David Novillo-Ortiz

World Health Organization (WHO), regional office for Europe · Division of Country Health Policies and Systems

Objective: To map how social, commercial, political and digital determinants of health have changed or emerged during the recent digital transformation of the society and to identify priority areas for policy action. Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science on 24 September 2023, to identify eligible reviews published 2...

Objectives The call to scale up telemedicine services globally as part of the digital health transformation lacks an agreed-upon set of constructs to guide the implementation process. A lack of guidance hinders the development, consolidation, sustainability and optimisation of telemedicine services. The study aims to reach consensus among telemedic...

In the midst of a rapidly changing landscape in digital health, the health sector is experiencing a profound transformation marked by the growing integration of digital health technologies. This shift not only offers a multitude of benefits but also revolutionizes the dynamics between patients and health-care providers within the health-care system...

Presentation at the Imperial College of London

A growing body of evidence shows that digital health technologies (DHTs) can improve women' s health outcomes by overcoming ongoing socioeconomic, cultural and geopolitical barriers that inhibit their access to health care. Despite this, there has been no systematic assessment of the benefits of digital health for women' s health. This project was...

The 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) report on digital health for the WHO European Region demonstrates the accelerated progress in the adoption of digital health technologies (DHT) in recent years. However, there are growing concerns about the digital divide resulting from inequitable access and utilisation of DHT, particularly among older peop...

Background Knowledge management (KM) emerged as a strategy to promote evidence-informed decision-making. This scoping review aims to map existing KM tools and mechanisms used to promote evidence-informed health decision-making in the WHO European Region and identify knowledge gaps. Methods Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance for c...

Digital technologies change the healthcare environment, with several studies suggesting barriers and facilitators to using digital interventions by healthcare professionals (HPs). We consolidated the evidence from existing systematic reviews mentioning barriers and facilitators for the use of digital health technologies by HP. Electronic searches w...

Digital health has experienced a period of accelerated growth in recent years. The critical role of digital health in attaining universal health coverage and in supporting efforts to make health care more efficient, accessible and effective is now clearly recognized. At the same time, the pressures that have resulted from COVID-19 have thrown into...

Systematic reviews have quantified the effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of digital health technologies (DHTs) used by health-care workers. We aimed to collate available evidence on technologies’ effect on health-care workers’ competencies and performance. We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Emba...

This paper examines the status of the development of national digital health information systems (HIS) in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states. Data for research were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the questionnaire of the WHO’s Third Global Survey on eHealth. The results showed that the digital transformation of HIS...

INTRODUCTION The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) focus issue on Global Health Informatics (GHI) examines how health informatics can address global health issues. The selected papers discuss how informatics can improve health outcomes, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The articles in this issue...

The financial burden of burn injuries has a considerable impact on patients and healthcare systems. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have demonstrated their utility in the improvement of clinical practice and healthcare systems. Because referral centres for burn injuries cover large geographic areas, many specialists must find new...

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is giving rise to a revolution in medicine and health care. Mental health conditions are highly prevalent in many countries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of further erosion of the mental well-being in the population. Therefore, it is relevant to assess the current status of the applicati...

Background: Several systematic reviews evaluating the use of telemedicine by clinicians, patients, and health authorities to improve the delivery of care in the 53 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region have been conducted in recent years. However, a study summarizing the findings of these reviews has not been conduct...

Background Governments across the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region have prioritised dashboards for reporting COVID-19 data. The ubiquitous use of dashboards for public reporting is a novel phenomenon. Objective This study explores the development of COVID-19 dashboards during the first year of the pandemic and identifies common barr...

Background Artificial intelligence is fueling a new revolution in medicine and in the healthcare sector. Despite the growing evidence on the benefits of artificial intelligence there are several aspects that limit the measure of its impact in people’s health. It is necessary to assess the current status on the application of AI towards the improvem...

والصحية لألشخاص. املحتوى املتعلق بالصحة يف وسائل اإلعــالم، وزيــادة املعرفة الرقمية يف ذلك تطوير السياسات القانونية، وإطالق محالت للتوعية وتروجيها، وحتسني القطاعات ملواجهة املعلومات غري الدقيقة واملعلومات الصحية اخلاطئة، بام هلا تأثري سلبي عىل املجتمع. هناك حاجة إىل إجراءات متعددة تشري األدلة املتاحة إىل أن املعلومات غري الدقيقة أثناء حاالت الطوار...

目的 比较和总结与信息流行病和健康错误信息有关的 文献, 并确定在解决信息流行病问题方面所面临的挑 战和机遇。方法 我们已于 2022 年 5 月 6 日搜索了 MEDLINE®、 Embase®、Cochrane 系统评价图书馆、Scopus 和 Epistemonikos, 通过分析信息流行病以及与健康相关的 错误信息、虚假信息和假新闻, 完成了系统评价。我 们基于相似性对研究进行了分组, 并检索了与挑战和 机遇有关的证据。我们使用 AMSTAR-2 方法来评估审 查的方法学质量。为了评估证据的质量, 我们使用了《推荐意见评估、制定和评价分级指南》。 结果 经搜索, 我们发现了 31 篇系统评价, 其中 17 篇 已发表。社交媒体上健康相关错误信息的比例占 0.2% 至 28.8% 不等...

Objectif Comparer et synthétiser la littérature consacrée à l'infodémie et à la désinformation sanitaire, mais aussi identifier les défis et opportunités inhérents à la lutte contre cette problématique. Méthodes Nous avons exploré les bases de données MEDLINE®, Embase®, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Scopus et Epistemonikos le 6 mai 2022 à...

Цель Сопоставить и обобщить литературу по инфодемии и дезинформации в области здравоохранения, а также определить сложные задачи и возможности для решения проблем инфодемии. Методы 6 мая 2022 г. авторы выполнили поиск информации в базе данных MEDLINE®, Embase®, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Scopus и Epistemonikos на предмет систематически...

Objective: To assess the availability and gaps in data for measuring progress towards health-related sustainable development goals and other targets in selected low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We used 14 international population surveys to evaluate the health data systems in the 47 least developed countries over the years 2015-2020. W...

Background: Governments across the WHO European Region prioritized dashboards for reporting COVID-19 data. The ubiquitous use of dashboards for public reporting is novel. This study explores the development of COVID-19 dashboards during the pandemic's first year and common barriers, enablers and lessons from the experiences of teams responsible for...

Worldwide, the fast-paced establishment of information has created a dichotomous reality with accurate and unreliable information. Notably, the overproduction of unfiltered data and the speed at which new information is disseminated create a significant social problem that requires appropriate management measures and monitoring guidelines. Besides...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, information is being rapidly shared by public health experts and researchers through social media platforms. Whilst government policies were disseminated and discussed, fake news and misinformation simultaneously created a corresponding wave of “infodemics.” This study analyzed the discourse on Twitter in several langu...

Introduction: The COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity to reflect on what worked during the pandemic, what could have been done differently, and what innovations should become part of an enhanced health information system in the future. Methods: An online qualitative survey was designed and administered online in November 2020 to all the 37 Memb...

Background: In order to prevent spread and improve control of infectious diseases, public health experts need to closely monitor human and animal populations. Infectious disease surveillance is an established, routine data collection process essential for early warning, rapid response, and disease control. The quantity of data potentially useful fo...

Background: Digital data sources have become ubiquitous in modern culture in the era of digital technology but often tend to be under-researched because of restricted access to data sources due to fragmentation, privacy issues, or industry ownership, and the methodological complexity of demonstrating their measurable impact on human health. Even th...

Background The recent, rapid development of digital technologies offers new possibilities for more efficient implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and personal health record (PHR) systems. A growing volume of healthcare data has been the hallmark of this digital transformation. The large healthcare datasets' complexity and their dynamic...

The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the requirements to improve routine health information systems (RHISs) for the management of health systems, including the identification of best practices, opportunities, and challenges in the 53 countries and territories of the WHO European region. We conducted an overview of systemati...

Background Although the potential of big data analytics for health care is well recognized, evidence is lacking on its effects on public health. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the use of big data analytics on people’s health based on the health indicators and core priorities in the World Health Organization (WHO) Gener...

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for all countries to strengthen their health data and information systems and ensure the routes the data travel, from submission to use, are unobstructed. Timely, credible, reliable and actionable data are key to ensuring that political decisions are data driven and facilitate understanding, m...

BACKGROUND Although the potential of big data analytics for health care is well recognized, evidence is lacking on its effects on public health. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the use of big data analytics on people’s health based on the health indicators and core priorities in the World Health Organization (WHO) Gener...

Issue and method In December 2013, the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe asked the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO EURO) to develop a practical tool for Member States that provides assistance in developing and improving national health information systems (HIS) through the development of a national health information strat...

Issue and method Health information systems (HIS) in Europe are complex and involve multiple stakeholders. To strategically assess HIS, a support tool has been developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It has been applied in nine countries by WHO Europe since October 2015. Additionally, nine countries are using the tool in a peer review form...

Objetivos. Definir un marco legal relacionado con los Registros Médicos Electrónicos (RME) y conocer el grado de preparación que tienen los países de la Región de las Américas al respecto. Métodos. La metodología contó con dos fases. En la primera, se utilizó una metodología Delphi para el desarrollo del cuestionario y la definición del marco y dom...

Background: eHealth interventions may help increase vaccination uptake and health literacy related to immunization and improve immunization program efficiency. Objectives: To see where and how eHealth technologies have had a positive impact on immunization practices-using eHealth strategies to increase vaccination uptake, improve immunization pr...

In 2005, all WHO Member States pledged to fight for universal health coverage (UHC). The availability of financial, human and technological resources seems to be necessary to develop efficient health policies and also to offer UHC. One of the main challenges facing the health sector comes from the need to innovate efficiently. The intense use of in...

Background: Mobile phone usage has been rapidly increasing worldwide. mHealth could efficiently deliver high-quality health care, but the evidence supporting its current effectiveness is still mixed. Objective: We performed a systematic review of systematic reviews to assess the impact or effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in...

The health of people in the world has experienced noteworthy improvements over the past several decades. However, several critical goals remain unmet regarding global health. Viewing the glass as half-full, the spread and uptake of information and communications technologies (ICTs) have the potential to level the playing field by reducing some of t...

Background: Electronic health (eHealth) interventions may improve the quality of care by providing timely, accessible information about one patient or an entire population. Electronic patient care information forms the nucleus of computerized health information systems. However, interoperability among systems depends on the adoption of information...

The area of mobile technologies applied to health (mHealth) is a growing worldwide trend that has generated enormous expectations for the mitigation of problems related to medical services delivery and public health stemming from a lack of resources and the limited number of specialists. The numerous opportunities offered by mobile technologies, to...

RESUMEN El ámbito de las tecnologías móviles aplicadas a la salud (mSalud) es una tendencia en auge a nivel mundial que ha generado enormes expectativas para paliar los proble-mas de prestación de servicios médicos y de salud pública ocasionados por la escasez de recursos y el reducido número de especialistas. Las numerosas posibilidades que aporta...

Background Information and communications technologies, like social media, have the potential to reduce some barriers in disease prevention and control in the Americas. National health authorities can use these technologies to provide access to reliable and quality health information. A study was conducted to analyze availability of information abo...

Introduction: Access to reliable and quality health information and appropriate medical advice can contribute to a dramatic reduction in the mortality figures of countries. The governments of the Americas are faced with the opportunity to continue working on this challenge, and their institutional presence on their websites should play a key role...

Novillo-Ortiz D, Hernández-Pérez T, Becerra-Posada F. Case study: Turning internet use into an ally in the fight against NCDs. In: White Paper "Human-Centric Health: Supplementary Case Studies". Geneva: World Economic Forum; 2017. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/IP/2016/HE/HCH_Report_Cases2017.pdf

Political will and adoption of measures toward the use of eHealth have been steadily increasing, facilitating mobilization of resources necessary to adopt and implement digital services that will make it possible to improve access, expand coverage, and increase financial efficiency of health care systems. Adoption of the Strategy and Plan of Action...

Este informe presenta la opinión de las personas inscritas en un foro de discusión sobre la definición de indicadores para evaluación en proyectos de telemedicina, convocado por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, y que se llevó a cabo entre abril y mayo de 2015. Se registraron en el foro de presentación 52 personas de, al menos, 13 países de...

En Latinoamérica existen 23 causas principales de defunción, siendo algunas de ellas evitables. Por ejemplo, la diabetes o el VIH/SIDA pueden ser prevenibles y, en estos casos como en otros, el acceso a información fiable y de calidad sobre salud y el asesoramiento médico adecuado, pueden contribuir a la reducción de las cifras de mortalidad en est...

At the invitation of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Strengthening Health Information Systems [Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe para el Fortalecimiento de los Sistemas de Información de Salud (RELACSIS)], a group of 200 people registered in a virtual forum and held discussions on the situation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in La...

Na América Latina e no Caribe ainda persistem desigualdades consideráveis de acesso aos serviços de saúde em função de diversos fatores que limitam as possibilidades de prestar atendimento médico oportuno e de qualidade. Dentre os fatores que explicam essa situação estão a escassez de recursos humanos, de infraestrutura, de equipamentos, de medicam...

Este libro es el resultado de un importante esfuerzo de alcance regional destinado a elaborar y compartir protocolos de política pública necesarios para impulsar el desarrollo de la salud electrónica en la región, el que contó con la participación de un gran núme ro de especialistas en el marco del proyecto sProtocolos Regionales de Políticas Públi...

Novillo Ortiz D, Cuervo LG (Coordinators), Abdala V, Caló L, Castro R, Chambliss A, Chapman E, et al. Chapter 6. Knowledge, Technology, Information, and Resource Management. In: Health in the Americas. Washington DC. Pan American Health Organization 2012. Scientific and Technical Publication No. 636. ISBN 9789275116913 / 9789275316917 / Available E...

Finkelman J (Coordinator). Aldighieri S, Ault SK, Almeida G, Alonso González M, Bernardini D, et al. Chapter 7. Synthesis and Prospects. In: Health in the Americas. Washington DC. Pan American Health Organization 2012. Scientific and Technical Publication No. 636. ISBN 9789275116913 / 9789275316917 / Available English, Spanish and a Portuguese Summ...

From 1978 on, Spain rapidly expanded and strengthened its primary health care system, offering a lesson in how to improve health outcomes in a cost-effective manner. The nation moved to a tax-based system of universal access for the entire population and, at the local level, instituted primary care teams coordinating prevention, health promotion, t...

The ICT progress and development are making easier the set up of virtual libraries, with the consequent great advantages for users, in terms of immediate access to huge amounts of library information online resources and services. Most of the Autonomous Spanish Regions are presently working in the establishment of virtual libraries with the aim of...

Sanidad digital y gestión del conocimiento: nuevos escenarios asistenciales para un sistema sanitario de excelencia El profesional de la información, v. 19, n. 3, mayo-junio 2010 Resumen: El presente y futuro de la información en sa-lud tienen su base en la sanidad digital y en la gestión del conocimiento. Parte de este futuro se analizó en la Conf...

The Andalusian Public Health System Virtual Library (Biblioteca Virtual del Sistema Sanitario Público de Andalucía, BV-SSPA) provides access to health information resources and services to healthcare professionals through its Website. This virtual environment demands higher users’ knowledge in order to satisfy of the need of information of our use...

Patient safety (PS) is a priority strategy included in the Quality Plan for the Spanish National Health System and its first objective is to promote PS culture among professionals and patients. The Internet is playing a key role in the access to clinical evidence and in the training of health professionals. A multidisciplinary working group was cre...

Introduction Patient safety (PS) is a priority strategy included in the Quality Plan for the Spanish National Health System and its first objective is to promote PS culture among professionals and patients. The Internet is playing a key role in the access to clinical evidence and in the training of health professionals. Material and method A multi...

We analyze the reliability of Google in the search for information on patient safety (characteristics of the information, ...). A 73% of the results retrieved are relevant and shows that, with 18% of the results, it responds to 87% of the queries.

To provide information access and electronic resources at national and international level, through a useful and easy-to-use Web-based Patient Safety platform, available to the overall healthcare community, where communication among professionals, training and resources become tools to build a more powerful patient safety culture in Spain.

The search engines constitutes a basic element in the process for general development of the Internet. In this moment, the main aim of bigger search engines (Google, Yahoo, Live or Ask) is to provide user with a useful tool for health information search and retrieval in Internet.