Health systems in low- and middle-income countries are often fragmented, lack resources — including enough trained health workers to deliver services —, and are reliant on paper-based records for data and decision making. Digital health has the potential to catalyze and accelerate public health goals in these settings by transforming data systems, making it easier to deliver health services directly to patients, and substantially support health workers and managers in their work.

However, adoption of digital health can be challenging in low-resource settings. Digital products are often ill-designed for these contexts, developers are disconnected from country needs, and there is limited capacity to manage, maintain, and continue to sustain digital platforms.