKEHOLDERS
Understanding the perspective of different stakeholders helps identify and deliver good investments in digital health. Learn more
CAPACITY BUILDING
Digital health initiatives are more than computer projects. They are strategic resources that can be used to change the way health workers can extend and develop their multi-disciplinary teams and improve the health and health care of their patients, informal carers and communities. Learn more
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGING CHANGE
This is digital health’s hard part. Realizing digital health benefits requires digital health leaders to construct effective models and methodologies to manage change and understand that sustainable changes takes time. Numerous change management models are available. Learn more.
DIGITAL HEALTH IMPACT FRAMEWORK MANUAL
The manual supports the Asian Development Bank’s Guidance for Investing in Digital Health, which sets out a way to find appropriate strategic directions for digital health. It also identifies a low success rate of digital technology projects in the public sector. About 30% fail totally. Between 50% to 60% are partial failures. This leaves at best, a 20% success rate. (“Digital Dividends” World Development Report World Bank 2016 p165). This poor performance and investment return emphasizes the need to rigorous investment appraisal of digital health programs and projects. Lean more
WHAT’S NEXT?
Engage! Engage! Engage!
Digital health is dynamic, and keeping engaged with its potential to transform health systems is vital. Learn more
KEY REFERENCES
- Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) http://www.aehin.org/
- Asian Development Bank (ADB). 2018. Transforming Health Systems through Good Digital Health Governance. Manila. http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/WPS189244-2.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB). 2018. Unique Health Identifier Assessment Tool Kit. Manila. https://www.adb.org/documents/unique-health-identifier-assessment-toolkit
- Health GeoLab Collaborative https://healthgeolab.net/
- Standards and Interoperability Lab for Asia http://104.200.24.119/
- World Bank. 2016. Digital Dividends. Washington, DC. http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016