Challenges in the development of digital public health interventions and mapped solutions: Findings from a scoping review
Open accessAbstract
Background: “Digital public health” has emerged from an interest in integrating digital technologies into public health. However, significant challenges which limit the scale and extent of this digital integration in various public health domains have been described. We summarized the literature about these challenges and identified strategies to overcome them. Methods: We adopted Arksey and O’Malley's framework (2005) integrating adaptations by Levac et al. (2010). OVID Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and 14 government and intergovernmental agency websites were searched using terms related to “digital” and “public health.” We included conceptual and explicit descriptions of digital technologies in public health published in English between 2000 and June 2020. We excluded primary research articles about digital health interventions. Data were extracted using a codebook created using the European Public Health Association's conceptual framework for digital public health. Results and analysis: Overall, 163 publications were included from 6953 retrieved articles with the majority (64%, n = 105) published between 2015 and June 2020. Nontechnical challenges to digital integration in public health concerned ethics, policy and governance, health equity, resource gaps, and quality of evidence. Technical challenges included fragmented and unsustainable systems, lack of clear standards, unreliability of available data, infrastructure gaps, and workforce capacity gaps. Identified strategies included securing political commitment, intersectoral collaboration, economic investments, standardized ethical, legal, and regulatory frameworks, adaptive research and evaluation, health workforce capacity building, and transparent communication and public engagement. Conclusion: Developing and implementing digital public health interventions requires efforts that leverage identified strategies to overcome diverse challenges encountered in integrating digital technologies in public health.
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The sustainability of digital health interventions, particularly with limited public health funding, remains challenging.
“The sustainability of digital health interventions, particularly with limited public health funding, remains challenging [141,142].”
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Grady, A., Yoong, S., Sutherland, R., Lee, H., Nathan, N., & Wolfenden, L. (2018) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12771 · Cited by 79 · cited 2× · see citing works
“– 87 Articles noted the inad-equacy of cost – analysis evidence, speci fi cally the costs of these interventions to individuals and health systems, 36,64,77 and the mostly retrospective use of data in existing research that may be biased or have missing data.”
BackgroundA Global Digital Citizen Science Policy to Tackle Pandemics Like COVID-19
Katapally, T. R. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/19357 · Cited by 79 · cited 2× · see citing works
“17,98”
BackgroundMind the Scales: Harnessing Spatial Big Data for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Inference
Lee, E. C., Asher, J., Goldlust, S., Kraemer, J. D., Lawson, A. B., & Bansal, S. (2016) · The Journal of Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1093/infdis/jiw344 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Shaw, N. T., & McGuire, S. (2017) · Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics · doi:10.14236/jhi.v24i2.940 · Cited by 74 · cited 2× · see citing works
“30,40,117,136,149 Further, recommendations involved integrating research and evaluation in all stages of development and implementation of digital interventions.”
BackgroundLee, E. W. J., & Viswanath, K. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/16377 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Digital public health and COVID-19
Murray, C. J. L., Alamro, N., Hwang, H. Y., & Lee, U. (2020) · The Lancet Public Health · doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(20)30187-0 · Cited by 70 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Yet, resistance to these new approaches within public health and the tendency to suppress data especially with suboptimal interventions, introduce additional challenges that must be navigated.(3) The speed of technological development must also be considered in these frameworks.”
BackgroundAl-Surimi, K. M., Khalifa, M., Bahkali, S., El‐Metwally, A., & Househ, M. S. (2016) · Advances in experimental medicine and biology · doi:10.1007/5584_2016_132 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Trending now: future directions in digital media for the public health sector
Burke‐Garcia, A., & Scally, G. (2014) · Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdt125 · Cited by 68 · cited 2× · see citing works
“35,48,77,82,83,86,90,91 Further, interventions were frequently implemented on a small scale and their associated evaluations were described as poorly generalizable.”
BackgroundGlossary for public health surveillance in the age of data science
Chioléro, A., & Buckeridge, D. L. (2020) · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech-2018-211654 · Cited by 67 · cited 3× · see citing works
“21,38,40,46,73,85,89,91,101,116,125,129,130 Fragmented, isolated, and unsustainable systems.”
BackgroundArtificial Intelligence in Global Health —A Framework and Strategy for Adoption and Sustainability
Hadley, T. D., Pettit, R. W., Malik, T., Khoei, A. A., & Salihu, H. M. (2020) · International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS · doi:10.21106/ijma.296 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Combining Health Data Uses to Ignite Health System Learning
Buchan, I. E., & Ainsworth, J. D. (2015) · Methods of Information in Medicine · doi:10.3414/me15-01-0064 · Cited by 65 · cited 4× · see citing works
“22,37,43,63,64,73,98,99,123,131,135 Public health agencies are said to have challenges with engaging and retaining highly demanded tech-savvy public health analysts.”
BackgroundInfluentialPublic Health in the Era of Social Media
Abroms, L. C. (2019) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2018.304947 · Cited by 64 · cited 1× · see citing works
“56, 69, 104, 105 The nature of such platforms that Unreliability of available data.”
BackgroundA “big data” approach to HIV epidemiology and prevention
Young, S. D. (2014) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.11.002 · Cited by 63 · cited 2× · see citing works
“89,116,125 Further, the unreliability of unvalidated or anonymous user-generated and/or observational data 52,56,79,80,83,91,92,118,126 – 128 were said to bias reports.”
BackgroundDrivers of Emerging Infectious Disease Events as a Framework for Digital Detection
Olson, S. H., Benedum, C. M., Mekaru, S. R., Preston, N. D., Mazet, J. A. K., Joly, D. O., & Brownstein, J. S. (2015) · Emerging infectious diseases · doi:10.3201/eid2108.141156 · Cited by 58 · cited 3× · see citing works
“21,38,40,46,73,85,89,91,101,116,125,129,130 Fragmented, isolated, and unsustainable systems.”
BackgroundDisease surveillance data sharing for public health: the next ethical frontiers
Kostkova, P. (2018) · Life Sciences Society and Policy · doi:10.1186/s40504-018-0078-x · Cited by 57 · cited 2× · see citing works
“21,27,40,48,58,77,146,149,152 Mechanisms for actively sharing these methods were emphasized, including networks and inter-sectorial communities of practice.”
BackgroundLu, Z. (2009) · Drug Healthcare and Patient Safety · doi:10.2147/dhps.s7180 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Big Data and Health Economics: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
Collins, B. (2015) · PharmacoEconomics · doi:10.1007/s40273-015-0306-7 · Cited by 53 · cited 1× · see citing works
“24,39,40 43 Health equity.”
Four equity considerations for the use of artificial intelligence in public health
Smith, M. J., Axler, R. E., Bean, S., Rudzicz, F., & Shaw, J. (2020) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.19.237503 · Cited by 52 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Further, inherent biases in assumptions and algorithms facilitating technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, and social media in public health were reported to potentially make them counterproductive to public health goals.(21,28,36,47,113,114) These technologies were said to sometimes draw false associati…”
BackgroundMacro Trends and the Future of Public Health Practice
Erwin, P. C., & Brownson, R. C. (2016) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044224 · Cited by 50 · cited 1× · see citing works
“27,36,43,45,77,82,83,88,89 There is also a lack of widely agreed-upon standards for assessing outcomes 55,90 and reliable outcome measures that extend beyond user engagement metrics.”
BackgroundNemzoff, C., Ruiz, F. J., Chalkidou, K., Mehndiratta, A., Guinness, L., Cluzeau, F., & Shah, H. A. (2021) · BMJ Global Health · doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004549 · Cited by 50 · cited 2× · see citing works
“162 Further, for pragmatic policies to be made and implemented appropriately, public health policy makers, practitioners, and researchers will require continued education on new working methods in a digital environment.”
BackgroundOnline Technologies for Health Information and Education: A Literature Review
Gill, H. K., Gill, N. K., & Young, S. D. (2013) · Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet · doi:10.1080/15398285.2013.780542 · Cited by 45 · cited 1× · see citing works
“26,31,32,35,33 34 Additional ethical barriers include the potential identi fi cation of individual disease risks and exposures through digital technologies without clear remedies, 36 – 38 perpetuation of stigma through data collection methods that do not acknowledge the existing context.”
BackgroundNaslund, J. A., & Aschbrenner, K. A. (2019) · Evidence Based Mental Health · doi:10.1136/ebmental-2018-300034 · Cited by 44 · cited 2× · see citing works
“21,38,40,46,73,85,89,91,101,116,125,129,130 Fragmented, isolated, and unsustainable systems.”
BackgroundBehavioral Interventions Using Consumer Information Technology as Tools to Advance Health Equity
Henry, S. B., Marden, S., Arteaga, S. S., Liu, L. G., Keselman, A., Le, P., Creber, R. M., Powell‐Wiley, T. M., Schnall, R., Tabor, D. C., et al. (2019) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2018.304646 · Cited by 44 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Further, the iterative and fast-paced evolution of digital technologies is not matched by current research methods which are often rigid and slow to adapt.(27,36,43,45,77,82,83,88,89) There is also a lack of widely agreed-upon standards for assessing outcomes(55,90) and reliable outcome measures that extend beyond use…”
BackgroundInnovative Uses of Electronic Health Records and Social Media for Public Health Surveillance
Eggleston, E., & Weitzman, E. R. (2014) · Current Diabetes Reports · doi:10.1007/s11892-013-0468-7 · Cited by 43 · cited 2× · see citing works
“122 Further, data quality issues, including incomplete data, were said to be a challenge, 24,40,120,123,124 especially for big data in public health surveillance and research, where noisy data (i.e. poor quality data) reduces ef fi ciency.”
BackgroundAccess and authorisation in a Glocal e-Health Policy context
Scott, R. E., Jennett, P., & Yeo, M. (2004) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2003.11.020 · Cited by 42 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Articles described challenges with policy keeping pace with evolving digital technologies in public health, 20,23,26,40,50,63,64,75 – 79 resulting in reactive policies that are restrictive (often limiting data exchange), inadequate to support the development and implementation of digital…”
BackgroundCommunicable Disease Surveillance Ethics in the Age of Big Data and New Technology
Gilbert, G. L., Degeling, C., & Johnson, J. (2019) · Asian Bioethics Review · doi:10.1007/s41649-019-00087-1 · Cited by 42 · cited 1× · see citing works
“4,22,64,103,141 Standards for evaluating the impact of digital technologies on health outcomes are also suboptimal.”
BackgroundCarney, T. J., & Kong, A. Y. (2017) · Journal of Biomedical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2017.02.011 · Cited by 41 · cited 2× · see citing works
“21,38,40,46,73,85,89,91,101,116,125,129,130 Fragmented, isolated, and unsustainable systems.”
BackgroundApplications of Electronic Health Information in Public Health: Uses, Opportunities and Barriers
Tomines, A., Readhead, H., Readhead, A., & Teutsch, S. (2013) · eGEMs (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes) · doi:10.13063/2327-9214.1019 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Hayes, J., Maughan, D. L., & Grant‐Peterkin, H. (2016) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.114.161067 · Cited by 40 · cited 1× · see citing works
“36,64,108,136 Suboptimal design and implementation of digital technologies.”
BackgroundUsing Social Media to Target Cancer Prevention in Young Adults: Viewpoint
Sarkar, U., Le, G. M., Lyles, C. R., Ramo, D. E., Linos, E., & Bibbins-Domingo, K. B. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.8882 · Cited by 40 · cited 4× · see citing works
“35,48,77,82,83,86,90,91 Further, interventions were frequently implemented on a small scale and their associated evaluations were described as poorly generalizable.”
BackgroundInfluentialA National Agenda for Public Health Informatics
Yasnoff, W. A., Overhage, J. M., Humphreys, B. L., LaVenture, M., Goodman, K. W., Gatewood, L. C., Ross, D. A., Reid, J. A., Hammond, E. W., Dwyer, D. M., et al. (2001) · Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · doi:10.1097/00124784-200107060-00002 · Cited by 39 · cited 3× · see citing works
“19 Articles suggest that such curricula may be made open through communities of practice and interdisciplinary workforce exchanges to foster equitable knowledge uptake.”
BackgroundGómez-Ramírez, O., Iyamu, I. O., Ablona, A., Watt, S., Xu, A. X. T., Chang, H.-J., & Gilbert, M. (2021) · Canadian Journal of Public Health · doi:10.17269/s41997-021-00487-7 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationTranslational Health Disparities Research in a Data-Rich World
Breen, N., Berrigan, D. A., Jackson, J. S., Wong, D. W. S., Wood, F. B., Denny, J. C., Zhang, X., & Bourne, P. E. (2019) · Health Equity · doi:10.1089/heq.2019.0042 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Translational Health Disparities Research in a Data-Rich World
Breen, N., Jackson, J. S., Wood, F. B., Wong, D. W. S., & Zhang, X. (2019) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2019.304951 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Khoury, M. J., Engelgau, M. M., Chambers, D., & Mensah, G. A. (2018) · Public Health Genomics · doi:10.1159/000501465 · Cited by 38 · cited 1× · see citing works
“122 Further, data quality issues, including incomplete data, were said to be a challenge, 24,40,120,123,124 especially for big data in public health surveillance and research, where noisy data (i.e. poor quality data) reduces ef fi ciency.”
BackgroundStoove, M. A., & Pedrana, A. E. (2014) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.03.008 · Cited by 37 · cited 3× · see citing works
“35,48,77,82,83,86,90,91 Further, interventions were frequently implemented on a small scale and their associated evaluations were described as poorly generalizable.”
BackgroundNorman, C. D., & Yip, A. L. (2012) · PubMed · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Big data in healthcare: a discussion on the big challenges
Stylianou, A., & Talias, Μ. A. (2016) · Health and Technology · doi:10.1007/s12553-016-0152-4 · Cited by 36 · cited 2× · see citing works
“22,23,26,28,50,103,121,131,132 This partly results from privacy and con fi dentiality concerns, 22,37 and infrastructure/capacity gaps.”
BackgroundWere, M. C., Sinha, C., & Catalani, C. (2019) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocz071 · Cited by 36 · cited 2× · see citing works
“44,72,134,145 Transparent communication and public engagement.”
Fuller, D., Buote, R., & Stanley, K. G. (2017) · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209608 · Cited by 34 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The overly enthusiastic assumption that digital technologies provide a catchall solution to public health challenges without due consideration of alternative approaches and foundational principles of public health was noted.(18,38,40,111) Articles suggested that digital technologies may propagate a reductionist view o…”
BackgroundUsing Social Media for Research and Public Health Surveillance
Eke, P. I. (2011) · Journal of Dental Research · doi:10.1177/0022034511415277 · Cited by 33 · cited 1× · see citing works
“89,116,125 Further, the unreliability of unvalidated or anonymous user-generated and/or observational data 52,56,79,80,83,91,92,118,126 – 128 were said to bias reports.”
BackgroundPublic Trust and Privacy in Shared Electronic Health Records
Rynning, E. (2007) · European Journal of Health Law · doi:10.1163/092902707x211668 · Cited by 33 · cited 6× · see citing works
“54 Governance challenges in supporting interjurisdictional digital interventions were also highlighted, 20,22,29,30,50 especially for technologies not requiring in-person attendance.”
BackgroundInfluentialBig Data for Public Health Policy-Making: Policy Empowerment
Mählmann, L., Reumann, M., Evangelatos, N. G., & Brand, A. M. (2017) · Public Health Genomics · doi:10.1159/000486587 · Cited by 32 · cited 5× · see citing works
“66,77,148 Standardized reporting systems and requirements, 22,77,145 data quality standards, and shared digital architecture 22,23,77,144,145 were suggested as mechanisms to ensure reliable and interoperable data systems to foster improved use of data for decision making.”
BackgroundInfluentialDigital Segmentation of Priority Populations in Public Health
Evans, W. D., Thomas, C. N., Favatas, D., Smyser, J., & Briggs, J. (2019) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/1090198119871246 · Cited by 31 · cited 2× · see citing works
“35,48,77,82,83,86,90,91 Further, interventions were frequently implemented on a small scale and their associated evaluations were described as poorly generalizable.”
BackgroundSmith, P. M. (2007) · Critical Public Health · doi:10.1080/09581590701244954 · Cited by 29 · cited 2× · see citing works
“159,160 However, we must note that achieving transdis-ciplinary partnerships will be challenging given differences in vocabulary across disciplines and varied epistemological viewpoints that guide practice and research.”
BackgroundConsumer health informatics: From genomics to population health
McDaniel, A. M., Schutte, D. L., & Keller, L. O. (2008) · Nursing Outlook · doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2008.06.006 · Cited by 27 · cited 2× · see citing works
“22,37,43,63,64,73,98,99,123,131,135 Public health agencies are said to have challenges with engaging and retaining highly demanded tech-savvy public health analysts.”
BackgroundThe Relevance of Health Literacy to mHealth.
Kreps, G. L. (2017) · PubMed · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Ölvingson, C., Hallberg, J., Timpka, T., & Lindqvist, K. S. (2002) · Journal of Biomedical Informatics · doi:10.1016/s1532-0464(02)00527-0 · Cited by 26 · cited 2× · see citing works
“122 Further, data quality issues, including incomplete data, were said to be a challenge, 24,40,120,123,124 especially for big data in public health surveillance and research, where noisy data (i.e. poor quality data) reduces ef fi ciency.”
BackgroundThe public health informatics infrastructure: anticipating its role in cancer
Shortliffe, E. H., & Sondik, E. J. (2006) · Cancer Causes & Control · doi:10.1007/s10552-006-0028-4 · Cited by 25 · cited 2× · see citing works
“22,133,137 Infrastructure gaps.”
BackgroundCyber-management of people with chronic disease: A potential solution to eHealth challenges
Laakso, E., Armstrong, K., & Usher, W. T. (2011) · Health Education Journal · doi:10.1177/0017896911408813 · Cited by 24 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Where there are standards, public health professionals have been shown to have suboptimal awareness of existing data reporting standards(22) and data quality requirements across systems.(36,64,108,136)”
BackgroundThe Promise of Direct-to-Consumer Telehealth for Disaster Response and Recovery
Uscher‐Pines, L., Fischer, S. H., & Chari, R. (2016) · Prehospital and Disaster Medicine · doi:10.1017/s1049023x16000558 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Using Social Media and Internet Data for Public Health Surveillance: The Importance of Talking
Hartley, D. (2014) · Milbank Quarterly · doi:10.1111/1468-0009.12039 · Cited by 22 · cited 1× · see citing works
“22,36,134,140 Standards in vocabulary and health information exchange and coordination are lacking, resulting in suboptimal interoperability of varied systems relevant to public health functions.”
BackgroundCawcutt, K. A., Marcelin, J. R., & Silver, J. K. (2019) · Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology · doi:10.1017/ice.2019.231 · Cited by 22 · cited 1× · see citing works
“25,37,54,73,110,136 The public health workforce has not been supported to develop these capacities at the same pace as the push for development of the technologies required in digital public health.”
BackgroundBig Data: transforming drug development and health policy decision making
Alemayehu, D., & Berger, M. L. (2016) · Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology · doi:10.1007/s10742-016-0144-x · Cited by 21 · cited 2× · see citing works
“26,66,98,124,138,149 Open science, equity-based frameworks were also recommended with a focus on including outcomes for marginalized populations in publications.”
BackgroundGlobal mHealth policy arena: status check and future directions
Malvey, D. M., & Slovensky, D. J. (2017) · mHealth · doi:10.21037/mhealth.2017.09.03 · Cited by 21 · cited 6× · see citing works
“54 Governance challenges in supporting interjurisdictional digital interventions were also highlighted, 20,22,29,30,50 especially for technologies not requiring in-person attendance.”
BackgroundInfluentialSexual and reproductive health and rights and mHealth in policy and practice in South Africa
Waldman, L., & Stevens, M. (2015) · Reproductive Health Matters · doi:10.1016/j.rhm.2015.06.009 · Cited by 20 · cited 3× · see citing works
“22,32,54,77 Paucity of high-quality evidence.”
BackgroundBridging Radiology and Public Health: The Emerging Field of Radiologic Public Health Informatics
Mollura, D. J., Carrino, J. A., Matuszak, D. L., Mnatsakanyan, Z. R., Eng, J., Cutchis, P. N., Babin, S. M., Sniegoski, C., & Lombardo, J. S. (2008) · Journal of the American College of Radiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacr.2007.08.020 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Public Health Informatics: The Nature of the Field and Its Relevance to Health Promotion Practice
Kukafka, R. (2004) · Health Promotion Practice · doi:10.1177/1524839904270389 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Health Cyberinfrastructure for Collaborative Use-Inspired Research and Practice
Chismar, W. G., Horan, T. A., Hesse, B. W., Feldman, S. S., & Shaikh, A. R. (2011) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2011.01.002 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Ethical issues when using social media for health outside professional relationships
DeCamp, M. W. (2015) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/09540261.2014.1001726 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Aligning Health Informatics Across the Public Health Enterprise
Kirkwood, J., & Jarris, P. E. (2012) · Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · doi:10.1097/phh.0b013e31824eb919 · Cited by 15 · cited 3× · see citing works
“22,37,43,63,64,73,98,99,123,131,135 Public health agencies are said to have challenges with engaging and retaining highly demanded tech-savvy public health analysts.”
BackgroundICT and patient roles; contradictions in e-health policy
Andreassen, H. (2012) · Health Policy and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2012.04.002 · Cited by 15 · cited 2× · see citing works
“122,142 Mapped solutions to overcome technical and nontechnical challenges Potential solutions, as described in the literature, are summarized in Table 3.”
BackgroundAndreassen, O. A. (2017) · American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B Neuropsychiatric Genetics · doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.32561 · Cited by 14 · cited 2× · see citing works
“21,73,121,147 Further, standardized ethical, legal, and regulatory frameworks are required to ensure seamless, secure data exchanges between health agencies and authorities.”
BackgroundGrande, S. W., & Sherman, L. D. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.9434 · Cited by 14 · cited 1× · see citing works
“21,26,33,35,38,40,73,74 Widespread lack of digital health equity implementation frameworks and rigorous evaluation of the equity impacts of these digital technologies may further complicate equity challenges.”
BackgroundAssessing the Public Health Impact of the mHealth App Business
Freudenberg, N. (2017) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2017.304083 · Cited by 13 · cited 3× · see citing works
“This may be further exacerbated through the economic incentive to target high-income users with commercial digital health interventions.(71) Other equity challenges described include disparities in the impact of overlooked potential consequences of digital technologies, such as data privacy breaches, data misuse, and…”
BackgroundIyamu, I. O., Gómez-Ramírez, O., Xu, A. X. T., Chang, H.-J., Haag, D., Watt, S., & Gilbert, M. (2021) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/27686 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationQuantifying the Modern City: Emerging Technologies and Big Data for Active Living Research
Adlakha, D. (2017) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2017.00105 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Digital government and public health.
Fountain, J. E. (2004) · PubMed · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Creating a pandemic of health: What is the role of digital technologies?
Jadad, A. R. (2016) · Journal of Public Health Policy · doi:10.1057/s41271-016-0016-1 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Harnessing digital data and data science to achieve 90–90–90 goals to end the HIV epidemic
Strathdee, S. A., Nobles, A. L., & Ayers, J. W. (2019) · Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS · doi:10.1097/coh.0000000000000584 · Cited by 11 · cited 1× · see citing works
“33–35,56,69,104,105 The nature of such platforms that leverage user-generated content(35,51,62,106) with relative anonymity(51,107) and unclear guidelines(43,105) were said to spread unverified and often questionable information.(34,43,51,52,108) Further, information overload on the public and the burden of health-inf…”
BackgroundChapter 3: Public Health Applications
Kopp, S., Shuchman, R. A., Strecher, V. J., Gueye, M., Ledlow, J., Philip, T., & Grodzinski, A. R. (2002) · Telemedicine Journal and e-Health · doi:10.1089/15305620252933383 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Big Data, Large-Scale Text Analysis, and Public Health Research
Chowkwanyun, M. (2019) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2019.304965 · Cited by 10 · cited 1× · see citing works
“135 Considering the heterogeneity of data required for public health functions, reporting standards are required to effectively pool data; however, these standards are yet to be developed.”
BackgroundTechnology-based health promotion: Current state and perspectives in emerging gig economy
Morales, J., Inupakutika, D., Kaghyan, S., Akopian, D., Yin, Z., Evans, M., & Parra-Medina, D. M. (2019) · Journal of Applied Biomedicine · doi:10.1016/j.bbe.2019.07.006 · Cited by 9 · cited 1× · see citing works
“43,94 Resource and economic interest barriers.”
Institutional Entrepreneurship for Digital Public Health Promotion: Challenges and Opportunities
Reyes, G. D. L. (2019) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/1090198119871245 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Landry, M., & Singh, P. (2019) · WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health · doi:10.4103/2224-3151.264848 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Achieving Value in Population Health Big Data
Bu, D. D., Liu, S. H., Liu, B., & Li, Y. (2020) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-020-05869-0 · Cited by 4 · cited 1× · see citing works
“22,23,26,28,50,103,121,131,132 This partly results from privacy and con fi dentiality concerns, 22,37 and infrastructure/capacity gaps.”
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Sorted by citations
Erku, D., Khatri, R. B., Endalamaw, A., Wolka, E., Nigatu, F., Zewdie, A., & Assefa, Y. A. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20196854 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
“In addition to comprehensive training for PHC providers, continuous monitoring, updates, and quality assurance mechanisms must be embedded within these digital interventions in order to maximize the benefits of digital tools while minimizing the potential risks [85].”
Abell, B., Naicker, S., Rodwell, D., Donovan, T., Tariq, A., Baysari, M., Blythe, R., Parsons, R., & McPhail, S. M. (2023) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/s13012-023-01287-y · Cited by 131 · see citing works
“Ideally, hospital-system and research stakeholders need to identify constructs that have been shown to influence implementation processes and outcomes, understand potential mechanisms of change, and identify potential barriers and facilitators to successful implementation [13, 14].”
BackgroundJolles, M. P., Fort, M. P., & Glasgow, R. E. (2024) · International Journal for Equity in Health · doi:10.1186/s12939-024-02130-6 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
“Most often, complex health-related interventions are implemented in dynamic and diverse contexts [7, 43, 44].”
BackgroundTHE IMPACT OF BIG DATA ON HEALTHCARE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A THEORETICAL AND ANALYTICAL REVIEW
Ogundipe, D. O. (2024) · International Medical Science Research Journal · doi:10.51594/imsrj.v4i3.932 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Digital Literacy 5.0 to Enhance Multicultural Education
Anurogo, D., Ramba, H. L., Putri, N. D., & Putri, U. M. P. (2023) · Multicultural Islamic Education Review · doi:10.23917/mier.v1i2.3414 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Yew, S. Q., Trivedi, D. P., Adanan, N. I. H., & Chew, B. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/63482 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“…empowerment, efficient health care delivery, timely and personalized care, remote monitoring, and data-driven decision-making, the implementation process of DHTs in the hospital settings, including its facilitators and barriers, is mostly described in the context of high-income countries [26,27].”
Bernhardsson, S., Larsson, A., Bergenheim, A., Ho-Henriksson, C.-M., Ekhammar, A., Lange, E., Larsson, M. E. H., Nordeman, L., Samsson, K. S., & Bornhöft, L. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0283013 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“Thus, both physiotherapists and patients using digital assessment must rely on IT providers to offer secure and reliable real-time video systems as well as systems to safely store their patients’ health data [59, 60].”
BackgroundHarnessing digital health interventions to bridge the gap in prevention for older adults
Daniels, K., & Bonnechère, B. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281923 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Ulrich, S., Gantenbein, A. R., Zuber, V., Von Wyl, A., Kowatsch, T., & Künzli, H. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/50132 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“The sustainability of digital health interventions, particularly with limited public health funding, remains challenging [141,142].”
Towett, G., Snead, R. S., Grigoryan, K., & Marczika, J. (2023) · Globalization and Health · doi:10.1186/s12992-023-00998-7 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“This is particularly concerning in many parts of the world where the legal and regulatory frameworks governing digital health solutions (DHSs) are either lacking, poorly enforced, or not aligned with international standards [52].”
BackgroundDuggal, M., Ayadi, A. E., Duggal, B., Reynolds, N. R., & Bascarán, C. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1090303 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Hurvitz, N., & Ilan, Y. (2023) · Clinics and Practice · doi:10.3390/clinpract13040089 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Tensions and Paradoxes of Scaling Up: A Critical Reflection on Physical Activity Promotion
Koorts, H., Bauman, A. E., Edwards, N. C., Bellew, W., Brown, W. J., Duncan, M. J., Lubans, D. R., Milat, A., Morgan, P. J., Nathan, N., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192114284 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“The time required for scaling up was also perceived as particularly problematic for digital health interventions, which were competing with fast-paced developments in technology [67].”
BackgroundRamachandran, S., Chang, H.-J., Worthington, C., Kushniruk, A., Ibáñez-Carrasco, F., Davies, H., McKee, G., Brown, A., Gilbert, M., & Iyamu, I. (2024) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/52798 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationAdhikari, S., Ahmad, I., Bajracharya, D. C., Khanal, B., Solomon, C., Jayaratne, K., Mamum, K. A. A., Talukder, M. S. H., Shakya, S., Manandhar, S., et al. (2025) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-025-01534-0 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Iyamu, I. O., Ramachandran, S., Chang, H.-J., Kushniruk, A. W., Ibáñez-Carrasco, F., Worthington, C., Davies, H., McKee, G. R., Brown, A. D., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-024-21089-1 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Our study demonstrates gaps in current staccato approaches to building competencies through self-led capacity building results in signi�cant waste as these self-built competencies are limited by systems not built to leverage new digital competencies [30].”
Self-citationBarriers to digital health implementation in low- and middle-income countries: a narrative review
Olayiwola, Q. B., Sanusi, O. M., Amoo, G. S., Agboola, O. J., Adeyemi, J. A., Suleiman, H. A., Ibrahim, M. A., & Hassan, T. A. (2026) · Discover Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12982-026-01875-5 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Brand, T., Herrera-Espejel, P. S., Muellmann, S., Wiersing, R., & Busse, H. (2024) · Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz · doi:10.1007/s00103-024-03832-6 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Borda, A., Molnar, A., Heys, M., Musyimi, C. W., & Kostkova, P. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1153971 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Farías, M. A., Badino, M., Martí, M., Báscolo, E., García-Saisó, S., & D'Agostino, M. J. (2023) · Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública · doi:10.26633/rpsp.2023.150 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“Tales alianzas también se consideran importantes para crear marcos comunes y coor-dinados de interoperabilidad, gobernanza e investigación y así obtener los recursos, el conocimiento y las capacidades necesa-rias para aprovechar el potencial de las intervenciones de salud pública digital (33).”
BackgroundPetit, P., & Vuillerme, N. (2025) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/62939 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Ukaegbu, O. C., & Fan, M. (2025) · Health Policy and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.101024 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Processes Underpinning Successful Co‐Design: Lessons From a Digital Health Project
Burns, C., Kilkenny, M. F., Purvis, T. L., Gall, S., Farmer, C., Barker, S., Booth, B. E., Bray, J., Cadilhac, D. A.-M., Cameron, J., et al. (2025) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.70272 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Delivering Digital Health Solutions that Patients Need: A Call to Action
Popa, V., Geißler, J., Vermeulen, R., Priest, E., Capperella, K., Susuzlu, G., Terry, S. F., & Brooke, N. J. (2023) · Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science · doi:10.1007/s43441-023-00592-4 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“These include fragmentation of the digital health landscape [13, 14], regulatory barriers [15, 16], lack of transparency and data sharing (to support further research and improve research efficiency) [17–20], limited identification and sharing of best practice [21, 22], insufficient digital health…”
BackgroundDereje, D., Lamba, D., Abessa, T. G., Kenea, C., Ramari, C., Osama, M., Kossi, O., Boma, P. M., Panda, J., Kushnir, A. D., et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2025.1505717 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
FDA launches health care at home initiative to drive equity in digital medical care
Brückner, S., Brightwell, C., & Gilbert, S. (2024) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01198-2 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Maaß, L., Badino, M., Iyamu, I. O., & Holl, F. (2024) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/63031 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Self-citationDigital Health Revolution in India: Transforming Health and Medicine
Rana, R. K., Kapoor, N., Kumar, D., Verma, M., & Taneja, G. (2024) · Indian Journal of Community Medicine · doi:10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_803_24 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“[28] Technical challenges include adapting evidence-based standards, privacy and data governance issues, and the potential to manage health inequities.”
Brasileiro, J., Queiroz, A. A. F. L. N., Hightow‐Weidman, L., & Muessig, K. E. (2025) · Current HIV/AIDS Reports · doi:10.1007/s11904-025-00732-5 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Digital Healthcare Innovative Services in Times of Crisis: A Literature Review
Anastasiadou, O., Tsipouras, M. G., Mpogiatzidis, P., & Angelidis, P. A. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13080889 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“This shift is illustrated by the increased use of wireless handheld devices among healthcare professionals, which support seamless data collection and are particularly beneficial for patient care during emergencies [19].”
Why are you? Exploring patients’ behavior in selecting physicians in online health communities
Sun, Z., Wang, K., Jin, Y., Wang, Z., & Yang, R. (2025) · Information & Management · doi:10.1016/j.im.2025.104176 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Tucker, J., & Lorig, F. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1337151 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Wang, P., Tadeo, X., Chew, H. S. J., Sapanel, Y., Ong, Y. H., Leung, N. Y. T., Chow, E. K., & Ho, D. (2024) · PNAS Nexus · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae214 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Ali, S. I., & Shaban, M. (2026) · Nurse Education in Practice · doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2026.104771 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Meierkord, A., Körner-Nahodilová, L., Gotsche, C. I., Baruch, J., Briesemeister, V., Correa-Martínez, C. L., & Hanefeld, J. (2024) · Public Health · doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2024.04.040 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Adu, M. K., Banire, B., Dockrill, M., Ilie, A., Lappin, E., McGrath, P., Munro, S., Myers, K., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Orji, R., et al. (2024) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2024.1449129 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Smrke, U., Rehberger, A., Plohl, N., & Mlakar, I. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app15041937 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Grannell, A., Hallson, H., Gunlaugsson, B., & Jónsson, H. (2023) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2023.1250979 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Iyamu, I. O., Wheelans, C., Haag, D., Roe, I., Chang, H.-J., Donelle, L., Ellis, U. M., McKee, G., Bartlett, S., & Gilbert, M. (2026) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1802392 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“This indicates that workforce readiness is not being systematically addressed along-side technological change, underscoring the need to align workforce capacity with the design, governance, and deployment of AI-enabled healthcare and public health systems (9, 14, 57).”
Self-citationHeitkemper, E., Hulse, S. T., Bekemeier, B., Schultz, M., Whitman, G., & Turner, A. M. (2024) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/51666 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“…public health data are well documented in the literature and include the critical problems of a lack of investment in public health data systems and infrastructure [36-39], issues with data quality [40-42] and data fragmentation [43,44], and the sparse data available about rural communities [8,45].”
BackgroundInfodemiology and Infoveillance of the Four Most Widespread Arbovirus Diseases in Italy
Santangelo, O. E., Provenzano, S., Vella, C., Firenze, A., Stacchini, L., Cedrone, F., & Gianfredi, V. (2024) · Epidemiologia · doi:10.3390/epidemiologia5030024 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Future research can contribute to the development of standardized approaches for digital epidemiology, facilitating cross-country comparisons and collaborative efforts [25].”
BackgroundAshtarian, K., & Etemadi, M. (2023) · International Journal of Health Governance · doi:10.1108/ijhg-10-2022-0094 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Zamantakis, A., Zapata, J. P., Greenawalt, I., Knapp, A. A., Benbow, N., & Mustanski, B. S. (2024) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-024-04525-6 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“In contrast, the inflexibility of DHIs or their limited adaptability has been cited as a major barrier in previous DHI studies [ 30 ].”
LaMonica, H. M., Loblay, V., Poulsen, A., Hindmarsh, G., Alam, M., Ekambareshwar, M., Khan, Q., Song, Y. J. C., Crouse, J. J., Wilson, C. E., et al. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/65705 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
König, L. M., Allmeta, A., Perski, O., Smit, E. S., Newby, K. V., Vandelanotte, C., Poduval, S., Gordon, L., Gültzow, T., Alblas, M. C., et al. (2024) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/d9zx7 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Williams, C. J., & Duff, J. S. (2024) · Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management · doi:10.1016/j.pcorm.2024.100427 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sekalala, S. R., & Lake, S. J. (2025) · Oxford Open Digital Health · doi:10.1093/oodh/oqaf010 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Certain evaluative criteria were additionally informed by literature on digital health regulation, as discussed in the introduction of this article [5, 9, 27, 32, 33] (Table 1).”
Iyamu, I. O., Ramachandran, S., Chang, H.-J., Kushniruk, A. W., Ibáñez-Carrasco, F., Worthington, C., Davies, H., McKee, G. R., Brown, A. D., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/73088 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Our study extends the literature by characterizing the nature of inter-and transdisciplinary partnerships, which are critical for designing and delivering such training programs [17,29,32].”
InfluentialSelf-citationUnraveling the Factors Associated With Digital Health Intervention Uptake: Cross-Sectional Study
Ruotsalainen, I., Valtanen, M., Kärsämä, R., Umer, A., Liedes, H., Parikka, S., Lundqvist, A., Aittola, K., Koivunen, S., Pihlajamäki, J., et al. (2025) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/63896 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Chikovani, I., Soselia, G., Huang, A., Uchaneishvili, M., Zhao, Y., Cao, C., Lyu, M., Tang, K., & Gotsadze, G. (2024) · Health Policy and Planning · doi:10.1093/heapol/czad098 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“For national ownership of the HMIS, accountability mandates matter, also noted in the literature (Chaulagai et al. , 2005; Tull, 2018; Iyamu et al. , 2022).”
MethodBrand, T., Herrera-Espejel, P. S., & Busse, H. (2025) · Springer series on epidemiology and public health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6_12 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Gehrmann, J., Stephan, J., Dehner, J., Stullich, A., & Richter, M. (2026) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-026-14631-x · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“We admit patients every 14 days on Thursday” (Exp2, PhTh, 15)”
Nishan, M. N. H. (2026) · Journal of Public Health Research · doi:10.1177/22799036261455523 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Iyamu, I. O., Haag, D., Carson, A., Wang, I., King, C., Roe, I., Kerr, K., Bartlett, S. R., McKee, G. R., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/72588 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Within this context, incentives for privacy and infrastructure workarounds that are dependent on an enthusiastic few continue to complicate perceived fragmentation [22,37,41].”
InfluentialSelf-citationChen, J., Zhang, Q., Fong, P., & Meng, L. (2025) · Nursing Open · doi:10.1002/nop2.70275 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Enhancing Patient Communication Through Health Professionals’ Digital Literacy
Brînzac, M. G., Ungureanu, M., BUMBU, M., & Baba, C. O. (2024) · Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.24193/tras.72e.1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
DiScO: novel rapid systems mapping to inform digital transformation of health systems
Katapally, T. R., Elsahli, N., & Bhawra, J. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1441328 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Fikrie, A., Daniel, D., Ermiyas, S., Hassen, H., Seyoum, W., Kebede, S., & Wako, W. G. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0311956 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Unraveling the factors associated with digital health intervention uptakePreprint
Ruotsalainen, I., Valtanen, M., Kärsämä, R., Umer, A., Liedes, H., Parikka, S., Lundqvist, A., Aittola, K., Manninen, S. M., Pihlajamäki, J., et al. (2024) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2024.03.18.24304467 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Despite the potential, there are notable concerns regarding the digital divide and its impact on health equity 21 .”
BackgroundGilbert, M., Ablona, A., Chang, H.-J., Iyamu, I. O., Sierra-Rosales, R., Pedersen, H., Flowers, P., Lachowsky, N. J., Grace, D., & Worthington, C. (2025) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076251339016 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationChu, J., Liu, C., Ritchie, C. D., & Kan, K. M. (2025) · Journal of Pediatric Urology · doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2025.07.020 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Sun, Y.-H., Tseng, S., Hou, W., Chen, H., Lin, C., & Wang, Y.-H. (2025) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-025-02860-0 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Canella, C., Braun, C., & Witt, C. M. (2024) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076241255928 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Discursive framework for a multi-disease digital health passport in Africa: a perspective
Towett, G., Snead, R. S., Marczika, J., & y Nogueira, I. P. (2024) · Globalization and Health · doi:10.1186/s12992-024-01067-3 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Additionally, enforcement of existing frameworks may be inadequate, they may misalign with international standards, or they may be outdated, having been established before the emergence of advanced DHS technologies [62].”
BackgroundIyamu, I. O., Gorun, P., Chang, H.-J., Sierra-Rosales, R., Haag, D., Pedersen, H., Bartlett, S. R., Lachowsky, N. J., McKee, G. R., Worthington, C., et al. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/78008 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Within the context of societal digital transformation, there has been increasing recognition of the need for improved measures of DHL to guide public health advocacy, policy, and action at multiple levels [2,8,43,44].”
Self-citationBackman, C., Papp, S., Harley, A., Kolle, A. T., Visintini, S. M., Shah, S., Berdusco, R., Poitras, S., Beaulé, P. E., & French-Merkley, V. (2023) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/42056 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Although asynchronous digital platforms can sometimes be challenging, especially in relation to technological issues [6], successful use of these platforms has been described with patients living with diabetes [7,8], cardiovascular disease [9,10], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [11], and patients recovering pos…”
BackgroundThe Future of Digital Healthcare: Integrating Rights, AI and Open StandardsPreprint
Clim, A. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4576606 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Guo, L., Tan, J., & Hughes, M. C. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1472398 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Role of AI in Revolutionizing Clinical Care
Ghosh, O., Kumar, B., & Roy, P. K. (2025) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-4332-7.ch003 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Assuring a Sufficient and Competent Public Health Workforce for Digital Public Health (EPHO 7)
Brînzac, M. G., Hrzic, R., Hachem, M., & Ogunlayi, F. (2025) · Springer series on epidemiology and public health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6_22 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Izadirad, H., Moein, H., Omara, E., Nakhaie, S., Masoudy, G., & Shahestan, M. K. (2025) · The Open Public Health Journal · doi:10.2174/0118749445407325250919071552 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kalawatia, M., Mehrunkar, A., & Lucke-Wold, B. P. (2025) · World Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.5498/wjp.v15.i10.109462 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Digital Health: Context and Challenges in Brazil with Focus on Public Health
Conrado, L. F., dos Reis, M. E. D. M., Couto, J. F., Viera, L. E. V., Lima, N., Zeferino, A. C. S., da Silva, E. S., & Calado, R. D. (2025) · IEEE International Conference on Industry Applications · doi:10.1109/induscon66435.2025.11241578 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“The non-technical challenges can be considered as “key barriers with regard to the development and implementation of digital public health interventions” [17].”
Thew, H. Z., Yap, A. Q. R., Tan, T. Q., Goh, J. H., & Chen, T. C. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-2175-3_4 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Malungana, L., Motsi, L., & Chimbo, B. (2025) · Lecture notes in networks and systems · doi:10.1007/978-981-96-6935-6_46 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Mannix, S., & Albury, K. (2026) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-025-13970-5 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Snowdon, A. W., Wright, A., Abdulkadir, H., Wymer, J., Howgate, J., & Storey, T. (2026) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1680904 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Lindberg, J. O., Lundgren, A. S., Eriksson, M., & Lindgren, H. (2026) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2026.1748259 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Hsiao, K. H., Quinn, E., Johnstone, T., Gomez, M., Ingleton, A., Parasuraman, A., Najjar, Z., & Gupta, L. (2024) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/37625 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“However, the public health field is beleaguered by tools that are short-lived, duplicative, disconnected, of poor quality, or not suited to user needs [2,4,5].”
BackgroundRamachandran, S., Iyamu, I. O., Chang, H.-J., Kushniruk, A. W., Ibáñez-Carrasco, F., Worthington, C., Davies, H., McKee, G. R., Brown, A. D., & Gilbert, M. (2023) · doi:10.2196/preprints.52798 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationHealth, Technology And Built Environment Nexus: A Systematic Literature ReviewPreprint
Ndimako, O. O., & Sholanke, A. B. (2024) · Preprints.org · doi:10.20944/preprints202404.0088.v1
Vetrivel, S. C., Sabareeshwari, V., Ambikapathi, R., Arun, V. P., & Sowmiya, K. C. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394275397.ch1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Foisey, L., Kothari, A. R., Donelle, L., Booth, R. G., & Quan‐Haase, A. (2023) · doi:10.2196/preprints.47571
Digital Health Intervention of Healthy Indonesia Program with Family Approach: Does it Work?
Prasiska, D. I., & Yaqin, M. J. A. (2023) · Jurnal PROMKES · doi:10.20473/jpk.v11.i1si.2023.1-8
Difficulties and Barriers in Accomplishment of HFA 2000
Yee, H. H. L., & Law, V. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-99-4491-0_3
‘Alam, G. F., Wiyono, B. B., Burhanuddin, B., & Muslihati, M. (2023) · doi:10.1109/icet59790.2023.10435257
“Digital public health arises from an interest in being able to integrate digital technology into the wider scope of people's lives with the breadth of digital integration in various scientific fields [1].”
BackgroundBondaronek, P., Slee, A. E., & Hamilton, F. L. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.57492
Digitale Transformation im chinesischen Gesundheitswesen: Eine Übersicht und Best Practice
Jiang‐Siebert, Q., Yang, M. J., & Yu, L. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-43236-2_64
Djamaluddin, M., Akib, H., & Anshari, A. (2024) · Journal of Multidisciplinary Science MIKAILALSYS · doi:10.58578/mikailalsys.v3i1.4473
Iyamu, I. O., Haag, D., Carson, A., Wang, I., King, C., Roe, I., Kerr, K., McKee, G. R., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.72588
Self-citationIyamu, I. O., Ramachandran, S., Chang, H., Kushniruk, A. W., Ibáñez-Carrasco, F., Worthington, C., Davies, H., McKee, G. R., Brown, A. D., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.73088
Self-citationBondaronek, P., Slee, A. E., & Hamilton, F. L. (2025) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/pgu6li
Kindler, G. S., Kelly, N., & Watson, J. E. M. (2025) · Integrative Conservation · doi:10.1002/inc3.70031
Anforderungen und Möglichkeiten von Digitalisierung in der Verhaltens- und Verhältnisprävention
Zeeb, H., Muellmann, S., & Schüz, B. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-71115-6_3
Digital Transformation for Improving Child Health in South Asia: Do We Need a Reboot?
Dwivedi, V., Dyson, M., Källander, K., & Boussery, G. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/73053
“Despite their potential, digital health interventions remain largely at the project or program level or in pilot phase due to various technical and nontechnical challenges (Textbox 1) in the development of the digital public health infrastructure required to optimize data for health outcomes [4].”
Finlay, S., Lamoureux, G., Moïse‐Richard, A., Ménard, L., & Verduyckt, I. A. (2025) · International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · doi:10.1111/1460-6984.70115 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Overreliance on digital tools could create a reductionist perspective, suggesting that these tools alone are sufficient to address complex public health challenges (Iyamu et al. 2022).”
Participatory Approaches for Digital Public Health: Giving Voice to Values
Shrestha, R., Reinschluessel, A. V., & Niess, J. (2025) · Springer series on epidemiology and public health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6_4
Evidence-Based Approaches in Digital Public Health
Albrecht, J., Tokgöz, P., & Dockweiler, C. (2025) · Springer series on epidemiology and public health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6_6
Disease Prevention, Including Early Detection of Illnesses (EPHO5)
Iyamu, I. O., Haag, D., Pedersen, H., & Gilbert, M. (2025) · Springer series on epidemiology and public health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6_20
Self-citation
- Authors
- Iyamu, I., Gómez-Ramírez, O., Xu, A. X., Chang, H.-J., Watt, S., Mckee, G., & Gilbert, M.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- BC Centre for Disease Control (CA)
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Corresponding author
- Gilbert, Mark
- Venue
- DIGITAL HEALTH
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-01
- Volume
- 8
- Pages
- 205520762211022
- ISSN
- 2055-2076 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9152201
- OpenAlex
- W4282924562
- Cited by
- 118
- References
- 147
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 4.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Digital Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Foundation for Population and Public Health at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Public Health Policies and Education
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare Systems and Practices
- Keywords
- digital public health, digital health interventions, implementation barriers, health equity, health policy, data infrastructure, workforce capacity, intersectoral collaboration, political commitment, citizen participation, digital integration
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