WHO/Europe will host a webinar on 29 January to explore the role of digital determinants of health and their implications for health systems and policy-making. This is the 12th webinar in the Decoding Data and Digital Health series, which addresses digital health topics of importance to countries in the WHO European Region.
Digital transformation of society
Digital determinants of health refer to any factor rooted in or contingent on the digital world that can directly or indirectly influence health or well-being. With technology becoming more deeply embedded in our daily lives, digital determinants of health can affect existing relationships between social, political or commercial determinants and health, or create entirely new ways to influence individual or population health.
A joint study by WHO/Europe and the London School of Economics identified access to the internet, availability of digital devices and digital literacy among the most urgent digital determinants of health. The study, available both as a scientific paper and a WHO report, offers an analysis of health determinants in a digital era, highlighting the complex ways in which digitalization shapes health outcomes.
Among the total of 127 health determinants that emerged or changed in the digital age, other key factors include the moderation of harmful online content, data accuracy and algorithmic transparency, and misinformation and disinformation policies. Such a diverse nature of health determinants in a digital context highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to digital health governance.
The webinar
The 1-hour event will convene international experts to raise awareness, identify challenges and discuss the transformative role of digital determinants in health systems and their potential to bridge or widen health disparities. Participants will be able to participate in a Q&A session and learn about digital inclusion across demographics, as well as about proposed actions and policy recommendations. By highlighting the complex role of digital determinants of health, the webinar seeks to foster a deeper understanding and encourage actions aimed at reducing inequalities and ensuring ethical use of digital health technologies. Ensuring that all populations, particularly vulnerable groups, have equitable access to digital health tools is a key priority of the “Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030” and the WHO “Global strategy on digital health 2020–2025”.
The event will be hosted in English and Russian. It is open to the public, including digital health developers, health and care workers, policy-makers, researchers and representatives of advocacy groups. Please use the registration link if you are interested in taking part.
The Decoding Data and Digital Health webinar series is supported by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety) through the action “Supporting Member States in the WHO European Region in strengthening health information systems and boosting health data governance”.