Transforming Health Systems: Embracing Digital Innovation for Universal Health Coverage

Every November, JSI celebrates Digital Health Week. It’s a time to not only reflect on the ways in which digital transformation can strengthen health systems and move us closer to universal health care, but also to think about how we prioritize people, investments, and opportunities in a field teeming with new ideas. This year, we’re focusing on six key areas: future-proofing digital health; providing patient-centered care; mitigating climate change; scaling infrastructure; creating an equitable digital health environment; and decolonizing the digital health space. We’re sharing some of our experiences in these areas.

A DHA youth enterprise member secures health center connectivity. Photo: JSI

Future-Proofing Digital Health Through Aligned Leadership and a Digitally Enabled Workforce

New technology is only as good as its ability to be used. Digital transformation to strengthen health systems cannot occur without supportive leadership and a robust health information technology workforce. Supportive leadership requires a united vision and clear governance structure to advance that vision. JSI’s CHISU program supports the Burkinabè Ministry of Health in uniting stakeholders with a measurable vision through health information system (HIS) Stages of Continuous Improvement assessments. Read more.

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In Ethiopia, our USAID-funded Digital Health Activity worked with local universities to launch 17 youth enterprises. These entities bring recent graduates into the health information technology sector, growing a field of experts while expanding career opportunities for young people. Our Ethiopia Data Use Partnership, which developed the youth enterprise approach, trained more than 4,000 health workers, revised the country’s HIS curricula for undergraduates and postgraduates, and helped six universities become HIS training hubs, further and sustainably supporting health information technology workforce development. Read more.

Digital Health, Data, and Patient-Centered Care: Putting People First

Though we often highlight the effects of digital health on providers, such as enhanced autonomy and improved workflows, we need to focus on how vital digital health can be for patients navigating health care, too. We’ve documented how mere use of an electronic medical records system in primary health care settings resulted in an 11% mortality reduction. In Ethiopia, our Digital Health Activity team followed one client through a digitally optimized hospital: each unit of the hospital had advanced access to client records and provider-requested services, creating ease in flow. Read more.

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When digital health solutions are applied to medical supply chain management, results include enhanced patient care and safety. For instance, a suite of supply management solutions not only enabled health facilities to drastically drop wastage rates, saving costs, but also ensured client access to non-expired essential medicines in Ethiopia. Read more.

A frontline health extension worker offers high-quality patient care though Ethiopia’s electronic community health information system. Photo: JSI

Digital health technology helps us respond to a changing climate.

Climate Change and Digital Health

As climate change intensifies health risks globally, digital health can help us mitigate it by improving early warning systems, streamlining disaster response, and enabling data-driven solutions that strengthen health system resilience. With CHISU’s support, human and zoonotic data have been integrated and connected to the information systems of Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources, and Ministry of Environment, Green Economy, and Climate Change. This data exchange prevents, detects, and enables the country to respond rapidly to public health risks. Read more.

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Digital solutions can also foster climate change discussions. In India, JSI’s Asia Resilient Cities project is using AI-generated images to engage diverse stakeholders in critical climate challenges like rising temperatures and water scarcity. This approach enables residents to co-create sustainable solutions. Read more.

Scaling Digital Public Infrastructure to Achieve Universal Health Coverage

We recently participated in the first annual Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit in Cairo to discuss how we use DPI to advance Sustainable Development Goal progress. Focusing on reusable, cross-sectoral building blocks like information, communication, and technology infrastructure, data exchange, and digital payments, DPI enables governments to leverage shared national registries and infrastructure for all health service delivery. Read more about how we’re putting this information to use with CHISU.

A health worker uses iVerify, a system that monitors movement of medicines from manufacturers to the point of issue in Ethiopia. Photo: JSI

A health worker shows eCHIS dashboard use at a health facility in Oromia, Ethiopia. Photo: JSI.

Creating an Enabling Environment for Effective and Equitable Digital Health Transformation

An enabling environment for digital transformation requires a unified vision, inclusive policies, adequate infrastructure, capacity strengthening, and constant course correction. All of these prerequisites were in play in Shebedino District, where DUP enhanced evidence-based decision-making to increase health service quality. Read more.

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Sometimes, however, the growing volume of new technology creates complications for health workers and other end users. Indonesia’s Ministry of Health launched a platform to facilitate data exchange among policymakers and health workers, but health workers were overwhelmed by redundant data entry across disparate systems. In collaboration with health authorities, CHISU developed an interoperability mediator that streamlined and reduced time spent on data entry by 51%. Read more.

Decolonising Digital Health, Gender Diversity, and Inclusion

Women come in contact with health systems more often than men but are largely excluded from digital health development. Understanding that women’s participation and digital literacy are needed for effective health interventions, Ethiopia is working to close its digital gender divide. With assistance from partners including JSI, the Ministry of Health (MOH) developed a gender and digital health strategy that is being used to support women in the leadership, design, and use of the country’s digital health investment. The MOH and JSI’s Data Use Partnership also launched the Alliance for Gender Awareness and Resourcefulness to create women data champions that will foster lasting change and usher in a new generation of women leaders in digital health. Read more.

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Similarly, JSI’s CHISU program has systematically embedded gender considerations into its HIS strengthening interventions, as demonstrated by the implementation of a strategy that promotes equitable health policies and programming across various areas. Read more.

A health extension worker guides a community health event in Ethiopia. Photo: Robin Hammond for JSI.