Digital Health: Needs, Trends, Applications

Abstract

AbstractDigital health and the digitalization of healthcare are universal trends, supported by the increasing use of technology, increasing development of relevant infrastructure, reducing accessibility costs and technological advancements. The term digital health is a blanket term that covers a wide range of themes and applications. In this chapter, the term digital health is further reviewed, as different facets of it are accommodated within the different chapters of the book. Additionally, the main differences between digitization of healthcare between high-income and low-and medium-income countries (LMICs) are highlighted. Furthermore, there is particular attention given to the differences between digital application innovation versus diffusion. Taken together, this chapter provides a concise overview on the background and common understanding that should be used when reading this book, and the particular angles used to investigate the digitization of healthcare in LMICs.