Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 31, 2024
Date Accepted: Nov 25, 2024
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Advancing Digital Health Initiatives in Developing Regions: A Path to Universal Health Coverage
ABSTRACT
Background:
Over the last 25 years, digital health interventions in developing countries have under-gone substantial transformations propelled by technological advancements, increased internet accessibility, and a deeper appreciation of the benefits of digital tools in en-hancing healthcare availability.
Objective:
This study aims to examine the evolution, impact, and prospects of digital health inter-ventions in developing regions, highlighting their role in improving healthcare accessi-bility and equity.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis of digital health initiatives scanning the past two and a half decades focused on the progression from basic SMS platforms to sophisticated mobile health (mHealth) applications and other health digital interventions. Relevant literature and case studies were reviewed to elucidate key milestones, successes, challenges, and opportunities in advancing digital health initiatives in developing regions.
Results:
Digital health initiatives in developing regions initially targeted specific health concerns, such as malaria diagnosis and treatment, through text-based platforms, demonstrating their efficacy in reaching remote and marginalized communities. With the proliferation of mobile phone ownership and internet access, these interventions evolved into com-prehensive mHealth applications, facilitating self-care support, patient education, chronic disease monitoring, and remote consultations. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the adoption of digital health interventions, particularly in disseminating health information, supporting contact tracing efforts, and enabling virtual consultations to alleviate strain on healthcare systems.
Conclusions:
The future of digital health interventions in developing regions holds immense promise, fueled by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. However, challenges persist in ensuring equitable access to digital health technologies, addressing disparities in digital literacy, and establishing robust healthcare infrastructure. Collaboration among governments, healthcare providers, technology innovators, and communities is essential to overcome these challenges and harness the full potential of digital health to improve healthcare outcomes in developing regions.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.