The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the Digital transformation handbook for primary health care, a roadmap to help countries digitize their health information to improve how health services are delivered. 

The 98-page roadmap was codeveloped through years of collaboration with the Human Reproduction Program and the Department of Digital Health and Innovation. 

It was written with the intent to articulate software and system requirements for a person-centered point of service system (PCPOS) in two key scenarios: starting from a paper-only system and starting with parts of a system already digitized. 

The handbook outlines how to integrate digital solutions, including how tools can be tailored to enhance patient tracking, streamline information flow and to improve decision support. 

It also outlines standards to ensure interoperability with digital implementation based on global standards like SMART Guidelines, an approach to systematize and expedite the application of digital life-saving interventions, and HL7 FHIR, which outlines standards for data exchange. 

The handbook also emphasizes how to use digital tools for patient-centered care, such as frameworks to integrate patient engagement platforms in order to ease connectivity between providers and patients, and to personalize patient care.  

Steps are also provided in the handbook around properly training individuals on the digital tools, as well as deploying and scaling the platforms.

"Transitioning legacy paper and digital systems to interoperable, integrated and comprehensive digital systems that promote health system objectives and improve data utilization is a daunting endeavor," the handbook's authors note. 

"This handbook not only discusses digitization of paper-based records, but also helps countries move towards digitalization, which can ultimately lead to digital transformation, fundamentally changing how health services are delivered and accessed."

THE LARGER TREND

In September, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) released its digital health position paper, outlining the Agency's strategic vision for investments and activities to advance digital technologies. 

The paper emphasizes four priorities for digital health investments, including evaluating and strengthening a country’s digital health infrastructure, aligning investments with national digital health strategies and architectures, and leveraging global goods, such as open-source digital tools.

It also details six guiding principles for USAID’s digital health activities, including a commitment to person-centered, point-of-care digital systems; engaging local partners; investing in resources that foster global digital health advancement; requiring standards for integrated health service delivery; supporting country-led digital health governance; and enhancing data privacy, cybersecurity and regulatory frameworks.