Digital Public Health in Europe: Was the COVID-19 Pandemic an Enabler for Healthcare Digitalization?
摘要
Digital public health has influenced how healthcare is delivered and how health data is used for research and the monitoring of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a broader adoption of digital health interventions for public health purposes in several European countries. The European Union passed regulations to ensure data security and developed data hubs for international health data exchange to improve healthcare and public health research in the region. This chapter will present the essential European digital health and digital public health regulations (e.g., the General Data Protection Regulation). It will discuss the European Health Data Space and the importance of equitable access to digital public health interventions. This chapter will then analyze selected national perspectives through seven country case studies. These applied digital public health in various settings: through educational websites, patient portals, telemedicine, medical apps on prescription, infectious disease surveillance systems, and many more. By ensuring equitable access to these interventions and balancing investment in digital public health between populations with high levels of access and those with limited access, Europe can create a future where everyone can access quality health services, regardless of location or socioeconomic status.