Building on its research agenda to learn from the use of data and digital technologies during the West Africa Ebola Outbreak Response, during 2022-2023 USAID undertook a collaborative learning effort with several of its implementing partners to learn from the use of digital technologies to support global delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
The May meeting of the Global Digital Health Network (GDHN) featured speakers from the USAID and development partner research team, and share insights from that research, which was recently published in a special issue of the Oxford University Press’s Open Digital Health journal. Insights from this research can inform future investments in routine health service delivery and future emergency responses.
Background
COVID-19 is a wakeup call that we must learn from. A collaborative group of organizations using digital solutions for health studied USAID global COVID-19 vaccine delivery investments made in 11 countries during the emergency phase of the pandemic. Taken together, the findings point to the importance of the digital health enabling environment—that is, the presence or absence of conditions that allow digital health investments to thrive. This enabling environment not only contributes to an effective emergency response, it also influences the extent to which digital investments deployed during an emergency contribute to stronger health systems that are better prepared for future health shocks. A special issue of the Oxford Open Digital Health journal, led by the Data for Implementation (Data.FI) project, the Country Health Information Systems and Data Use (CHISU) project, MOMENTUM-Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity (M-RITE), and Digital Square, together with USAID, shares study insights and offers recommendations to translate these insights into actions that can improve future health emergency responses and strengthen health systems.
The full issue is online at [ Ссылка ]
