Director, Digital solutions. Dedicated to digitalizing healthcare with equity and compassion.
In depth analysis of the digital factors that affect our health and that impact who will benefit and who will be left behind in our digital world. Important insights.
💡 Publication alert on digital determinants of health! Health and well-being are shaped by countless factors—often referred to as social determinants. But in our increasingly digitalised world, what role do #digital determinants of health play? Together with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), our team at the WHO Regional Office for Europe and other WHO colleagues, along with experts on the subject, identified 127 key digital factors affecting health, especially: 🌐 access to the internet 🖥 availability of devices and software 🧑🏻💻 digital literacy 🗑 moderation of harmful content online 📲 algorithmic transparency This shows how pervasive digital content can be enabled through the combined influence of digital, commercial, economic, and political factors across different levels of governance, reinforcing the importance of an equitable and sustainable digital transformation. While younger and healthier populations are better equipped to use digital tools, they are also more likely to be exposed to their adverse effects. In contrast, older people, those living with disabilities or chronic illness, migrants or other vulnerable groups, may gain the most from digital tools, but are at risk of being excluded. Ironically, this also means they are among the best protected from negative factors. Improving digital access and literacy, placing individuals at the centre of the digital health design process, can help ensure safe and equitable solutions for everyone. Finally, we must consider how the digital divides evolve over time: basic digital technologies like phones and computers are still not accessible to everyone equally, while advanced tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and spatial computing, may leave even more communities at risk of exclusion. We are proud to announce this study during the #RC74CPH week, where the progress report on our Regional #DigitalHealth Action Plan is being presented (more on that later this week). This publication is already available in the @Bulletin of the World Health Organization (to be included in the issue of February 2025) and an extended version will be published in mid-November as a WHO report. A huge thank you to Robin van Kessel, Elias Mossialos, and the many partners and experts who have contributed to this vital research, and to Natasha Azzopardi Muscat and WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge for always championing digital health🙏. Discover the study here: https://lnkd.in/ernASh_y
