10 Transformative Trends in Digital Health

October 24, 2018These issues are shaping the near future of international development.Established digital health trends are already reshaping health care systems around the world in new and amazing ways. For example, the widespread adoption of mobile phones and the increasing usage of smartphones, combined with increasing Internet access and searchable online information services, have created what some call a doctor in every pocket.Even in rural Uganda, a patient can confirm her provider ’s authenticy with a text message, and a community health worker can use Google to learn symptoms and treatments.But what ’s next? What are the trends, now nascent, that will be driving digital health innovations in the next year(s)?At theOpenHIE Community Meeting this summer, I spoke with the a wide range of digital health practitioners working for governments, donors, and implementing partners. Through my conversations there and later, I ’ve identified ten transformative digital health trends that will influence international development now and in the near future.1. Global digital health goodsAdele Waugaman of USAID pointed out that there is increasing support for global goods —open source digital health software solutions like DHIS 2, OpenMRS, and iHRIS that can be directly adopted by government health systems—and sustainable business models to support the global goods.This will require global goods producers and the digital health ecosystem to:Evaluate digital health systems u...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news