Digital Health Exemplars
Identifying the key factors driving successful digital health transformation within primary healthcare (PHC) systems
Overview
Digital health - which refers to the use of technologies to improve access and quality of care - has played a critical role in strengthening health systems worldwide. Digital technologies aim to bring more equitable service delivery to communities around the world. Some examples include the use of mobile phones to provide access to care, telemedicine, and health information systems that drive data use for decision-making. As countries continue to modernize their healthcare infrastructure, the question persists on how and where to digitize to drive impact.
The Digital Health Exemplars (DHE) study, part of the Exemplars in Global Health program, aims to identify the key factors driving successful digital health transformation within primary healthcare (PHC) systems. This initiative examines how five countries—Rwanda, Ghana, India, Brazil, and Finland —each at different stages of digital maturity, leverage digital tools to enhance healthcare delivery and promote adoption at the national level. These countries, classified as emerging, transitioners, advanced, or leaders in their digital transformation journeys, offer valuable insights into various phases of digital evolution and enable meaningful cross-country comparisons.
The policy and practice lessons drawn from this research can inform future strategies for digital transformation in health systems, both within the study countries and in broader global contexts.
Our Research Objectives
What are the enablers of digital transformation of primary healthcare?
We conducted key informant interviews with government and health system-level stakeholders to better understand what effective strategies were for engaging key players (i.e., government, private sector, other) for mobilizing resources for and facilitating the adoption of digitization at the national and subnational levels.
What are the pathways to scaling and sustaining digital health interventions?
- We identified 2-3 digital health interventions in each country and studied their reach, adoption, and coverage.
- We conducted key informant interviews to understand the drivers and barriers of implementing, scaling, and sustaining their adoption.
What is the impact of scaled digital health interventions?
With the 2-3 digital health interventions, we studied the impact they had on health coverage, access, quality, and health outcomes.
Project Insights
Country-Specific and Cross-Country Findings
Collaborating Institutions
The DHE study includes a broad collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Digital Health Innovation (CGDHI), the Center for Digital Health and Implementation (CDHI) at the University of Gondar, the University of Ghana School of Public Health, Africa Quantitative Sciences (Rwanda), the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (Bangalore and Delhi, India), and the Instituto de Estudos para Políticas de Saúde (Brazil), which are leading the Exemplar country case studies; McKinsey Health Institute, which is leading the deep dives into key digital health transformation themes; and the World Bank group, which is facilitating the peer-to-peer learning exchange via the Joint Learning Network. The Gates Foundation is part of the consortium and the funder of the DHE project. Please also check out the Exemplars in Global Health page on Digital Health Exemplars.
JHU Research Team
Smisha Agarwal, PHD, MPH ’09, MBA, Associate Professor (Principal Investigator)
Lena Kan, MSPH ’21, Research Associate II
shivani pandya MPH'19, Research Associate II
Suruchi Gupta MD, MPH'23, Research Scientist
Yoko Shimada, DrPH(c), MHS, Research Scientist
Patty Mechael, PhD, MHS, Senior Associate