The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Public Health Wales as a collaborating centre for digital health equity.
The partnership will play a key role in shaping WHO’s work on digital health equity and strengthening collaboration and advocacy among regional stakeholders in this area.
A study published by WHO/Europe and Public Health Wales in 2022 found that digital health tools are not accessible to everyone in Europe equally, with people suffering from poor health, migrants and older adults encounter the greatest challenges in using technology.
Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, director of health systems at WHO/Europe, said: “People who stand to benefit most from digital innovation are often the first to be left behind.
“Only 25 countries in our region have implemented a digital inclusion plan.
“We need to better understand and address the drivers of this inequity, so that we can improve everyone’s ability to access, use and truly benefit from digital health technologies. This will be at the core of our partnership with Public Health Wales.”
The study also found higher use of digital health solutions among people with more advanced education levels and higher economic status.
As a WHO collaborating centre, Public Health Wales will contribute to technical reviews, research and evidence-gathering to support WHO’s work on digital health equity at regional and global levels.
Key areas of collaboration include supporting the implementation of the regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030, identifying best practices and guiding inclusive digital health policy development.
Professor Alisha Davies, deputy director of data, digital and research, and head of research and evaluation at Public Health Wales, said: “Health systems in Wales and across the European region are embracing digital technologies and electronic health records to improve health and prevent illness.
“These tools offer significant potential, but if we overlook issues like unequal access, digital literacy and inherent bias, we risk widening existing health inequalities.
“By working with WHO, we aim to ensure that digital innovation is guided by user needs, equity and systems thinking, so that digital health serves to reduce, not reinforce, health inequalities.”
In its progress report on the regional digital health action plan, WHO/Europe said that it is committed to expanding the network of collaborating centres to drive digital transformation in health systems.
There are now four WHO collaborating centres on digital health in the WHO European Region, including the European Campus Rottal-Inn at Deggendorf Institute of Technology in Germany, the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research and the Open University of Catalonia in Spain.
Meanwhile, in July 2024 WHO launched a network to advance data and digital solutions for health through a collaborative approach, bringing together the 53 member states of the WHO European region – including the UK – and partners in the fields of data and digital health.