Survey insights: 8 ways lab leaders can improve digital health solution adoption

In the rapidly evolving realm of healthcare delivery and diagnostics, the integration of digital health solutions takes center stage as a driving force for innovation. Digital health solution adoption promises a transformative journey that can help enhance patient care and also streamline day-to-day operations of laboratories. 

But what are the main challenges faced by healthcare organizations wanting to implement digital solutions? What types of evidence do leaders use to inform their decision-making? To answer these questions, we reached out to 144 healthcare providers and professionals, including c-level executives and management, from 52 different countries and asked them to share their experiences and insights. 

Download the ebook Healthcare leaders survey insights: 8 ways to improve digital health solution adoption to find out more now.

Overall, when it comes to implementing digital health solutions, the top challenges according to our surveyed participants are budgetary limitations and system operability. Challenges beyond these two main factors included concerns about data privacy, the lack of a well-trained informatics workforce to lead the transformational process, and the difficulty in selecting the right solution among various options.

Digital health is a complex and evolving space. Fundamental to addressing the challenges faced in adopting digital health solutions is robust evidence supporting the values claimed by the solution. 

Respondents were also surveyed about the types of evidence used to evaluate a digital health solution for purchase and how useful each is, assuming the solution has already received regulatory approval. 

The list of evidence types included:

• Safety: solution does no potential harm to patients

• Clinical: solution will solve a real problem and provides clinically relevant data when tested with its target population and in its target environment

• Experience: solution provides evidence that establishes usability and acceptability, such as ease of use and minimal training required

• Operational: solution provides operational efficiencies, e.g., through improvements to clinical workflow

• Financial: solution has a health economics case showing value for money or a financial model that shows enterprise benefit

Healthcare leaders considered all types of evidence as important to decision-making when assessing the purchase of a digital health solution with clinical value and safety as the two highest-rated types overall. 

Download the ebook Healthcare leaders survey insights: 8 ways to improve digital health solution adoption to find out more now.

Unfortunately, today many digital health solutions land on the market without generating appropriate data.^1,2 Solution developers will need to find ways to bridge the evidence gap and provide robust evidence that supports confident decision-making when evaluating the return on investment (ROI). 

This is already happening, thanks to novel cost and time-effective evidence-generation approaches, clearer regulatory guidelines, and established reimbursement pathways.^3,4 These improvements should help improve trust in digital health solutions and accelerate their impact on the healthcare system. 

1. Prioritize evidence-based digital solutions that demonstrate impact
2. Select flexible and adaptable tools
3. Leverage existing resources
4. Adopt common data standards
5. Encourage data sharing
6. Invest in technology infrastructure
7. Improve governance
8. Upskill and develop staff

To learn more about the actions you can take to overcome obstacles to implementing digital health solutions, download the ebook Healthcare leaders survey insights: 8 ways to improve digital health solution adoption.