The Digital Health Transformation (T) Labs were conceptualised as part of a report on Managing Digital Transformation for Universal Health Coverage by the Mutual Learning Platform. The report argues for a systems approach to ensure that digital health supports equitable access to health services. It proposes the organisation of transformation labs as a means of building mutual understanding between the health and technology sectors on the factors influencing the incorporation of digital innovations at scale. It also proposes the involvement of citizens in the consultations to ensure that their perspectives are taken into account and to build trust in the emerging digital health system.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for assessing digital health interventions – local context is critical - but there are a range of frameworks and tools to support this. These should be thought of as decision support tools that can be deployed as needed (This will require that countries strengthen their capacities to perform these kinds of function. It also has implications for international agencies and donors, given that strengthening these capacities will require technical and financial resources).
T Labs are currently being planned in India, Kenya and Bangladesh
Look out with upcoming T Labs in Bangalesh with Innovision, Kenya with Health X Africa and India with C-Camp
Digital Health T- Labs will apply an iterative learning approach to the management of digital transformation within health systems that requires all stakeholders to participate in building a full picture of a rapidly changing reality and in identifying the new roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder.
The T-Labs will generate evidence and stimulate new thinking on innovative ways to incorporate technologies into strategies for improving health service performance. Our aim is to build national capacities to manage digital health transformation and create a mechanism for mutual learning between countries in the context of a global digital health industry where changes in market shaping or governance arrangements in one country are likely to affect other countries.
Digital health is part of the broader health ecosystem. Over time, digital innovations are likely to transform many aspects of how the system is organised. The kind of system that emerges and the degree to which it addresses social goals, will depend on action by governments and various stakeholders.
Accountability for health equity in the digitisation of health requires creating space for the needs and perspectives of vulnerable and marginalised people in design, implementation and evaluation processes. It must foster greater awareness and capacity of already existing civil society and community-led accountability efforts to engage with digitisation processes. It demands a value framework that centres on the pursuit of equitable health outcomes for all. The success of digital innovations will ultimately depend on their incorporation into health systems, the capacity of governments to manage change and the creation of sustainable business models.
National strategies need to be informed by mutual learning between countries. International initiatives to develop so-called ‘digital public goods’ may provide useful pro-equity resources, that countries should keep an eye on. Countries need to build their capacity to participate in regional and global negotiations about the governance of digital health. The implementation of change will be influenced by the relative power of different stakeholders, but also by the need to secure widespread belief in the legitimacy of the rules and a willingness to adhere to them.
The T Labs are multi-year processes convening diverse stakeholders to build understandings of the opportunities and potential problems associated with digital health innovations and to then shape, co-create activities that support digital transformation aligned with national policy priorities and establish mechanisms for adjusting implementation based on experience and evidence.
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