The Challenges of Digitalizing the Health Sector

The digital health landscape looks promising. In just a couple of years, we have experienced a drastic evolution in the adoption of digital technologies for access to health.

All of us who are part of the health system have experienced this transformation: the patients, who have been empowered by learning more and using technological tools so as not to neglect their health; health professionals, who have adopted technology to respond in a faster, more agile and efficient way to the calls of patients; and healthcare providers, who are increasingly seeking innovation and automation to expand and optimize healthcare.

The study, The Transformation of the Health Sector in Latin America, carried out by NTT DATA and MIT Technology Review, surveyed 70 companies from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Peru, with encouraging results: 60% say that more than half of their customers already use digital media, so 80% of organizations have implemented innovative technology solutions in just two years. At least 36% have promoted epidemiological surveillance, more than 80% use data to create strategies and 95% highlight the importance of telemedicine as part of digital transformation.

So far, everything sounds great, but … despite the fact that the evolution toward digital in terms of health seems to be going at full speed, we cannot fail to see that Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the least egalitarian regions in the world: according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the infant mortality of the poorest families doubles that of the richest families in several countries in the region and there are also substantial differences in health coverage.

The implementation of technology could provide a strong push to reduce these inequalities, but before achieving this, several challenges must be faced:

The connectivity gaps. According to The World Bank, nearly three quarters of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean uses the internet. It is used more by those with a higher level of education and higher income, which is proof of inequality in the region. Therefore, universal coverage and investment in infrastructure that allows everyone to access digital technologies is urgently needed.

And already focused on the issue of health, greater connectivity would allow more equitable access to medical care. In this way, more people, including those living in remote locations, would have health coverage.

In Mexico, the Digital 2023 study, carried out by We Are Social, reports that 78.6% of the population has access to the internet (4.6% more than in 2022), which is equivalent to 100.6 million users who may have the opportunity to receive remote care.

Improve digital health literacy. Not only is accessing digital tools important, but it is also knowing how to use them to fully exploit their potential. The more digitally literate patients are, the more information they can learn about self-care and disease prevention, how to get the most out of an online visit, and how to use apps, services, and devices.

For health professionals, keeping digital control of their appointments, records and patient studies as well as having access to countless sources of information in their specialty, simplifies and optimizes their work.

Interoperability. Having incompatible systems makes it difficult to access and exchange information; for example, if an electronic medical record is not compatible with a hospital or laboratory system, a patient's file cannot be correctly completed.

For this reason, there must be greater standardization among the health systems of an entire country and even of the region, so that there is better communication and greater cooperation in favor of health.

The patient at the center. Ultimately, facing and overcoming these challenges leads to better care. It is vital to put the patient at the center of care, focus on prevention and improvement of health services and coverage so that care reaches the most remote places.

Although there are great advances, such as the adoption of online consultation, the automation of health services, and greater management of big data, the health sector still has challenges to overcome to be more inclusive, equitable, and universal.

At Doctoralia, we believe that technology has enormous potential to expand access to health services, reduce costs and bring patients and health professionals closer together. In 2022 alone, we achieved more than 600,000 reservations for online consultations in various specialties, and since 2020, nearly 2 million reservations for online consultations have been registered. It is everyone's commitment — especially health service providers — to continue advancing in this transformation and to provide better technological tools to doctors and patients to make the health experience more humane.