Information and Digitalisation
Digital technologies for health and healthcare can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The introduction of digital technologies in healt/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/h is very crucial for the sustainable health agenda. A form of digital health is the digitalisation of information, a process that converts health data and information from a non-digital format (e.g paper) to a digital format (e.g. electronic health record).
Digital health increases flexibility, efficiency, and accessibility while reducing costs. It can also enhance the engagement and empowerment of patients through the digitalised portals. Despite the benefits, digitalisation of information faces challenges globally in terms of security, governance and regulations. More information on the implementation of innovations about information digitalisation is needed.
We believe that engaging your stakeholders at an early stage is a recipe for success. Like when doing other health interventions, it is important to co-design these interventions with users. In this toolkit we have shortlisted a number of key actions to guide you when implementing and sustaining your efforts when digitalising information in healthcare.
The Toolkit
We mapped relevant documents on the process of designing, implementing and scaling-up interventions on health information digitalisation. Like other health interventions, it is important to co-design these interventions with users. We believe that engaging your stakeholders at an early stage is a recipe for success.
We recommend that you try and answer these three questions:
(1) What type of data are you making digital in what context?
(2) What is the best route to make your data digital?
(3) How do you make sure the data works and is future-proofed?
These three steps were inspired from the information system for health (IS4H) blueprint for a successful implementation (Link to see figure).
What type of data are you making digital in what context?
Health interventions do not happen in vacuum but are rather implemented in their own systems. It is therefore important to establish an understanding of the context in which any intervention is to be implemented in. Evaluations of digitalisation projects emphasise on the importance of understanding the context and the processes involved in the collection, storing and processing of health information.
What is the best route to make your data digital?
Building on the insights of your context you can now develop your own digitalisation strategy. Healthcare institutions need to know how to formulate a functional strategy in order to keep up with emerging customer demands and to achieve their full potential. In the key actions below you will find inspiration on how to develop an action plan and keep track with checklists and tools to help design great interventions.
How do you make sure the data works and is future-proofed?
Now it’s time to put your design into action. At this point you want to make sure that all team members involved in implementation are on-board and aware of what needs to be done. It is important to monitor implementation to make sure that objectives are being met, design modifications are done, and challenges are being managed.
Want to know more?
There are many other recommended literature as references when you are digitalising the data. We have compiled a deep dive for you who like to read up more on the link below.
We wish you the best of luck digitalising your information and data!
DOWNLOAD FULL LIST OF REFERENCES
Operated by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden
and Makerere University in Uganda