Emerging Innovations in Current Drug Discovery Technologies: The Role of Regulatory Policies and Financial Investments in Healthcare Transformation.

Background The digitalization of healthcare systems is expected to lead to improvements in the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. Despite Germany’s leading economic and technological position, the implementation and utilization of digital health solutions is lagging far behind internationally. A look at other countries shows that the digital transformation in healthcare can be successful, and that financial resources and available technologies are not the only determining factors. Rather, it is a matter of political processes, the interests of different stakeholders and the acceptance of patients and HCPs. Methods While the impression often arises that the selection of countries in case studies is random, eight international case studies were identified using a scientific method. A systematic and multi-stage process was developed to select the case studies, taking into account various relevant criteria (e.g. degree of digitalization, geography, economy). The implementation and use of various digital health tools will be examined in selected countries and healthcare systems, in which the digitalization of the healthcare system is particularly advanced. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with experts from the international healthcare systems between fall 2024 and summer 2025. The findings will inform the development of recommendations for actions for policymakers in Germany. Conclusions This study aims to provide new insights into the key success and failure factors for the digital transformation of healthcare systems. Recommendations for action, tailored specifically to the German healthcare system and aimed at policymakers, are intended to support decision-makers in setting the course for a successful further transformation towards digital health. Key messages • International case studies will be used to identify factors that contribute to the success or failure of digital transformation in healthcare systems. • Based on the findings of this research, recommendations for action will be developed for policymakers in Germany to set the course for the successful further digitalization of healthcare.

What Is the 2025 Watch List? The Watch List is an annual Horizon Scan report from Canada’s Drug Agency that presents emerging technologies and issues that have potential to shape the future of health care in Canada. The 2025 Watch List focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in health care and the issues that may arise with the implementation of these technologies. AI technologies have the potential to significantly transform health care systems. These technologies could increase efficiency by reducing administrative burden, improve patient outcomes, and enhance patient experience by creating more access points to the health care system. However, there are also legal, ethical, environmental, and social implications with the rollout of these technologies. Why Is This an Issue? Substantial public and private investments are being made in AI technologies for health care. AI technologies are already being implemented in some parts of the Canadian health care system. Commercial options, such as ChatGPT, allow AI technologies to be used by patients to assist with their health care journeys. Because they are readily available and easy to use, these same tools are sometimes used by clinicians and, in some cases, without sanction or training from employers or regulators. AI health care technologies also present an opportunity to fundamentally change health care by its ability to replace, displace, or augment tasks that have traditionally required human cognition. The potential health human resources impact of machines taking on some this load is significant given the increasing demand for health care services and the finite capacity of health care systems in Canada. What Is the Potential Impact? The Watch List signals which technologies are poised to make an impact and the policies, regulatory or organizational enablers, and/or guardrails that are needed to optimize the proliferation of these technologies in the health care system. The 2025 Watch List also focuses on considerations for optimizing and accelerating implementation, such as the massive potential impact on operations, clinical outcomes, and staff and patient experience, while minimizing risks. What Else Do We Need to Know? The 2025 Watch List of AI technologies and issues in health care was developed through consensus-based decision-making at a workshop in November 2024 including individuals from across Canada with experience and expertise in AI. The 2025 Watch List identifies and describes the top 5 new and emerging AI technologies in health care. Examples include AI for notetaking and AI for disease detection and diagnosis. We also explore some considerations for health care decision-makers about the impact these technologies may have on health human resources, health care infrastructure, and health equity. The 2025 Watch List also identifies the top 5 issues related to AI technologies in health care. Examples include the importance of establishing guidelines around what data are used to train AI algorithms and how that might contribute to bias as well as considerations about the liability and accountability of health care providers and systems that use these technologies. These are key issues that warrant more attention and will influence the wider adoption, diffusion, and implementation of new and emerging AI technologies. Monitoring ongoing developments and evidence related to the top technologies and issues highlighted in the 2025 Watch List can help guide health system planning in Canada and improve access to high-quality care.

Background: Although research shows that digital health tools (DHT) are increasingly integrated with healthcare in the United States, very few studies have investigated the rural-urban differences in DHT adoption at the national level. Individuals in rural communities experience disproportionately greater rates of chronic diseases and face unique challenges in accessing health care. Studies have shown that digital technology can improve access and support rural health by overcoming geographic barriers to care.Objective: To evaluate the rates of ownership and preferences for utilization of DHT as a measure of interest among rural adults compared to their urban counterparts in the United States using a National Inpatient Survey.Methods: Data was drawn from the 2019 (n= 5438) iteration of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5 cycle 3). Chi-square tests and weighted multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to examine rural-urban differences regarding ownership, usage, and use of digital health tools to interact with health care systems while adjusting for health-related characteristics and sociodemographic factors.Results: The ownership rates of digital health technology (DHT) devices, including tablets, smart phones, health apps, and wearable devices, were comparable between rural and urban residents. For tablets, the ownership rates were 54.52% among rural residents and 60.24% among urban residents, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.87 (95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.61, 1.24). The ownership rates of health apps were 51.41% and 53.35% among rural and urban residents, respectively, with an adjusted OR of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.42). For smartphones, the ownership rates were 81.64% among rural residents and 84.10% among urban residents, with an adjusted OR of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.59, 1.11). Additionally, rural residents were equally likely to use DHT in managing their healthcare needs. Both groups were equally likely to have reported their smart device as helpful in discussions with their healthcare providers (OR 0.90; 95% CI 63 - 1.30; p = 0.572). Similarly, there were similar odds of reporting that DHT had helped them to track progress on a health-related goal (e.g., quitting smoking, losing weight, or increasing physical activity) (OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.75 - 1.83; p = 0.491), and to make medical decisions (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.70 - 1.59; p = 0.797). However, they had lower rates of internet access and were less likely to use DHT for communicating with their healthcare providers.Conclusion: We found that rural residents are equally likely as urban residents to own and use DHT to manage their health. However, they were less likely to communicate with their health providers using DHT. With increasing use of DHT in healthcare, future research that targets reasons for geographical digital access disparities is warranted.

Digital health tools have emerged as transformative solutions in public health, bridging gaps in patient care and enhancing crisis response mechanisms. This review explores the theoretical foundations, applications, challenges, and future potential of digital health tools, providing a comprehensive analysis through a case study methodology. The findings underscore the tools' significant contributions to patient-centered care, chronic disease management, and pandemic response, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. Notable advancements include telemedicine platforms, wearable devices, and public health surveillance systems, which have demonstrated efficacy in improving health outcomes and resource allocation. The study identifies recurring challenges, such as barriers to adoption due to digital literacy gaps, privacy concerns, and technological disparities in underserved populations. Integration issues, including interoperability and alignment with existing healthcare systems, further complicate the scalability of these tools. Additionally, ethical considerations around data privacy, ownership, and inclusivity remain critical to ensuring equitable access and trust among users. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for investments in infrastructure, public-private collaborations, and comprehensive digital literacy programs to address these challenges. Future research directions call for longitudinal studies, the development of standardized evaluation frameworks, and the exploration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in digital health. The study concludes that while digital health tools have made remarkable strides in addressing healthcare challenges, a concerted effort is required to overcome existing barriers. By prioritizing equity, trust, and integration, stakeholders can harness the full potential of digital health tools to create resilient and inclusive public health systems. This review provides actionable insights for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers aiming to leverage digital innovations in advancing global health objectives.

Mobilizing Former Family Caregivers

Enabling digital health companionship is better than empowerment

Myriad digital health interventions, applications, devices and technologies have, and are, being developed to help refine and personalise medicine from the patient, healthcare professional (HCP), healthcare system and industry perspectives. At a gathering of leaders in digital health, discussion included the current landscape of such digital health tools (DHTs), with specific examples from cardiology and respiratory medicine, and both the benefits and sometime downfalls of such tools. While DHTs can help patients and HCPs detect and monitor health conditions, the experts discussed how adoption of DHTs may be hampered by issues such as access to technology; data privacy and security concerns; technology integration into current healthcare systems; cost and reimbursement; and lack of guidelines and regulatory hurdles. The experts suggested solutions to such issues, including wider availability of healthcare ‘booths’ local to a patient; easy to understand and use phone applications; patient and HCP incentives to use DHTs and clear paths to adoption within a healthcare system. These should help with integration of DHTs into the healthcare system to aid shared decision-making and, ultimately, streamline and personalise healthcare for all.

This comparative review evaluates and compares the impact and adoption of mobile apps and digital platforms, including Babyroo, in supporting breastfeeding mothers in Nigeria and the US. Breastfeeding is crucial for infant health and development, yet many mothers face challenges and require support. Digital health tools, such as mobile apps and online platforms, offer a promising solution to provide information, guidance, and support to breastfeeding mothers. Nigeria and the US were chosen for comparison due to their different healthcare systems, cultural norms, and levels of technological adoption. The review examines the features, accessibility, and effectiveness of digital health tools, particularly Babyroo, in supporting breastfeeding mothers in both countries. The findings reveal that digital health tools play a significant role in supporting breastfeeding mothers in both Nigeria and the US. Babyroo, in particular, offers a range of features such as breastfeeding tips, tracking tools, and online communities for mothers to connect and share experiences. However, the adoption of these tools varies between the two countries. In Nigeria, where access to healthcare services is limited, digital health tools like Babyroo can bridge the gap and provide essential support to breastfeeding mothers. In contrast, in the US, where healthcare services are more accessible, digital health tools serve as a supplement to traditional healthcare services, offering convenience and additional resources for breastfeeding mothers. Overall, the review highlights the potential of digital health tools, such as Babyroo, in supporting breastfeeding mothers globally. However, it also emphasizes the importance of context-specific approaches and the need for further research to understand the impact and effectiveness of these tools in different cultural and healthcare settings.
 Keywords: Digital Health, Tools, Breastfeeding, Mothers, Comparative.

Aim: Informal caregivers have an important role in bridging the gap between the assistance care recipients need and what can be provided by the health care systems across Europe. The burden of the caregiving role places a significant threat to caregiver health, and the vast majority of caregiver's report stress and emotional strain, depression, and increased rates of chronic diseases. In line with this, strengthening the caregiver's mental health is one of the main goals for optimal caregiving. Caregivers already struggle with the demand of their role while coping with health problems, social, family, and work obligations. The solution for the caregiver's mental health needs to be accessible, low cost, and time-effective. This scoping review investigates digital mental health tools available as a mean of supporting the mental health of caregivers.Method: Databases searched include Summon search box, the Cochrane Library, and PubMed. Three groups of keywords were combined: relating to digital mental health interventions for caregivers, digital mental health interventions and stress in elderly care, and digital mental health interventions and burden in elderly care.Results: Caregivers reported that digital mental health tools have an overall positive role in their health. Coping skills, emotion regulation, skill building, and education are found to be important aspects of digital mental health tools. There was a noted lack of digital mental health apps available specifically for the caregiver of older adults. Furthermore, the digital mental health tools, divided into three categories in this review, focused either on building skills or educating caregivers and assisting with the duties rather than the mental health of the caregiver itself. As repeatedly suggested in the reviewed studies, digital mental health interventions overall contribute to reducing the caregiver burden with a limitation of addressing one aspect of caregiver needs –i.e., specific coping skills or education regarding illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease and Dementia. The lack of all-encompassing, data and theory-driven digital mental health tools for addressing and supporting the caregiver's mental health is evident.

Underimmunization of the solid organ transplant population: An urgent problem with potential digital health solutions.

Digital health tools, including patient portals, telemedicine, and mobile health apps, are increasingly a core part of health care. Digital readiness, encompassing both digital access and literacy, is crucial for enabling patients to effectively engage with the increasing number of digital health tools. Despite growing recognition of digital readiness as a health-related social need, little is known about digital readiness screening practices. We aimed to assess the extent of digital readiness screening and the organizational factors associated with screening. From January to May 2024, we administered an online survey to a convenience sample of clinicians or informatics leaders from US health care systems. Our primary outcome was whether the respondent reported that their organization screened for digital readiness (yes vs no), and the secondary outcome was self-reported barriers to screening. We asked respondents to report characteristics related to their health system, including health system type, geographic area, payers accepted, patient population characteristics, screening practices for health-related social needs (eg, screening for food insecurity), and awareness of digital inclusion policies and programs. Using bivariate logistic regression models, we examined organizational characteristics associated with screening for digital readiness. Of 144 total respondents, 64 (44%) reported screening patients for digital readiness. Organizations serving uninsured patients had lower odds of screening (odds ratio [OR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.14-0.72). Less than half of respondents to the digital readiness survey (47/99, 47%) were familiar with any digital readiness-related policy, but screening was more likely when respondents were familiar with at least one policy or program promoting equitable digital readiness (OR 6.6, 95% CI 2.4-20.6). Screening for other health-related social needs was not associated with digital readiness screening. The most frequently cited barriers to screening for digital readiness were lack of resources to address digital access (n=45, 45%), lack of resources to implement screening (n=42, 42%), and lack of time (n=41, 41%). Digital readiness screening has had limited adoption in US health care systems, particularly in settings serving the populations most likely to experience challenges with digital access or literacy. The limited adoption of digital readiness screening likely reflects lower awareness of digital readiness as a social need and a lack of infrastructure to support its uptake, such as standardized screening questions or a workforce trained on how to screen for and intervene on barriers to digital readiness. Low awareness of digital equity policies that might incentivize digital readiness screening further hinders adoption. Without increased adoption of digital readiness screening and/or interventions to mitigate barriers to digital readiness, digital health tools are unlikely to be accessible to or benefit all populations. Multilevel interventions, including policy changes and workforce training, are likely necessary to increase the adoption of digital readiness screening and mitigation efforts that address barriers to digital exclusion.

Background: The increase in R&D and upward trend of R&D/pharmaceutical sales has occurred despite government controlled pharmaceutical price reduction in Japan. This paper identifies the effect of the government's price control policy on pharmaceutical innovation and evaluates the influence of new chemical entities (NCE) on health durability. Method: The study employed pharmaceutical price, government approval, and new pricing adaptation policies to evaluate their influences on NCE. Quantitative and qualitative expressions of pharmaceutical innovation were analyzed to measure health durability. Results: The results show that the government pharmaceutical price and new pricing adaptation policies may have been effective in increasing NCE in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, our findings show that the optimum R&D adjustment rate for NCE (32%) would cause a downward influence of 0.4494 billion yen of NCE in the long run, while a full adjustment (i.e. 100%) of R&D would bring an increase of 0.709 billion yen in the long run. Finally, the aggregate effects of NCE reduce illness-caused death. The six leading illnesses share a 65.95% decrease in death caused by illness of those aged 65 years or older. Conclusion: Pharmaceutical price control is not intended to hamper the pharmaceutical industry. It is a price reduction of the government's approved-list of pharmaceutical drugs under the national healthcare system geared toward controlling rapid and excessive growth of pharmaceutical expenditures.

Working While Ill During COVID-19: Ethics, Guilt, and Moral Community.

Purpose: This study investigates whether the COVID-19 pandemic has a positive impact on accelerating digital transformation in the healthcare sector. Culture, technologies used, and the organization’s business process had to be adapted to the situation. And these three factors are also considered the main pillar of the digital transformation and for sure these factors will contribute to the expedite of DT with the effect of the pandemic. It is also important to highlight one outcome of that acceleration in all the parties/players benefiting from health including patients’ healthcare providers Healthcare industry HCI. The post-COVID situation can be also anticipated based on the input from the literature review and the research survey. Since most business experts are anticipating that life will not go back to the previous normal situation. And this anticipation is certainly based on studies published in recent years. Aim and objectives: The aim of the study is to find out the effect of COVID -19 as a moderator on digital transformation (DT) in healthcare and its drivers. And to depict how the accelerated digital transformation affects the patients and healthcare professionals. The study has managed to further check if the healthcare system and industry are improved and promoted with new products and markets, and investors who can build technological solutions for better healthcare startups or the healthcare industry. More attention is given to the international communities and their interest in the application of digital transformation in healthcare, and some examples are given of the current application. Hypotheses: This study has managed to examine the main pillars as drivers of DT in terms of culture, technology, and process and the impact on the Healthcare system’s main players. The influence of digital transformation and its magnification has also been presented in the current study and has been studied and analyzed in depth. Direct and indirect hypotheses were made and analyzed. The direct hypotheses were built based on Patient and HC provider Culture and its effect on Accelerated Digital Transformation, Technology and Innovation and its effect on Accelerated Digital Transformation, HC Business Process and its effect on Accelerated Digital Transformation, H4: Accelerated Digital Transformation impact on Better Patient experience, Accelerated Digital Transformation impact on having more HC Provider Facilities, and Accelerated Digital Transformation and its impact on promoted HCI. COVID-19 effects were presented based on its moderator effect on Accelerated Digital Transformation with Patient and HC provider Culture, Technology and Innovation, and HC Business Process. Indirect Hypotheses were established based on the proposed module during the analysis stage. Design/methodology/approach: The study proposes a research model that was established based on comprehensive research and a fully constructive literature review that simulates the variables and the relationships among all these variables. Based on this model research hypothesis will be built that will be further investigated by a survey that considered primary data and analysis. The target population are mainly healthcare provider and patient with experience with any new technology related to DT. WHO and the Middle East and the North Africa Association of Health Informatics can be also good communities to explore and target in the survey since they are very familiar with the topic and international and regional health governing bodies. The sample size was calculated, and the study estimated that for a population size of more than 700K, we need to use a sample of around 380 participants with a Confidence Level (95%) and Margin of Error (5%). Main results: The results of the data analysis revealed that respondents showed that most of the drivers’ variables had a significant effect on digital transformation. However, the unexpected non-significant effect appeared for the healthcare providers and patient culture. Digital Transformation had a great impact on the healthcare bodies and their digital experience including the healthcare industry. COVID-19 made a great impact on the DT variable and most of the drivers. Indirect relationships were also investigated in the analysis and presented in the study and the results showed that the direct effects were proven, and a highly significant effect was shown of the direct effect, it is also proven that the moderator effect from covid-19 is not supported.

Addressing Disparities and Achieving Equity: Cultural Competence, Ethics, and Health-care Transformation