Digital health—the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to provide and improve health services—holds transformational potential for health care around the world. Many digital health products are already proven, readily available, and adaptable to all kinds of countries. Digital health can help low and middle-income countries (LMICs), in particular, overcome traditional barriers to better health care, especially staffing and other physical resource constraints. Digital technologies are showing their potential during the current coronavirus crisis by facilitating collaboration between health-care researchers and reducing the need for in-person care. While health data and digital technologies are not a silver bullet to COVID-19 and other health issues, they will be crucial to improving overall health outcomes in countries around the world. LMICs need to work with international partners, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and development banks, to marshal the resources, expertise, and strategies to help them realize the true potential of digital health.
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