The Role of Digital Health Policy and Leadership

Book excerpt: Digital health technologies could change the trajectory of current healthcare systems and make them more proactive. Advanced predictive technologies have now become available which make this more possible than ever before, but it will not happen without improved policies, regulations, and governance of our systems. Health informatics must operate at the macro level if it is to provide policymakers and other stakeholders with the information they need to better allocate resources and intervene more effectively. This book presents the proceedings of FHLIP, the Future of Health Leadership, Informatics, and Policy Conference, held on 22 February 2024 in Toronto, Canada. The conference aimed to catalyze the development of proactive, innovative digital-health solutions capable of addressing the ever-evolving challenges faced by the healthcare sector, and lay the groundwork for a more resilient, patient-centered healthcare ecosystem. It provided a platform for stakeholders to identify challenges, question assumptions, and better understand the roles of policymakers and vendors. The conference received a total of 26 submissions, of which 19 were selected for presentation at the conference and publication here after a thorough review process. Topics covered included interoperability and governance, regulation of electronic medical records, addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, scaling up use of artificial intelligence and the design of health system level architectures for large scale interventions. The book looks forward to a future where digital health makes contributions beyond the provider and patient level and will be of great interest to not only those working in the field of health informatics and digital health, but also to digital leaders and policy makers interested in taking their healthcare systems From Reactive to Proactive.