Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BETTEReHEALTH (Human, technical and political factors for better coordination and support of e-health in Africa)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-06-30
eHealth has the potential to improve the quality and increase the accessibility and the efficiency of the health and care services, in particular to remote populations and underserved communities. For eHealth services to be successful, they have to be supported by national governments, who have established eHealth policies and strategies and demonstrate strong ownership of their national eHealth programmes. eHealth programmes will only achieve their objectives, if they are adapted to country needs, are citizen-centered and sustainable through sound public finance management.
The successful deployment of eHealth solutions is of paramount importance to society in Low and Lower Middle Income Countries for several reasons. Primarily, it directly impacts healthcare accessibility, especially in underserved regions. By leveraging technology, eHealth can bridge the gaps in healthcare delivery, improve disease management, enhance patient care, and contribute to disease prevention and control. It has the potential to make healthcare services more efficient, cost-effective, and widely accessible, ensuring that even the most vulnerable populations receive quality care. Moreover, it can stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and foster collaboration between different sectors, thereby contributing to the overall socio-economic development of these nations.
The project’s objective was to inform eHealth policymaking towards better health outcomes through a bottom-up evidence-based holistic approach that is addressing the three aspects related to successful eHealth: human, technical and public policy factors.
BETTEReHEALTH has also created registries of eHealth solutions and policies that can be used to identify best-practices and produce useful knowledge regarding eHealth implementation. The knowledge produced in registries, together with the input from the other activities of the project has been synthesized into an eHealth policy roadmaps and has led to strategic implementation plans for better eHealth services for the four countries hosting Regional Hubs, but is also of high relevance for other African countries.
Through the projects activities, BETTEReHEALTH increased the level of international cooperation in eHealth, informed and strengthened end-user communities and policy makers in making the right decisions for the successful implementation of eHealth, and increased the opportunities for stakeholders in Africa and Europe.
The successful deployment of eHealth solutions is of paramount importance to society in Low and Lower Middle Income Countries for several reasons. Primarily, it directly impacts healthcare accessibility, especially in underserved regions. By leveraging technology, eHealth can bridge the gaps in healthcare delivery, improve disease management, enhance patient care, and contribute to disease prevention and control. It has the potential to make healthcare services more efficient, cost-effective, and widely accessible, ensuring that even the most vulnerable populations receive quality care. Moreover, it can stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and foster collaboration between different sectors, thereby contributing to the overall socio-economic development of these nations.
The project’s objective was to inform eHealth policymaking towards better health outcomes through a bottom-up evidence-based holistic approach that is addressing the three aspects related to successful eHealth: human, technical and public policy factors.
BETTEReHEALTH has also created registries of eHealth solutions and policies that can be used to identify best-practices and produce useful knowledge regarding eHealth implementation. The knowledge produced in registries, together with the input from the other activities of the project has been synthesized into an eHealth policy roadmaps and has led to strategic implementation plans for better eHealth services for the four countries hosting Regional Hubs, but is also of high relevance for other African countries.
Through the projects activities, BETTEReHEALTH increased the level of international cooperation in eHealth, informed and strengthened end-user communities and policy makers in making the right decisions for the successful implementation of eHealth, and increased the opportunities for stakeholders in Africa and Europe.
The project's key activities encompass:
- Registry Development: Creation of SolReg for eHealth solutions and PolReg for eHealth policies, offering a comprehensive repository of pertinent data.
- Strategic Partnership Mapping: Identifying and assessing strategic partnerships crucial for eHealth deployment in African countries.
- Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Analyzing successful approaches and experiences in eHealth initiatives.
- Research Priorities: Mapping research agendas within the eHealth research community in African countries, highlighting crucial areas and gaps.
- Stakeholder Analysis: Identifying and engaging significant players in the eHealth sector for comprehensive eHealth policies.
- User-Centeredness and Sustainability: Focusing on capacity-building initiatives, addressing digital literacy obstacles in healthcare settings.
- Stakeholders Involvement in Policy: Exploring human factors influencing eHealth policies and programs.
- Accessible eHealth & Universal Access: Identifying initiatives promoting universal access and user-friendliness in eHealth.
- Addressing eHealth Standards and Interoperability: Assessing eHealth standards and interoperability in low and lower-middle-income African countries.
- Sustainable and Trustable Infrastructure Requirements: Identifying facilitators and barriers for sustainable eHealth implementation in participating countries.
- Strategy and Future Directions for Scaling-up eHealth: Developing a conceptual framework for effective scaling-up of eHealth.
- Existing eHealth Policies Review in African LLMICs: Reviewing eHealth policies in partner countries within the consortium.
- Development of an eHealth Policy Roadmap: Creating a generic eHealth policy roadmap focused on ethical, financial, and legislative aspects.
- Strategic Implementation Plans for African LLMICs: Developing country-specific eHealth implementation plans based on the generic roadmap.
- Establishment of Regional Hubs: Connecting stakeholders across regions in Africa to facilitate collaboration and sharing experiences.
- Organization of Regional Hub Workshops and international networking events: Providing platforms for discussion, feedback, and sharing of best practices.
These activities underscore the project's comprehensive efforts in advancing eHealth initiatives, addressing critical aspects for effective implementation and scalability, and promoting collaboration among stakeholders in Africa.
- Registry Development: Creation of SolReg for eHealth solutions and PolReg for eHealth policies, offering a comprehensive repository of pertinent data.
- Strategic Partnership Mapping: Identifying and assessing strategic partnerships crucial for eHealth deployment in African countries.
- Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Analyzing successful approaches and experiences in eHealth initiatives.
- Research Priorities: Mapping research agendas within the eHealth research community in African countries, highlighting crucial areas and gaps.
- Stakeholder Analysis: Identifying and engaging significant players in the eHealth sector for comprehensive eHealth policies.
- User-Centeredness and Sustainability: Focusing on capacity-building initiatives, addressing digital literacy obstacles in healthcare settings.
- Stakeholders Involvement in Policy: Exploring human factors influencing eHealth policies and programs.
- Accessible eHealth & Universal Access: Identifying initiatives promoting universal access and user-friendliness in eHealth.
- Addressing eHealth Standards and Interoperability: Assessing eHealth standards and interoperability in low and lower-middle-income African countries.
- Sustainable and Trustable Infrastructure Requirements: Identifying facilitators and barriers for sustainable eHealth implementation in participating countries.
- Strategy and Future Directions for Scaling-up eHealth: Developing a conceptual framework for effective scaling-up of eHealth.
- Existing eHealth Policies Review in African LLMICs: Reviewing eHealth policies in partner countries within the consortium.
- Development of an eHealth Policy Roadmap: Creating a generic eHealth policy roadmap focused on ethical, financial, and legislative aspects.
- Strategic Implementation Plans for African LLMICs: Developing country-specific eHealth implementation plans based on the generic roadmap.
- Establishment of Regional Hubs: Connecting stakeholders across regions in Africa to facilitate collaboration and sharing experiences.
- Organization of Regional Hub Workshops and international networking events: Providing platforms for discussion, feedback, and sharing of best practices.
These activities underscore the project's comprehensive efforts in advancing eHealth initiatives, addressing critical aspects for effective implementation and scalability, and promoting collaboration among stakeholders in Africa.
Throughout our human-centered initiatives, we've prioritized patient and citizen empowerment, actively involving them in shaping e-health policies and programs. We've engaged with initiatives promoting digital literacy, addressing diverse access dimensions such as socio-economic and gender differences.
The project focuses on enhancing user experience and e-health system accessibility. Advocating for user-friendly, accessible solutions ensures broad user reach regardless of demographics.
For sustainable infrastructure, we're dedicated to expanding overall e-health service accessibility. Our public policy actions focus on ensuring the safety and privacy of e-health solutions.
The e-health solutions registry aids health professionals, driving informed decision-making. Consolidated evidence significantly boosts e-health adoption among professionals. In addition, we collaborated with the World Health Organisation's Digital Health Atlas to increase the outreach of our registry data.
Anticipating positive outcomes from successful e-health policies, we expect improved accessibility and higher-quality healthcare. By addressing concerns related to professional liability, our project has successfully raised awareness among policymakers, aiming to alleviate worries about malpractice for health professionals utilizing e-health solutions.
BETTEReHEALTH led in increased awareness about eHealth issues, focusing on user empowerment, technical accessibility, and robust policies for an inclusive and secure e-health environment. Through collaboration, we aim for widespread e-health adoption, benefiting healthcare for all.
The project focuses on enhancing user experience and e-health system accessibility. Advocating for user-friendly, accessible solutions ensures broad user reach regardless of demographics.
For sustainable infrastructure, we're dedicated to expanding overall e-health service accessibility. Our public policy actions focus on ensuring the safety and privacy of e-health solutions.
The e-health solutions registry aids health professionals, driving informed decision-making. Consolidated evidence significantly boosts e-health adoption among professionals. In addition, we collaborated with the World Health Organisation's Digital Health Atlas to increase the outreach of our registry data.
Anticipating positive outcomes from successful e-health policies, we expect improved accessibility and higher-quality healthcare. By addressing concerns related to professional liability, our project has successfully raised awareness among policymakers, aiming to alleviate worries about malpractice for health professionals utilizing e-health solutions.
BETTEReHEALTH led in increased awareness about eHealth issues, focusing on user empowerment, technical accessibility, and robust policies for an inclusive and secure e-health environment. Through collaboration, we aim for widespread e-health adoption, benefiting healthcare for all.