Rising rates of NCDs threaten fragile healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries.

Fortunately, new digital technology provides tools to more effectively address the growing dual burden of disease. Two-thirds of the world’s population subscribed to mobile services by the end of 2018, while the falling price of connectivity and the 5G networks rollout promise to accelerate the use of digital technology. Properly leveraged, we can employ digital solutions and applications to transform health systems from reactive to proactive and even preventive, helping people stay healthy. With artificial intelligence (AI), health systems can be made more predictive by detecting risk factors and helping health professionals respond faster to prevent disease.

Yet this rapid pace of growth has also complicated the digital health landscape. Myriad digital health apps compete and overlap in the public and private sectors, and significant gaps in the collection and analysis of digital data threaten to leave some behind.

Established in 2010, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development is led by ITU and UNESCO and advocates for the transformational impact of broadband technologies for development. Its working group on digital and AI in health, co-chaired by the Novartis Foundation and at different times Nokia, Intel and Microsoft, identifies best practices for countries to realize the potential of digital technology in health and care. Interviewing more than 100 key stakeholders and reviewing over 200 documents, the Working Group set out to identify common challenges that countries face in implementing digital health solutions, and to develop a framework that countries can use to build systems for supporting digital health solutions.

Common challenges include a lack of coordination leading to fragmented digital health solutions; lack of systems and workforce capacity to manage data and digital technology, and inadequate financing to support digital health. The working group proposes six building blocks for digital health systems: formulate and execute a national digital health strategy; create policy and regulatory frameworks that support innovation while protecting security and privacy; ensure access to digital infrastructure; ensure interoperability of digital health system components; establish effective partnerships; and sustain adequate financing.

非传染性疾病的发病率上升威胁着中低收入国家脆弱的医疗体系。

幸运的是，新的数字技术为更有效地解决日益严重的疾病双重负担提供了工具。到2018年底，全球三分之二的人口订阅了移动服务，而连接价格的下降和5G网络的推出有望加速数字技术的使用。适当地利用，我们可以使用数字解决方案和应用程序来将卫生系统从反应型转变为主动型甚至预防型，从而帮助人们保持健康。借助人工智能（AI），可以通过检测风险因素并帮助卫生专业人员更快地预防疾病来使卫生系统更具预测性。

然而，这种快速的增长速度也使数字医疗领域变得复杂。无数的数字医疗应用在公共部门和私营部门中竞争和重叠，并且在数字数据收集和分析方面的巨大差距有可能使它们落后。

宽带可持续发展委员会成立于2010年，由国际电联和教科文组织领导，倡导宽带技术对发展的变革性影响。由诺华基金会（Novartis Foundation）以及诺基亚，英特尔和微软在不同时间共同主持的其数字健康与人工智能工作组，确定了最佳实践，以帮助各国实现数字技术在健康和护理领域的潜力。工作组采访了100多个主要利益相关者并审查了200多个文件，着手确定各国在实施数字卫生解决方案方面面临的共同挑战，并制定一个框架，供各国用来构建支持数字卫生解决方案的系统。

共同的挑战包括缺乏协调导致零散的数字卫生解决方案；缺乏管理数据和数字技术的系统和员工能力，以及支持数字卫生的资金不足。工作组提出了数字卫生系统的六个构建基块：制定和执行国家数字卫生战略；建立在支持安全性和隐私的同时支持创新的政策和监管框架；确保访问数字基础设施；确保数字医疗系统组件的互操作性；建立有效的伙伴关系；并维持足够的资金。