New WHO/Europe and Cetic.br|NIC.br report evaluates digital health monitoring strategies globally

Reliable data and indicators are fundamental for governments to measure the progress of digital health, but the available metrics and indicators are still insufficient to keep up with the rapid evolution of the sector. This is highlighted in a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO)/Europe and the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). 

The report "Monitoring the implementation of digital health: a landscape of selected national and international methodologies" provides an updated view of digital health monitoring efforts at the international, regional, and national levels. The new report surveys the methodological approaches and the main indicators collected over the past five years to monitor digital health by institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission (EC), the Nordic eHealth Research Network (NeRN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The study also presents national digital health monitoring strategies in eight countries, including Brazil, covering three WHO regions during the same period. 

Strategic priorities for expanding health coverage
The use of information and communication technologies in the health area has expanded substantially in recent years, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth and the digitization of health services. Digital technologies and information systems can be used in healthcare, assisting in diagnosis and medical care decisions; in short-term planning, such as organizing teams and resources, and in managing hospitals, municipalities, and states; as well as in long-term planning, such as assessing public policies and strategies.

"Digital health and the adoption of health information systems, with appropriate investments in governance and capacity building, can improve the efficiency and sustainability of health systems. They are central to more accessible, equitable, and higher quality services, as well as strengthening public health surveillance, disease prevention, diagnosis, and health systems management," says Alexandre Barbosa, Manager of Cetic.br, and co-author of the study. 

Difficulty in keeping up with the rapid evolution of digital health
Other challenges pointed out by the report are the significant variability in how telehealth is monitored, the need for new indicators to monitor inequalities in digital health, and the need for new approaches to measure the impact of public policies.

"It is necessary to advance the development and collection of comparable data and a common set of indicators, as well as sharing information and knowledge to measure national levels of digital health maturity," explains Dr. David Novillo-Ortiz, Regional Advisor for Data and Digital Health.

The WHO/Europe Regional Digital Health Action Plan, launched in September 2022, also recognizes the need to monitor progress and trends in new and emerging digital solutions with the potential to enhance health systems and improve people's health.

Particularly, the action plan encourages the development of a measurement framework to monitor digital health in the European Region. Developed with partners and the 53 WHO countries in the European Region, the plan will help countries leverage and scale digital transformation to improve health and align investment decisions in digital technology with the needs of health systems. 

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics about Internet access and use in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information about the network's development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Studies Center under the auspices of UNESCO, and completed 17 years of activity in 2022. More information at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private non-profit civil entity responsible for the operation of the .br domain, as well as the distribution of IP numbers and the registration of Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, and all the resources raised come from its activities, which are predominantly private in nature. It conducts actions and projects that benefit the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registry.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Portal of Best Practices for Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the W3C Chapter São Paulo office (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting the technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the services offered. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, internationally praised, in which all sectors of society participate equally in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.

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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.