Data and digital health
Strong information systems drive results for children.
The adoption of technologies that improve primary health and patient care, as well as accurate data and strong information systems, are critical to advancements in public health. When health systems are optimized and health workers are enabled with well-designed digital tools, health care interventions can become more effective.
Digitalization of health services can directly enhance quality-of-care, improve patient outcomes, reduce human error, increase the efficiency of the health workforce, lead to more equitable coverage and lower overall costs.
Timely, high-quality data also exposes inequities in health outcomes and enables decision makers to identify children’s unmet needs. That includes how and where to invest in health facilities, personnel, vaccines and other supplies, which is particularly crucial when responding to emergencies like disease outbreaks.
In many places – especially low-income countries and humanitarian settings – health sector digitalization is not invested in systematically. This can result in weakened and siloed systems, create new risks to child wellbeing and increase burdens on frontline health workers. In these instances, children most in need are often left behind.
UNICEF envisions a world where the health and well-being of every child is improved through digitally enabled health systems. To this end, UNICEF is working with governments, donors and partners to improve the planning and implementation of digital health systems to accelerate primary health care.
UNICEF’s work to turn data into action
Timely, high-quality data, embedded within strong information systems drive action for children. To accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, UNICEF helps countries enhance the availability, quality and use of data.
Our assistance helps to ensure national health systems are more efficient, inclusive and comprehensive. These systems manage vaccination data and civil registration, among other vital statistics. By doing so, we positively impact maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.
We also provide guidance to leverage innovative and emerging technologies, including Geographic Information Systems.
Geographic Information Systems
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information. It’s an effective tool to deliver public health interventions. UNICEF supports the adoption of this technology to enable more efficient planning and monitoring of health programmes, particularly at a community level. We help to build the capacity of local practitioners to analyze and use the data obtained, including the use of dashboards and other analytic tools. GIS is crucial to identifying zero-dose communities.
In collaboration with the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF helps countries use GIS to strengthen routine immunization services and to support COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.
Digital Health Centre of Excellence (DICE)
The multi-agency Digital Health Center of Excellence (DICE) is co-led by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide coordinated technical assistance to national governments and partners on COVID-19 vaccine delivery. Currently, DICE focuses on developing digital health solutions that can support not only vaccine delivery, but also routine immunization, pandemic response and other health efforts.
DICE is designed to provide coordinated technical assistance to countries to support the sustainable and scalable deployment of carefully chosen digital health solutions. This includes:
- Planning the distribution of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines
- Monitoring coverage of services
- Communicating to reach people and reduce misinformation.
Digital health solutions for pandemic response
With the COVID-19 pandemic response, significant financial investments were made in digitalizing vaccine information and delivery mechanisms. DICE was launched in April 2021 to ensure that these investments contribute to strengthening routine immunization. As the COVID-19 response becomes increasingly integrated into national disease surveillance and primary health care strategies, DICE has also shifted to support health sector digitalization as a whole, so it can be sustained as COVID-19 specific funding starts to decrease.
Resources
|
Publisher |
Title |
|---|---|
| UNICEF | |
| UNICEF | |
|
UNICEF |
Guidance on the Use of Geospatial Data and Technologies in Immunization Programmes |
|
Digital Health Centre of Excellence |
Recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening |
|
Digital Health Centre of Excellence |
|
|
Digital Health Centre of Excellence |