25 years of digital health innovations across low-resource countries


 A rapid systematic review published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance tracks the evolution of digital health interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) over the past quarter-century. The study aggregates data from thousands of initiatives, tracing the trajectory from early SMS-based reminders and basic digitization of records to today's complex ecosystems involving telemedicine, big data analytics, and decision support systems. The review assesses the impact of these technologies on the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).


The findings reveal a significant maturation in the sector; interventions have moved from fragmented pilot projects to integrated national strategies. Key trends identified include the shift toward interoperability standards and the increasing use of biometric identification to track patient care longitudinally. The authors emphasize that for the next phase of growth, stakeholders must focus on sustainability, governance, and data privacy to ensure that the digital divide does not widen existing health inequities.

Read the original article at: https://publichealth.jmir.org/2025/1/e68952


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