Non-Award
Digital health, or the use of technology to improve health and wellbeing, is a rapidly growing field. The use of digital tools like telemedicine, mobile apps, smart monitors, and electronic medical records have been increasing worldwide, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced more people to seek virtual, remote methods of accessing health care and wellness services.
Many of these technologies have been developed, tested and implemented widely in low- and middle-income countries, taking advantage of the rising numbers of people with access to mobile phones and the internet. This short course will highlight examples specifically from these settings to help participants identify opportunities for digital health in their own work and community.
Digital health tools also must be designed carefully - with input from the end-users, and taking into account cultural, legal and ethical issues - in order for them to be effective and produce benefits for health and wellness. This short course will provide participants with relevant knowledge, such as the ethical and legal frameworks to consider when implementing a digital health tool. It will also teach relevant skills, such as how to conduct human-centered design activities to get input from end-users on a digital health tool.
This short course will provide participants with the practical knowledge and skills to design, implement and evaluate digital health tools in low-resource settings. The course does not require any software development skills - instead, this course will highlight potential features and content of digital health tools, using real-world case studies of tools such as a telemedicine application in Malaysia, a decision-support mobile app for health workers in India, or a phone-based educational program for women in Myanmar. The course will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on digital health, relevant for government staff, researchers, NGO employees, or healthcare professionals who work in low-resource settings.