[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":421},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-why-national-digital-health-transformations-fail":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":205,"relatedBooks":326},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":40,"project_category":57,"contact_email_category":61,"yst_prominent_words":62,"class_list":72,"better_featured_image":107,"acf":141,"yoast_meta":150,"_links":152},32925,"2021-02-23T10:00:00","2021-02-23T09:00:00",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=32925&_wpnonce=7ddbf56d67&status=auto-draft&type=post","2021-02-25T10:33:39","2021-02-25T09:33:39","why-national-digital-health-transformations-fail","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhy-national-digital-health-transformations-fail",{"rendered":17},"3 Reasons Why National Digital Health Transformations Fail",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>An armada of digital health technologies is set to bring healthcare to the 21st century. Artificial intelligence can make the \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fartificial-intelligence-could-solve-alarm-fatigue-in-hospitals\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">alarm fatigue epidemic\u003C\u002Fa> a thing of the past. Medical-grade, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-7-must-haves-for-the-doctor-of-the-21st-century\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">portable diagnostic devices\u003C\u002Fa> make patients the point-of-care. With such potentials and more, it’s no wonder that \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fnational-digital-health-strategies-around-the-world\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">some governments\u003C\u002Fa> are developing national digital health strategies to transform their current systems. A survey from the American Hospital Association suggests that \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fthe-slalom-daily-dose\u002Fmost-healthcare-digital-transformations-fail-start-small-with-data-governance-2b99cf70fee8\" target=\"_blank\">around 85% of hospital executives\u003C\u002Fa> already factor digital innovation as part of their long-term strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bringing about such a change requires heavy investments. To deliver its digital transformation ambitions up to 2024, the U. K.’s National Health Service (NHS) is expected to need \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitalhealth.net\u002F2020\u002F06\u002Fnhs-digital-transformation-remains-tough\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">around £8.1 billion\u003C\u002Fa>. Digital health investments already \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F5-things-we-learnt-about-investments-in-digital-health-new-e-book\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">skyrocketed in 2020\u003C\u002Fa>, which was the record-breaking year in the industry. But with national endeavours, it’s billions in taxpayers’ money that are at play. As such, the question of whether those transformations deliver value for money solutions looms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics-768x432.png\" alt=\"digital health investors\" class=\"wp-image-24505\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F08\u002F100_why-dont-digital-health-investors-finance-hard-topics.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpublications.parliament.uk\u002Fpa\u002Fcm5801\u002Fcmselect\u002Fcmpubacc\u002F680\u002F680.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a recent report\u003C\u002Fa> from the U.K. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the NHS’ 18 years of effort has little to show for. From \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fbillions-are-being-invested-in-digital-healthcare-why-are-we-not-seeing-the-results\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">a missed “paperless NHS” target\u003C\u002Fa> through \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitalhealth.net\u002F2020\u002F11\u002Fdhsc-must-still-learn-the-lessons-of-its-failed-it-programmes\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">failed IT programmes\u003C\u002Fa> to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fbillions-are-being-invested-in-digital-healthcare-why-are-we-not-seeing-the-results\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">poorly implemented projects\u003C\u002Fa>, the NHS’ venture into its digital health transformation could serve as a cautionary tale for others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“\u003Cem>After 18 years of failed attempts to digitally transform the NHS you would hope that the one success that could be claimed was the learning and change to ensure those failures are not repeated\u003C\u002Fem>,” \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitalhealth.net\u002F2020\u002F11\u002Fdhsc-must-still-learn-the-lessons-of-its-failed-it-programmes\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">said Meg Hillier\u003C\u002Fa>, chair of the PAC. “\u003Cem>Incredibly, still, none of the components essential to successful delivery of the digital ambition for the NHS are in place, and instead the Government presses on with expensive and unproven strategies and contracts that cost the taxpayer millions but don’t deliver.\u003C\u002Fem>”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But such failures aren’t confined to the U.K but are noticeable in other countries as well; even among those aiming to be a leader in digital health. But rather than shunning digital health transformations altogether, let’s contemplate 3 reasons why they fail and how to address them properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>1. A focus on health IT rather than digital health\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpublications.parliament.uk\u002Fpa\u002Fcm5801\u002Fcmselect\u002Fcmpubacc\u002F680\u002F680.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">PAC report committee\u003C\u002Fa> says that it is “far from convinced” that the U. K.’s health service learnt the lessons from its former IT programmes. “\u003Cem>The Department and NHS bodies still have a long way to go to deal with the proliferation of legacy IT systems across the health and care system and move on from their track record of failed IT programmes\u003C\u002Fem>,” reads the report. This includes the NHS’ efforts to go paperless and \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fthe-future-of-healthcare-our-vision-for-digital-data-and-technology-in-health-and-care\u002Fthe-future-of-healthcare-our-vision-for-digital-data-and-technology-in-health-and-care\" target=\"_blank\">interoperability efforts between IT systems\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A similar blunder happened in Australia, where the Australian Digital Health Agency \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Faustralia-news\u002F2019\u002Fnov\u002F25\u002Fmy-health-record-failed-to-manage-cybersecurity-and-privacy-risks-audit-finds\" target=\"_blank\">spent $1.5 billion\u003C\u002Fa> to implement the My Health Record electronic health system. With such massive  investment, you would expect proper management over such sensitive data. But in 2019, the Australian National Audit Office found that the government agency \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Faustralia-news\u002F2019\u002Fnov\u002F25\u002Fmy-health-record-failed-to-manage-cybersecurity-and-privacy-risks-audit-finds\" target=\"_blank\">failed to properly manage\u003C\u002Fa> cybersecurity and privacy risks related to those national electronic health records. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We should take note here of the focus on health IT that health agencies spent years and considerable resources on. Mixing health IT with digital health is a common mistake, but it also deviates from implementing actual digital health solutions. While it can be tricky to delineate the terms initially, an easy way to do so is by applying the ‘\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhealth-it-or-digital-health-the-gary-rule-helps\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Gary Rule\u003C\u002Fa>’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F09\u002F015_healthit_vs_digital_health-768x432.png\" alt=\"Gary Rule\" class=\"wp-image-21779\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F09\u002F015_healthit_vs_digital_health-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F09\u002F015_healthit_vs_digital_health-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F09\u002F015_healthit_vs_digital_health-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F09\u002F015_healthit_vs_digital_health.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This rule refers to Gary, the IT specialist. Alone, Gary can fix health IT issues like outdated antivirus software or malfunctioning electronic health records (EHR). However, if there is an issue that Gary alone cannot fix as it requires the input from more stakeholders such as analysing patient data from wearables and addressing the related technological issues, then it’s a digital health issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As such, simply focusing on health IT and updating software will not help achieve digital health transformation. Rather, implementing digital health solutions will achieve that and even existing infrastructures can support these. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We have \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcloud-gaming-can-bring-artificial-intelligence-to-the-doctors-office\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">already discussed\u003C\u002Fa> how cloud computing can bring advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to the doctor’s office. The same technology could support other tools such as remote care, which \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcovid-19-was-needed-for-telemedicine-to-finally-go-mainstream\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">went mainstream amidst the pandemic\u003C\u002Fa>. This could further link up to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftop-health-wearables\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">wearables\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-7-must-haves-for-the-doctor-of-the-21st-century\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">health sensors\u003C\u002Fa> that can improve the patient experience. Thus, redirecting funds along those lines should be prioritised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>2. Failure to understand the need for a cultural transformation\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While technology is a major part of digital health, it is not the most essential element. Before propelling a digital health transformation, another transformation is crucial: a cultural one. This need is spelled out in \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">the very definition of digital health\u003C\u002Fa>, which is “t\u003Cem>he cultural transformation of how disruptive technologies that provide digital and objective data accessible to both caregivers and patients lead to an equal level doctor-patient relationship with shared decision-making and the democratisation of care\u003C\u002Fem>.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Simply put, tech alone will not make the cut. Even with all of the latest technologies at hand, a successful digital health transformation will not be possible until the cultural transformation is achieved. This will involve every stakeholder across the healthcare landscape from patient through provider to practitioner to understand their role in utilising digital health technologies and address relevant challenges and issues. Clinicians could serve as guides, helping patients navigate the waves of new technologies flooding the healthcare landscape. For their part, policymakers should regulate \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftech-giants-in-healthcare-new-e-book\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Big Tech companies’ involvement in healthcare\u003C\u002Fa>; and properly address the relevant \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fyour-privacy-in-the-digital-health-era-the-medical-futurists-guide\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">privacy issues they pose\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F16494-pb3-r1-768x360.png\" alt=\"doctor patient relationship evolution\" class=\"wp-image-16424\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F16494-pb3-r1-768x360.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F16494-pb3-r1-512x240.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F16494-pb3-r1-458x215.png 458w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F16494-pb3-r1.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But we are far from that ideal scenario. A recent example that exemplifies this is \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Facademic.oup.com\u002Fjamia\u002Farticle\u002F27\u002F9\u002F1359\u002F5911974#210354335\" target=\"_blank\">a 2020 study from Mayo Clinic researchers\u003C\u002Fa>. In it, the authors called for caution regarding cases when patients show up to a hospital following an abnormal reading from their Apple Watch. They write that false positives could add to “\u003Cem>excessive healthcare resource utilisation and anxiety among the “worried well.”\u003C\u002Fem>”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Through these studies, many will blame the technology or even the tech adopters for potentially over-burdening hospitals. However, neither the technology nor these “\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcan-your-smartwatch-send-you-to-the-hospital\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">smartwatch patients\u003C\u002Fa>” are at fault here. Rather than avoiding those digital health solutions, physicians should embrace them, and guide patients regarding when to take measurements with wearables and when to seek medical attention. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But physicians are exhibiting poor adoption of digital health technologies even in Germany, which made strides to become a leader in digital health by being the first country to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcareitnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Femea\u002Ftwo-healthcare-apps-available-prescription-germany-first-time\" target=\"_blank\">allow prescription of insured health apps in 2020\u003C\u002Fa>. For instance, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mckinsey.com\u002Findustries\u002Fpharmaceuticals-and-medical-products\u002Four-insights\u002Fgermanys-e-health-infrastructure-strengthens-but-digital-uptake-is-lagging\" target=\"_blank\">McKinsey reports\u003C\u002Fa> that in 2019, 93% of doctors still communicated with hospitals on paper, while 44% of all healthcare facilities exchanged medical data by digital means, and many outpatient doctors and pharmacists remain skeptical of digital solutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>3. Policymakers don’t know enough about digital health tech\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Previously, The Medical Futurist \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-best-practices-policy-makers-free-report\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">issued a free report\u003C\u002Fa> about the best digital health practices that policymakers can adopt. This can help them take the first steps in shaping their healthcare regulations. The report highlighted how policymakers should create a regulated digital health landscape. This is achievable by heeding to patients’ needs through a patient-centric approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Digital Health Best Practices For Policy Makers - Free Report\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FYEDtyANEYFY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, the blatant examples of prioritising health IT over digital health and failing to propel a cultural transformation point to the worrying fact that policymakers themselves don’t know enough about digital health technologies. For instance, the NHS spent \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpublications.parliament.uk\u002Fpa\u002Fcm5801\u002Fcmselect\u002Fcmpubacc\u002F680\u002F680.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">an estimated £11 million\u003C\u002Fa> on its delayed COVID-19 contact-tracing app. However, these apps \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-in-2020\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">haven’t lived up to their promise\u003C\u002Fa> globally due to poor adoption and privacy concerns. But already, the U. K.’s health service is planning for a second app, whose development costs \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpublications.parliament.uk\u002Fpa\u002Fcm5801\u002Fcmselect\u002Fcmpubacc\u002F680\u002F680.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the PAC report estimates\u003C\u002Fa> to amount to some £25 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Instead, governmental bodies could have funnelled those funds into technologies that have proven their worth to handle the crisis, and that are \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-tech-here-to-stay-after-covid-19\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">here to stay\u003C\u002Fa>. From disinfectant robots to 3D printing, such solutions could be promoted among physicians and patients. They could thus get better acquainted with these technologies that will still be in use post-pandemic; and even during a subsequent outbreak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But by investing into poorly established solutions or those they can’t properly manage, they are on track to stifle the coveted transformation rather than boost it. This shows a lack of understanding of efficient digital health tools and even a lack of discussion among other stakeholders, including patients themselves. Without a proper grasp on the clockwork of the digital health industry, how can we expect policymakers to properly implement digital health strategies?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Room for improvement\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And it’s not just national digital health transformation efforts that fail. The Digital Health Trend Study 2019 conducted by Simon-Kucher & Partners \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com\u002Fnews\u002F106160\u002Fhealthcare-sector-often-fails-to-implement-new-digital-initiatives-finds-report\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">found that\u003C\u002Fa> most companies in the healthcare industry also often fail to implement their digital strategies. 80% lack the necessary resources and most fail to successfully monetise their solutions. As such, both the private and public sectors show dire room for improvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>By analysing data from the U.S., researchers \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ama-assn.org\u002Fpractice-management\u002Fdigital\u002Fdigital-health-funding-hits-81-billion-how-spend-it-wisely\" target=\"_blank\">previously found\u003C\u002Fa> that “\u003Cem>leading digital health companies have not yet demonstrated substantial impact on disease burden or cost in the U.S. healthcare system.\u003C\u002Fem>”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F076_digital_health_companies_go_dust-scaled-768x432.png\" alt=\"why startups fail\" class=\"wp-image-23355\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F076_digital_health_companies_go_dust-scaled-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F076_digital_health_companies_go_dust-scaled-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F076_digital_health_companies_go_dust-scaled-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F076_digital_health_companies_go_dust-scaled.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But even then, some positive outcomes have materialised from such efforts. Despite its criticism, the PAC report acknowledged “\u003Cem>the potential for organisations to deploy digital solutions and adapt to new technologies\u003C\u002Fem>.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fbillions-are-being-invested-in-digital-healthcare-why-are-we-not-seeing-the-results\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">the NHS has advised\u003C\u002Fa> trusts to adopt remote consultations; and also promoted novel approaches like electronic prescriptions. Such incentives led to \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fbillions-are-being-invested-in-digital-healthcare-why-are-we-not-seeing-the-results\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">95% of GPs\u003C\u002Fa> to consult patients virtually by Q2 2020.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“\u003Cem>The response to the pandemic demonstrates it is possible to reset and adopt new digital solutions and technologies\u003C\u002Fem>,” \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fbillions-are-being-invested-in-digital-healthcare-why-are-we-not-seeing-the-results\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">said Meg Hillier\u003C\u002Fa>, chair of the PAC. “\u003Cem>But there needs to be a clear strategy that works with local trusts and acknowledges the financial pressures they are under\u003C\u002Fem>.” \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In order for taxpayers’ funds to deliver value for money, authorities should heed to such advice and better strategise their digital health transformation plan. This also applies to private companies venturing into the digital health industry. Only when they understand the core concepts behind digital health and properly implement these will the healthcare landscape truly shift to the 21st century.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD, the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute, launched The Medical Futurist to help individuals, companies, and governments understand how digital health technologies bring healthcare into the 21st century.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u003Cem>“Digital health technologies empower patients to become proactive in their life; empower medical professionals to do their job being supported by advanced technologies, and companies and policymakers to make better decisions about their future.” – Dr. Bertalan Meskó\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To support this transformation, Dr. Meskó and The Medical Futurist team is working relentlessly analyzing the latest trends in digital health and bringing insights to the 800,000+ readers and followers of our publications, along these principles:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: #e71d3299;\">\u003Cstrong>The Medical Futurist is a place to learn, not a place for advertising\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>. The Medical Futurist team is working to bring you unlimited access to reliable, neutral information, that is free from the influence of vendors and companies.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: #e71d3299;\">\u003Cstrong>Unlike many others, we keep 99% of The Medical Futurist content open for all readers\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe in information equality, where everyone deserves to read accurate news and thoughtful analysis.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>For 2021, we commit to another year of high-impact reporting that helps people navigate the jungle of digital health and to see where it is heading. With no shareholders or billionaire owners, we set our own agenda and provide unbiased insights that are free from commercial and political influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>An armada of digital health technologies is set to bring healthcare to the 21st century. Artificial intelligence can make the alarm fatigue epidemic a thing […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",16,32631,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39],504,798,491,521,490,499,800,497,799,[41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56],6737,6739,1346,6203,1385,6255,591,6277,690,6375,702,207,6731,425,6733,6735,[58,59,60],948,952,953,[],[63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71],3825,3829,4047,1571,1617,1681,1883,2017,3005,[73,14,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106],"post-32925","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence","category-digital-health-research","category-empowered-patients","category-future-medicine","category-future-of-pharma","category-healthcare-design","category-healthcare-policy","category-portable-diagnostics","category-security-privacy","tag-digital-health-best-practices","tag-digital-health-trend-study","tag-fail","tag-big-tech","tag-patients","tag-nhs","tag-portable-diagnostics","tag-mayo-clinic","tag-cybersecurity","tag-gary-rule","tag-health-it","tag-digital-health","tag-interoperability","tag-technology-2","tag-cloud-computing","tag-mckinsey","project_category-developers","project_category-policy-makers","project_category-researchers",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":108,"description":109,"media_type":110,"media_details":111,"post":139,"source_url":140},"Money is being poured into digital health. If these investments will be worth it, that's another issue.","Many governments are developing national digital health strategies to bring their healthcare into the 21st century. But do these transformations deliver?","image",{"width":112,"height":113,"file":114,"sizes":115,"image_meta":137},1920,1080,"2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01.png",{"medium":116,"large":122,"thumbnail":127,"medium_large":131,"1536x1536":132},{"file":117,"width":118,"height":119,"mime-type":120,"source_url":121},"tmf_article_241-01-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01-370x208.png",{"file":123,"width":124,"height":125,"mime-type":120,"source_url":126},"tmf_article_241-01-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01-768x432.png",{"file":128,"width":129,"height":129,"mime-type":120,"source_url":130},"tmf_article_241-01-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01-150x150.png",{"file":123,"width":124,"height":125,"mime-type":120,"source_url":126},{"file":133,"width":134,"height":135,"mime-type":120,"source_url":136},"tmf_article_241-01-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01-1536x864.png",{"aperture":138,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":138,"copyright":27,"focal_length":138,"iso":138,"shutter_speed":138,"title":27,"orientation":138},"0",23805,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F02\u002Ftmf_article_241-01.png",{"cta_type":142,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":143,"related_posts_footer":146,"related_posts":20},"subscribe",[144,145],31417,24764,[147,148,149],31317,13929,16392,{"yoast_wpseo_title":151,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":109,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"3 Reasons Why National Digital Health Transformations Fail - The Medical Futurist",{"self":153,"collection":159,"about":162,"author":165,"replies":168,"version-history":171,"predecessor-version":175,"wp:featuredmedia":179,"wp:attachment":182,"wp:term":185,"curies":201},[154],{"href":155,"targetHints":156},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F32925",{"allow":157},[158],"GET",[160],{"href":161},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[163],{"href":164},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[166],{"embeddable":26,"href":167},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F16",[169],{"embeddable":26,"href":170},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=32925",[172],{"count":173,"href":174},18,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F32925\u002Frevisions",[176],{"id":177,"href":178},33063,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F32925\u002Frevisions\u002F33063",[180],{"embeddable":26,"href":181},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F32631",[183],{"href":184},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=32925",[186,189,192,195,198],{"taxonomy":187,"embeddable":26,"href":188},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=32925",{"taxonomy":190,"embeddable":26,"href":191},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=32925",{"taxonomy":193,"embeddable":26,"href":194},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=32925",{"taxonomy":196,"embeddable":26,"href":197},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=32925",{"taxonomy":199,"embeddable":26,"href":200},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=32925",[202],{"name":203,"href":204,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[206],{"id":149,"date":207,"date_gmt":208,"guid":209,"modified":211,"modified_gmt":212,"slug":213,"status":13,"type":14,"link":214,"title":215,"content":217,"excerpt":219,"author":221,"featured_media":222,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":223,"categories":224,"tags":225,"project_category":236,"contact_email_category":237,"yst_prominent_words":238,"class_list":246,"better_featured_image":258,"acf":279,"yoast_meta":280,"_links":283},"2017-10-03T16:00:48","2017-10-03T14:00:48",{"rendered":210},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=16392","2022-05-17T14:00:34","2022-05-17T12:00:34","can-digital-health-bring-small-countries-like-andorra","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcan-digital-health-bring-small-countries-like-andorra",{"rendered":216},"What Can Digital Health Bring To Small Countries Like Andorra?",{"rendered":218,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Did you know that there is a country where life expectancy for women reaches 98.7 years and 89.4 years for men? Where companies and individuals have been paying income tax only for a couple of years? Where the national football team’s captain has collected more than 600 football shirts during his career? Yes, there is a country like that. It’s a micro-state between France and Spain called Andorra. Are you curious how I as The Medical Futurist ended up there and what digital health could bring for countries with less than a million inhabitants? Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Digital health and Andorra – How did I get to one of the tiniest states in Europe?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I often consult with governments and international organizations about the trends in medicine and what measures they should consider bringing their respective communities’ healthcare into the 21st century. Therefore, I gladly accepted the invitation by the Ministry of Education of the Government of Andorra, a country with 80.000 residents, no rail system, no airports, but 300 days per year of sunshine, on average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Since it doesn’t have an airport, it is really difficult to get there  (you either have to drive from airports like Barcelona or Toulouse) but the scene makes up for everything. The scene amazed me immediately, however, I still don’t get how those steep mountainside houses exist and how people are bold enough to live there! The whole country is breathtakingly beautiful, a treasure hidden in the mountains – which is also a downside: it’s far from everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The government organizes a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.universitatestiu.ad\u002Fca\u002F\">summer university\u003C\u002Fa> every year where they invite prominent speakers from many industries starting from digital technology to quantum physics to be able to keep abreast of progress. Last year, Jean Todt, French motorsport executive and President of the International Automobile Federation made a spectacular entry by arriving on a private jet at a tiny airport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>They asked me to talk about how digital health shapes the future of healthcare and medicine and how we can get the most out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"870\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra.jpeg\" alt=\"digital health and Andorra\" class=\"wp-image-16395\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra.jpeg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra-512x512.jpeg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fberci-in-andorra-250x250.jpeg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Andorra: the country with hundreds of years of peace and plenty of pharmacists\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Although Andorra is the 16th smallest country in the world by land and the 11th smallest by population, it has almost 1000 years of history without war. And being small also has its advantages: you only have to travel around 40 kilometers to get into a different country and you do not have to take huge efforts to get to know your fellow citizens. I had dinner with the Minister of Education who is also a scientist with a Ph.D. in chemistry and he told me he got into politics because nobody can avoid that in such a small place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The other huge advantage of being a micro-state in Europe – such as Monaco, San Marino, Lichtenstein and the Vatican – is the multilingual character. Andorra is the only state where Catalan is the official language, but most Andorrans also speak Spanish, French, Portuguese and maybe English. Maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The country ranks relatively high in per capita GDP – around $40,000 compared to $57,000 in the US -, and what’s more important Andorrans seem to have a good quality of life. Their healthcare system speaks for that story. The micro-state has some of the most technologically advanced hospitals in Europe, one of the highest ratios in Europe for pharmacies per capita and, apparently, also English-speaking doctors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"762\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Flocation_andorra.png\" alt=\"digital health and Andorra\" class=\"wp-image-16393\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Flocation_andorra.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Flocation_andorra-768x673.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Flocation_andorra-512x448.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Flocation_andorra-286x250.png 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Its health insurance system is similar to the French healthcare system. Public health is linked to social contributions. The amount you pay depends on your earnings, however, you will still have to pay directly for any services that you consume. There are different payment arrangements for people with different backgrounds. Also, around 25 percent of Andorrans have private health insurance to top up their state health insurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What can digital health bring to countries like Andorra?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As I mentioned before, they have one of the technologically most advanced hospitals in Europe. However, they seemed to be eager to see how they could improve the quality of care and how they could bring their country into the 21st century. They have the resources to implement new things and they are eager to change the status quo. The latter is the most important factor in accelerating change. Moreover, the country’s size comes to their advantage in another aspect: it is easier to organize pilot projects and micro-manage such projects compared to over-regulated, large institutions elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Yet, before you stop reading and said that none of this applies to the majority of healthcare systems as they are much bigger than Andorra’s, I would say that 33 countries have less than 100,000 residents and there are 40 states with fewer than a million people. Digital health might open new horizons for smaller countries to reform their healthcare system through automatizing their administrative processes, streamlining their patient management practices or applying groundbreaking technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics or virtual reality. As they have a space for pilot projects, they are able to experiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"870\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things.jpg\" alt=\"digital health and Andorra\" class=\"wp-image-16397\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things-512x512.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-things-250x250.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>My suggestions:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Embrace digital health\u003C\u002Fstrong> and communicate about its benefits and the potential ethical issues to the public. I gave an interview the national TV and the reporter had very relevant questions about digital health. It’s time to bring the idea of being proactive, empowered patients and using technologies to improve as physicians to the public.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Teach digital health in the curriculum\u003C\u002Fstrong> for medical students. It takes time to get the idea through a university board but when a university is smaller, it might go smoother.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>When \u003Cstrong>politicians have a scientific background\u003C\u002Fstrong> like some of those ministers in Andorra, it might be easier to implement new policies about how to incentivize caregivers to use digital health more.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Having a high life expectancy is not a life insurance. They should \u003Cstrong>keep on being curious\u003C\u002Fstrong> about how they can improve their health and the high life expectancy is only a perfect ground for learning more.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After working with the Senate of Canada, I was very happy to see how those Senators wanted to embrace digital health and automation in general to improve the quality of care. But they have a huge country with a large population and a lot of demands. Countries like Andorra have a unique chance to show the world how automation, disruption and generally digital health can contribute to a better quality of care, patient and physician satisfaction; as well as maybe even better life expectancy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u=5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3&id=efd6a3cd08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.google.com\u002Furl?q=https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u%3D5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3%26id%3Defd6a3cd08&source=gmail&ust=1534355444917000&usg=AFQjCNH9L0BP3FQtAahXcvw9Dg9JLtyZDw\">\u003Cb>Subscribe To The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":220,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Did you know that there is a country where life expectancy for women reaches 98.7 years and 89.4 years for men? Where companies and individuals have been paying income tax only for a couple of years? Where the national football team’s captain has collected more than 600 football shirts during his career? Yes, there is a country like that. It’s a micro-state between France and Spain called Andorra. Are you curious how I as The Medical Futurist ended up there and what digital health could bring for countries with less than a million inhabitants? Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,16401,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[34,36,37],[226,227,228,229,230,231,232,233,54,234,52,235],225,737,246,738,271,275,289,313,519,630,[],[],[239,240,241,66,67,68,242,243,244,69,245],2987,3143,4291,1683,1707,1729,2823,[247,14,74,75,76,77,78,82,84,85,248,249,250,251,252,253,254,255,101,256,99,257],"post-16392","tag-education","tag-andorra","tag-future","tag-small-country","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-innovation","tag-medicine","tag-gc4","tag-digital-technology",{"id":222,"alt_text":259,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":110,"media_details":260,"post":149,"source_url":278},"digital health and Andorra",{"width":261,"height":262,"file":263,"sizes":264,"image_meta":277},870,722,"2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health.jpg",{"medium":265,"large":269,"thumbnail":273,"medium_large":276},{"file":266,"width":118,"height":119,"mime-type":267,"source_url":268},"digital-health-370x208.jpg","image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-370x208.jpg",{"file":270,"width":124,"height":271,"mime-type":267,"source_url":272},"digital-health-768x637.jpg","637","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-768x637.jpg",{"file":274,"width":129,"height":129,"mime-type":267,"source_url":275},"digital-health-150x150.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health-150x150.jpg",{"file":270,"width":124,"height":271,"mime-type":267,"source_url":272},{"aperture":138,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":138,"copyright":27,"focal_length":138,"iso":138,"shutter_speed":138,"title":27,"orientation":138},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fdigital-health.jpg",{"related_posts":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":281,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":282,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":214},"What Can Digital Health Bring To Small Countries Like Andorra? - The Medical Futurist","Are you curious how digital health and Andorra get along? What could digital technologies bring for countries with less than a million inhabitants? Read on!",{"self":284,"collection":289,"about":291,"author":293,"replies":296,"version-history":299,"predecessor-version":303,"wp:featuredmedia":307,"wp:attachment":310,"wp:term":313,"curies":324},[285],{"href":286,"targetHints":287},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16392",{"allow":288},[158],[290],{"href":161},[292],{"href":164},[294],{"embeddable":26,"href":295},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[297],{"embeddable":26,"href":298},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=16392",[300],{"count":301,"href":302},22,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16392\u002Frevisions",[304],{"id":305,"href":306},45473,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F16392\u002Frevisions\u002F45473",[308],{"embeddable":26,"href":309},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F16401",[311],{"href":312},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=16392",[314,316,318,320,322],{"taxonomy":187,"embeddable":26,"href":315},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=16392",{"taxonomy":190,"embeddable":26,"href":317},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=16392",{"taxonomy":193,"embeddable":26,"href":319},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=16392",{"taxonomy":196,"embeddable":26,"href":321},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=16392",{"taxonomy":199,"embeddable":26,"href":323},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=16392",[325],{"name":203,"href":204,"templated":26},[327],{"id":145,"date":328,"date_gmt":329,"guid":330,"modified":332,"modified_gmt":333,"slug":334,"status":13,"type":335,"link":336,"title":337,"content":339,"excerpt":341,"author":343,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"template":27,"yst_prominent_words":345,"class_list":348,"better_featured_image":351,"acf":369,"yoast_meta":389,"_links":392},"2019-09-06T22:00:04","2019-09-06T20:00:04",{"rendered":331},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_type=book&p=24764","2023-03-12T18:14:56","2023-03-12T17:14:56","technologies-shaping-the-future-of-pharma","book","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fbooks\u002Ftechnologies-shaping-the-future-of-pharma\u002F",{"rendered":338},"How Technologies are Shaping the Future of Pharma",{"rendered":340,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>We designed this e-book to serve as a collection of relevant examples, best practices and exciting ideas that can help any pharmaceutical company prepare for change. Many pharma companies have been trying to hop on the “digital train”. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fleanpub.com\u002Fthefutureofpharma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This e-book\u003C\u002Fa> was meant to prove that instead of a train of innovation, stakeholders should think in terms of spaceships and while there is still time to embrace digital health and patient empowerment, those that do it faster will get exponentially ahead of their competitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":342,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>We designed this e-book to serve as a collection of relevant examples, best practices and exciting ideas that can help any pharmaceutical company prepare for […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",10,49977,[68,346,347],2349,4977,[349,335,350,75,77,78],"post-24764","type-book",{"id":344,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":110,"media_details":352,"post":145,"source_url":368},{"width":353,"height":354,"file":355,"filesize":356,"sizes":357,"image_meta":367},320,415,"2019\u002F09\u002Ffuture-of-pharma.png",23355,{"medium":358,"thumbnail":363},{"file":359,"width":360,"height":119,"mime-type":120,"filesize":361,"source_url":362},"future-of-pharma-320x208.png","320","49756","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002Ffuture-of-pharma-320x208.png",{"file":364,"width":129,"height":129,"mime-type":120,"filesize":365,"source_url":366},"future-of-pharma-150x150.png","21008","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002Ffuture-of-pharma-150x150.png",{"aperture":138,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":138,"copyright":27,"focal_length":138,"iso":138,"shutter_speed":138,"title":27,"orientation":138},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002Ffuture-of-pharma.png",{"leanpub_url":370,"buy_button_text":371,"preview":372},"https:\u002F\u002Fleanpub.com\u002Fthefutureofpharma?utm_source=books&utm_medium=referral","Get it on Leanpub",[373,375,377,379,381,383,385,387],{"image":374},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002F1114_pharma_ebook_2022-cover-copy.png",{"image":376},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-03.png",{"image":378},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-04.png",{"image":380},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-05.png",{"image":382},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-06.png",{"image":384},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-07.png",{"image":386},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-08.png",{"image":388},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F09\u002FTechnologies-Shaping-The-Future-of-Pharma-UPDATED-09.png",{"yoast_wpseo_title":390,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":391,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":336},"How Technologies are Shaping the Future of Pharma - The Medical Futurist","This e-book serves as a collection of relevant examples, best practices and exciting ideas that can help pharmaceuticcal companies prepare for change.",{"self":393,"collection":398,"about":401,"author":404,"replies":407,"wp:featuredmedia":410,"wp:attachment":413,"wp:term":416,"curies":419},[394],{"href":395,"targetHints":396},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fbook\u002F24764",{"allow":397},[158],[399],{"href":400},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fbook",[402],{"href":403},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fbook",[405],{"embeddable":26,"href":406},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F10",[408],{"embeddable":26,"href":409},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=24764",[411],{"embeddable":26,"href":412},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F49977",[414],{"href":415},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=24764",[417],{"taxonomy":199,"embeddable":26,"href":418},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=24764",[420],{"name":203,"href":204,"templated":26},1789237967184]