Abstract
BackgroundThe recent proliferation and application of digital technologies in public health has spurred interest in digital public health. However, as yet, there appears to be a lack of conceptual clarity and consensus on its definition.ObjectiveIn this scoping review, we seek to assess formal and informal definitions of digital public health in the literature and to understand how these definitions have been conceptualized in relation to digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation.MethodsWe conducted a scoping literature search in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and 14 government and intergovernmental agency websites encompassing 6 geographic regions. Among a total of 409 full articles identified, we reviewed 11 publications that either formally defined digital public health or informally described the integration of digital technologies into public health in relation to digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation, and we conducted a thematic analysis of the identified definitions.ResultsTwo explicit definitions of digital public health were identified, each with divergent meanings. The first definition suggested digital public health was a reimagination of public health using new ways of working, blending established public health wisdom with new digital concepts and tools. The second definition highlighted digital public health as an asset to achieve existing public health goals. In relation to public health, digitization was used to refer to the technical process of converting analog records to digital data, digitalization referred to the integration of digital technologies into public health operations, and digital transformation was used to describe a cultural shift that pervasively integrates digital technologies and reorganizes services on the basis of the health needs of the public.ConclusionsThe definition of digital public health remains contested in the literature. Public health researchers and practitioners need to clarify these conceptual definitions to harness opportunities to integrate digital technologies into public health in a way that maximizes their potential to improve public health outcomes.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.2196/preprints.27686
Highlights
BackgroundThe past two decades have been characterized by rapid proliferation and application of digital technologies in various domains of public health [1,2]
The findings presented in this study are part of a larger scoping review aimed at conceptualizing the breadth of digital public health, the methods for which are described elsewhere [15]
We found that a significant number of articles made references to the terms digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation in public health
Summary
BackgroundThe past two decades have been characterized by rapid proliferation and application of digital technologies in various domains of public health [1,2]. The increasing importance of digital technologies in public health is underscored by the creation of strategic frameworks by international and regional public health agencies to harness the potential benefits of digital technologies to improve public health outcomes [4]. Recognition of the importance of digital technologies in public health services is further emphasized by the increasingly common use of the term digital public health within public health discourse [5]. Among a total of 409 full articles identified, we reviewed 11 publications that either formally defined digital public health or informally described the integration of digital technologies into public health in relation to digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation, and we conducted a thematic analysis of the identified definitions. Public health researchers and practitioners need to clarify these conceptual definitions to harness opportunities to integrate digital technologies into public health in a way that maximizes their potential to improve public health outcomes.
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