scholarly journals Public health digitalization in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Odone ◽  
Stefan Buttigieg ◽  
Walter Ricciardi ◽  
Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat ◽  
Anthony Staines
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Health Goals

Abstract Background As digitalization is progressively permeating all aspects of society, how can be it fruitfully employed to sustain the public health goals of quality, accessibility, efficiency and equity in health care and prevention? In this paper, we reflect on the potential of applying digital tools to public health and discuss some key challenges. Methods We first define ‘digitalization’ in its broader sense, as well as applied to public health. We then build a conceptual framework where key public health domains are associated to available digital technologies in a matrix that help to identify digital features that bolster public health action. We also provide illustrative data and evidence on the application of digital solutions on selected public health areas. In the second part, we identify the strategic pillars for a successful European strategy for public health digitalization and we outline how the approach being pursued by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) applies to digital health. Results From a public health perspective, digitalization is being touted as providing several potential benefits and advantages, including support for the transition from cure to prevention, helping to put people and patients at the center of care delivery, supporting patient empowerment and making healthcare system more efficient, safer and cheaper. These benefits are enabled through the following features of digital technologies: (i) Personalization and precision; (ii) Automation; (iii) Prediction; (iv) Data analytics and (v) Interaction. Conclusion A successful European strategy for public health digitalization should integrate the following pillars: political commitment, normative frameworks, technical infrastructure, targeted economic investments, education, research, monitoring and evaluation. EUPHA acknowledges digitalization is an asset for public health and is working both to promote the culture of “public health digitalization”, as well as to enable its planning, implementation and evaluation at the research, practice and policy level.

Implementation of the Vinehealth application, a digital health tool, into the care of patients living with brain cancer.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e13582-e13582
Author(s):  
Andrew Gvozdanovic ◽  
Riccardo Mangiapelo ◽  
Rayna Patel ◽  
Georgina Kirby ◽  
Neil Kitchen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Brain Cancer ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Mixed Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Eortc Qlq

e13582 Background: Cancers of the brain lead to significant neurocognitive, physical and psychological morbidities. Digital technologies provide a novel platform to capture and evaluate these needs. Mobile health (mHealth) applications typically focus on one aspect of care rather than addressing the multimodal needs of the demographic of these patients. The Vinehealth application aims to address this by tracking symptoms, delivering machine learning-based personalised educational content, and facilitating reminders for medications and appointments. Where mHealth interventions traditionally lack the evidence-based approach of pharmaceuticals, this study acts as an initial step in the rigorous assessment of a new digital health tool. Methods: A mixed methodology approach was applied to evaluate the Vinehealth application as a care delivery adjunct. Patients with brain cancer were recruited from the day of their procedure ± 7 days. Over a 12-week period, we collected real-world and ePRO data via the application. We assessed qualitative feedback from mixed-methodology surveys and semi-structured interviews at onboarding and after two weeks of application use. Results: Six participants enrolled of whom four downloaded the application; four completed all interviews. One patient set up their device incorrectly and so couldn't receive the questionnaires; excluding this patient, the EQ-5D-5L and EORTC QLQ-BN20 completion rates were 100% and 83% respectively. Average scores (±SD) at onboarding and offboarding were EQ-5D-5L: 2.07±1.28 and 1.73±1.22, and QLQ-BN20: 13.33 and 22.5. In total: 212 symptoms, 174 activity, and 47 medication data points were captured, and 113 educational articles were read. Participants were generally optimistic about application use. All users stated they would recommend Vinehealth and expressed subjective improvements in care. Accessibility issues in the ePRO delivery system which impacted completion rate were identified and have subsequently been fully addressed. Conclusions: This feasibility study showed acceptable patient use, led to a subjective improvement in care, and demonstrated effective collection of real-world and validated ePRO data. This provides a strong basis to further explore the integration of the Vinehealth application into brain cancer care. This study will inform the design of a larger, more comprehensive trial continuing to evaluate improvements in care delivery through data collection, educational support and patient empowerment.

Defining digital public health and the role of digitization, digitalization and digital transformation: A scoping review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihoghosa Iyamu ◽  
Alice X.T. Xu ◽  
Oralia Gómez-Ramírez ◽  
Aidan Ablona ◽  
Hsiu-Ju Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Definition Of

BACKGROUND Despite increasing interest in digital public health, there appears to be a lack of clarity and consensus on its definition. OBJECTIVE In this scoping review, we assessed formal and informal definitions of digital public health in the literature. METHODS We conducted a scoping literature search in OVID Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and on 14 government and intergovernmental agency websites encompassing six geographical regions. Among a total of 409 full articles identified, we reviewed 12 publications that formally defined digital public health and/or informally described the integration of digital technologies in public health in relation to digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation, and conducted a thematic analysis of the identified definitions. RESULTS We identified two explicit definitions of digital public health with divergent meanings. While one definition is predicated on digitalization, and involves the integration of digital technologies to achieve existing public health goals, the other implies transformation of public health services and goals, leveraging digital technology to improve health outcomes. Further, we found that when described in relation to public health, digitization refers to the conversion of analog records to digital information, digitalization involves the integration of digital technologies into public health operations, and digital transformation involves a cultural shift that pervasively integrates digital technologies and reorganizes service based on the health needs of the public. CONCLUSIONS The definition of digital public health remains contested in the literature. Public health researchers and practitioners need to clarify these conceptual definitions to harness opportunities to integrate digital technologies in public health in a way that maximizes their potential to improve public health outcomes. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/preprints.27686

scholarly journals Local Alcohol Policy Implementation in Scotland: Understanding the Role of Accountability within Licensing

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Wright
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Alcohol Policy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
Specific Implementation

Scotland has been ambitious in its policy and legislative efforts to tackle alcohol-related harm, efforts which include the innovative feature of a ‘public health objective’ within local alcohol licensing. However, the persistence of alcohol-related harms and inequalities requires further examination of both the overarching Scottish alcohol strategy and its specific implementation. A qualitative case study was undertaken to explore how alcohol policy is implemented locally in Scotland, with data generated from (i) documentary analysis of 12 relevant policies, legislation, and guidance documents; and (ii) a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 54 alcohol policy implementers in three Scottish localities and nine national-level stakeholders. The data suggest there is a tension between the intentions of licensing legislation and the way it is enacted in practice, and that accountability emerges as an important factor for understanding why this occurs. In particular, there are a lack of accountability mechanisms acting upon Scottish Licensing Boards to ensure they contribute to the public health goals of the Scottish alcohol strategy. From a public health perspective, this has perpetuated a system in which Licensing Boards continue to act with autonomy from the rest of the alcohol policy implementation system, creating a challenge to the achievement of public health goals. Alcohol policy in Scotland is likely to fall short of intended goals as long as the tension between licensing legislation and enacted licensing practices remains.

scholarly journals Workshop: EUPHA and Europe-wide action on digital public health

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
World Health ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
European Public ◽  
The World

Abstract The World Health Assembly Resolution on Digital Health unanimously approved by WHO Member States in May 2018 demonstrated a collective recognition of the value of digital technologies to contribute to advancing universal health coverage (UHC) and other health aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization has just released first ever guideline on digital interventions for health system strengthening. Et the European level, in June 2018 the WHO Regional Office for Europe launched the WHO/Europe initiative for Digitalization of Health Systems and in February 2019 organized the first Symposium on the Future of Digital Health Systems in the European Region. The European Commission in April 2018 published a Communication on Digital transformation of health and care in the digital single market and requested the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in health (EXPH) to release an evidence-based opinion on how to assess the impact of digital transformation of health services. In such context, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) has at an early stage acknowledged and understood the crucial importance of applying the potential offered by digitalization to public health. Not only its most prominent members work and research as WHO and EC experts on how to plan, implement and evaluate effective digital public health interventions, but EUPHA itself - as umbrella organization representing public health associations and institutes across Europe had: i) actively participated to the WHO Euro Symposium successfully co-organizing a session on the ‘beautiful marriage’ between digitalization and public health, ii) supported the publication of a EJPH supplement on digital health and iii) has planned to create a EUPHA Section on Digital Health. With the overall goal of positioning the proposed EUPHA Section on Digital Health in the enriching and constructive context of the European Public Health Conference the workshop specifically aims to: present a comprehensive conceptual framework for the application of digital technologies to public health in Europe;present and report on EUPHA collaborative action on digital health, aligned with European institutions;present the structure and content of the EJPH supplement on digital health;present the general aim, specific objectives, scope, mission and preliminary outputs of the proposed EUPHA Section on Digital Health, as well as its synergy with other EUPHA’s Section workPresent the results of two/three specific projects on digital public health to serve as concrete examples of the application of digital solutions to public healthEngage with the audience to promote the active participation of the broader EUPHA community to the activities of the Section, collect interests and best practices, and share ideas and projects worth scaling up at the Section-level. Key messages The ‘beautiful marriage’ between digitalization and public health has to be concretely planned, implemented and evaluated. EUPHA action on digital public health can be further strengthened through the collaborative action and work of its dedicated Section.

scholarly journals From Precision Metapharmacology to Patient Empowerment: Delivery of Self-Care Practices for Epilepsy, Pain, Depression and Cancer Using Digital Health Technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Bulaj ◽  
Jacqueline Clark ◽  
Maryam Ebrahimi ◽  
Elizabeth Bald
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Combination Therapies ◽  
Lifestyle Modifications ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Breathing Exercises

To improve long-term outcomes of therapies for chronic diseases, health promotion and lifestyle modifications are the most promising and sustainable strategies. In addition, advances in digital technologies provide new opportunities to address limitations of drug-based treatments, such as medication non-adherence, adverse effects, toxicity, drug resistance, drug shortages, affordability, and accessibility. Pharmaceutical drugs and biologics can be combined with digital health technologies, including mobile medical apps (digital therapeutics), which offer additional clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness. Promises of drug+digital combination therapies are recognized by pharmaceutical and digital health companies, opening opportunities for integrating pharmacotherapies with non-pharmacological interventions (metapharmacology). Herein we present unique features of digital health technologies which can deliver personalized self-care modalities such as breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, yoga, physical activity, adequate sleep, listening to preferred music, forgiveness and gratitude. Clinical studies reveal how aforementioned complimentary practices may support treatments of epilepsy, chronic pain, depression, cancer, and other chronic diseases. This article also describes how digital therapies delivering “medicinal” self-care and other non-pharmacological interventions can also be personalized by accounting for: 1) genetic risks for comorbidities, 2) adverse childhood experiences, 3) increased risks for viral infections such as seasonal influenza, or COVID-19, and 4) just-in-time stressful and traumatic circumstances. Development and implementation of personalized pharmacological-behavioral combination therapies (precision metapharmacology) require aligning priorities of key stakeholders including patients, research communities, healthcare industry, regulatory and funding agencies. In conclusion, digital technologies enable integration of pharmacotherapies with self-care, lifestyle interventions and patient empowerment, while concurrently advancing patient-centered care, integrative medicine and digital health ecosystems.

scholarly journals Digital Technologies and Data Science as Health Enablers: An Outline of Appealing Promises and Compelling Ethical, Legal, and Social Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
João V. Cordeiro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
The Future ◽  
Human Skills

Digital technologies and data science have laid down the promise to revolutionize healthcare by transforming the way health and disease are analyzed and managed in the future. Digital health applications in healthcare include telemedicine, electronic health records, wearable, implantable, injectable and ingestible digital medical devices, health mobile apps as well as the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to medical and public health prognosis and decision-making. As is often the case with technological advancement, progress in digital health raises compelling ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI). This article aims to succinctly map relevant ELSI of the digital health field. The issues of patient autonomy; assessment, value attribution, and validation of health innovation; equity and trustworthiness in healthcare; professional roles and skills and data protection and security are highlighted against the backdrop of the risks of dehumanization of care, the limitations of machine learning-based decision-making and, ultimately, the future contours of human interaction in medicine and public health. The running theme to this article is the underlying tension between the promises of digital health and its many challenges, which is heightened by the contrasting pace of scientific progress and the timed responses provided by law and ethics. Digital applications can prove to be valuable allies for human skills in medicine and public health. Similarly, ethics and the law can be interpreted and perceived as more than obstacles, but also promoters of fairness, inclusiveness, creativity and innovation in health.

Making HIS More Agile, Relevant and Public Health Friendly: Lessons from Covid-19 in India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sundeep Sahay ◽  
Arunima S Mukherjee ◽  
Carolyn K Tauro ◽  
Arijit Sen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Anthony Giddens ◽  
Public Health Information

Anthony Giddens, the noted sociologist, describes the COVID-19 pandemic as a ‘digidemic,’ emphasizing the inextricable linkages between the pandemic and the digital. As the pandemic has spread globally, countries have adopted different strategies to leverage digital technologies, in their design, development, implementation, and governance to address the pandemic. Some of these strategies have worked well and others have not so. We submitted this paper at the time when India was fighting the first COVID-19 wave and are submitting this revised version as India fights a much tougher second wave. And between these two waves, we have witnessed some flattening of the COVID-19 curve and the onset of a rigorous vaccination drive. This paper aims to try to analyse some experiences of how countries leveraged digital technologies in their information systems response, such as from Sri Lanka, South Korea and anchored in a historical understanding of public Health Information Systems (HIS) in India, build key learnings for strengthening HIS in India, both for pandemic situations and also routine health management. These include i) improving agility, reflecting the ability of the HIS to provide timely information for supporting local action; ii) improving relevance, implying providing required information for supporting the desired action for different stakeholders; and, iii) public friendliness, implying the HIS should help support population health at large in an equitable manner. We argue that these learnings are not only relevant for strengthening the HIS response to pandemic management but also more broadly for strengthening Indian public HIS covering routine systems. These learnings are particularly pertinent in the current ‘digital’ context in India, where large-scale interventions related to the National Digital Health Mission are currently being planned and implemented. For good or bad, the ‘digital’ is inevitable in public health systems globally, and it becomes important for researchers and practitioners to engage with this process of understanding the digital interventions and contribute to strengthening the health systems.

scholarly journals Innovation and The Israel Journal of Health Policy Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Rosen ◽  
Avi Israeli ◽  
Stephen Schoenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Israel Journal ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
List Type ◽  
Wide Audience ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Israel Journal of Health Policy Research (IJHPR) is a peer-reviewed, on-line, open access journal, sponsored by Israel’s National Institute for Health Policy Research. We believe that it is both an innovative platform and a platform for innovation. Within just 2 years of its launch in 2012, the IJHPR was accepted into the prestigious Web of Science – primarily because of its innovative positioning as a journal that is simultaneously national and international. This positioning has contributed to annual growth of over 20% in both submissions and publications and to the IJHPR being ranked among the top half of public health journals, just 6 years after its launch date.The IJHPR has also served as a platform for numerous innovations, including: Sharing with the international community information about Israeli innovations in public health, health policy, health care delivery, and more.Enhancing the impact of empirical studies by Israeli scholars via commentaries by leading scholars from abroad – including 18 commentaries from scholars based at Harvard and one commentary by a Nobel laureate in economics.Developing a new genre of articles for Israel, namely, broad policy analyses focused on major challenges facing Israeli health care.Creating dynamic, constantly growing, article collections in such fields as digital health, pharmaceutical policy and health care equity, to highlight areas of excellence as well as important issues in Israeli health care and health policy.Disseminating to a wide audience the essence of major Israeli health policy workshops and conferences.We feel that the IJHPR has significant potential to contribute more, and in new ways, in the years ahead. We look forward to your suggestions for innovative enhancements of the IJHPR.

scholarly journals Digital technology and disease surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e053962
Author(s):  
Lorie Donelle ◽  
Jodi Hall ◽  
Brad Hiebert ◽  
Jacob J Shelley ◽  
Maxwell J Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Prevention ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Digital Surveillance ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Media Channels

IntroductionInfectious diseases pose a risk to public health, requiring efficient strategies for disease prevention. Digital health surveillance technologies provide new opportunities to enhance disease prevention, detection, tracking, reporting and analysis. However, in addition to concerns regarding the effectiveness of these technologies in meeting public health goals, there are also concerns regarding the ethics, legality, safety and sustainability of digital surveillance technologies. This scoping review examines the literature on digital surveillance for public health purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify health-related applications of digital surveillance technologies, and to highlight discussions of the implications of these technologies.Methods and analysisThe scoping review will be guided by the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley and the guidelines outlined by Colquhoun et al and Levac et al. We will search Medline (Ovid), PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ACM Digital Library, Google Scholar and IEEE Explore for relevant studies published between December 2019 and December 2020. The review will also include grey literature. Data will be managed and analysed through an extraction table and thematic analysis.Ethics and disseminationFindings will be disseminated through traditional academic channels, as well as social media channels and research briefs and infographics. We will target our dissemination to provincial and federal public health organisations, as well as technology companies and community-based organisations managing the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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