Better training programmes, incentives, and evaluations of perceived technology usefulness could increase the adoption of digital health tools among health and care workers, a new WHO study suggests. “Barriers and facilitators to utilizing digital health technologies by health-care professionals” calls for digital health solutions that take into careful consideration the needs of health-care professionals. It highlights infrastructure, technical, training, legal and ethical barriers, as well as concerns about increased workload.
Dr Tomas Zapata, WHO/Europe’s Regional Adviser for Health Workforce and Service Delivery and a co-author of the study, said, “Digital tools can be a real asset to the health and care workforce, making a more efficient use of limited health worker time, improving coordination, and leading to better patient care. For their successful adoption and to ensure these benefits are realized, it is imperative that the needs and priorities of health-care workers are taken on board from the start.”
Benefits and challenges of digital health
Based on 108 systematic reviews and 9 ongoing studies, the paper, published in Nature Digital Medicine, is the first overview to collate literature on the use and uptake of digital tools among the health and care workforce. The study was conducted by WHO/Europe along with academics from Brazil, Denmark, India, and the United States of America.
The paper notes that digital health technologies, such as wearable devices or telehealth solutions, can improve the performance and satisfaction of health-care employees, offering the potential to decrease the cost of medical services and enhance the quality of care delivered. However, barriers, such as resistance to change, difficulties understanding the technology, low literacy, or poor writing skills, along with scepticism from health-care providers, were often cited in the studies reviewed for the paper.
“By improving patients’ access to their medical results and empowering patients to be more involved with their care, digital solutions can reduce the number of unwanted tests or prescriptions, enhancing the overall quality of care,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, WHO/Europe’s Director of Country Health Policies and Systems and a co-author of the study.
Focus on digital literacy
To tackle these personal and psychological barriers, the study recommends adopting educational activities tailored to the needs and skill levels of all health and care professionals. High-quality, real-time technical support and coaching may also help increase health workers’ efficiency and reduce the fear of using new technologies.
Dr David Novillo-Ortiz, WHO/Europe’s Regional Adviser on Data and Digital Health and a co-author of the study,said, “Digital health technologies are revolutionizing the health-care sector, but many professionals are hesitating to use these tools. As we saw in our latest digital health report, few countries in the WHO European Region are actively investing in digital health literacy. To overcome the barriers and become more comfortable using digital health technologies, health and care workers should receive appropriate training and support.”
WHO/Europe’s report, “Digital health in the European Region: the ongoing journey to commitment and transformation”, launched in September 2023, called for urgent investment and inclusion in digital health. Citing new data from all 53 Member States in the Region, the report showed that just over half of the countries have developed policies for digital health literacy and implemented a digital inclusion plan.
The new study supports the Regional Digital Health Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030, which includes a focus on strengthening digital literacy skills and capacity-building in the general population, especially the health workforce, for the use of digital health services and disease prevention and management.
