⚡ Quick Summary
This study investigates how Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) can align with the principles of Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH). It identifies key enablers and constraints that affect the development and utilization of responsible DHTs within health organizations.
🔍 Key Details
- 📊 Participants: 29 stakeholders from a large Canadian academic health center
- 🧩 Methodology: Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis
- ⚙️ Framework: Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH)
- 🏆 Focus: Development, procurement, and utilization of DHTs
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 🌱 Organizational culture is crucial for promoting RIH in innovation practices.
- 💰 Resource availability (material, financial, and expertise) significantly impacts DHT development.
- 🔍 Health Technology Assessment (HTA) practices need to evolve to include broader dimensions beyond effectiveness and costs.
- ⚖️ Regulatory frameworks play a vital role in the approval and use of DHTs.
- 📈 Market dynamics, including venture capital, influence federal and provincial innovation policies.
- 🛠️ Integration of RIH principles can enhance the effectiveness of health organizations.
- 📚 Insights can guide scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in fostering responsible DHTs.
📚 Background
The rapid expansion of Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions about their impact on health systems. As health organizations are pivotal in achieving equitable and sustainable health outcomes, the concept of Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH) has gained traction. RIH emphasizes aligning innovation processes and outcomes with societal values, making it essential for the future of healthcare.
🗒️ Study
This study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 29 stakeholders involved in the development, procurement, and utilization of DHTs at a large Canadian academic health center. The researchers employed a mixed deductive-inductive thematic analysis using the RIH framework to explore the enablers and constraints affecting responsible DHTs.
📈 Results
The findings reveal that the adherence to RIH principles in DHTs is largely influenced by several organizational and systemic factors. Key elements include the presence of a supportive organizational culture, the availability of necessary resources, the evolution of HTA practices, the scope of regulatory frameworks, and the influence of market dynamics on innovation policies.
🌍 Impact and Implications
The insights from this study are significant for health organizations aiming to integrate RIH principles into their practices. By understanding the enablers and constraints identified, stakeholders can work towards creating a more responsible approach to DHT development and utilization. This could lead to improved health outcomes and a more equitable healthcare system.
🔮 Conclusion
This research highlights the importance of aligning DHTs with the principles of Responsible Innovation in Health. By addressing the identified enablers and constraints, health organizations can foster a more responsible and effective integration of digital technologies into healthcare. The future of health innovation lies in our ability to harmonize technological advancements with societal values.
💬 Your comments
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To What Extent Can Digital Health Technologies Comply With the Principles of Responsible Innovation? Practice-and Policy-Oriented Research Insights Regarding an Organisational and Systemic Issue.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Digital health technologies (DHTs) have expanded exponentially since the COVID-19 crisis and have prompted questions about their impact across all levels of health systems. Because health organisations and systems play a central role in the success or failure of the transition to more equitable and sustainable societies, the concept of Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH), focused on aligning the processes and outcomes of innovation with societal values, is gaining interest in research, policy, and practice. This study aims to explore enablers and constraints to the development, procurement and/or utilisation of responsible DHTs in health organisations.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 stakeholders concerned with the development, procurement, and/or utilisation of DHTs in a large Canadian academic health centre. Data were thematically analysed through a mixed deductive-inductive process using the RIH framework.
RESULTS: Our findings highlight that the consideration of RIH principles in the development, procurement, and/or utilisation of DHTs depends mainly on organisational and systemic factors and conditions, namely: (1) the presence of an organisational culture that promotes RIH in its innovation-related practices and processes; (2) availability of material and financial resources as well as expertise in certain fields (eg, environmental sustainability); (3) the evolution of health technology assessment (HTA) practices to include other dimensions beyond effectiveness, safety, and costs; (4) the scope of the regulatory and legal frameworks that govern the approval and use of DHTs; and (5) the role of the market (eg, venture capital) in the design of federal and provincial innovation policies.
CONCLUSION: This study provides insights on practice, policy, and political issues that health organisations may face in the development, procurement, and/or utilisation of responsible DHTs. It can help scholars, practitioners, decision-makers, and industry to create the conditions for a better integration of RIH principles into health organisations and systems.
Author: [‘Alami H’, ‘Lehoux P’, ‘E Shaw S’, ‘Niang M’, ‘Malas K’, ‘Fortin JP’]
Journal: Int J Health Policy Manag
Citation: Alami H, et al. To What Extent Can Digital Health Technologies Comply With the Principles of Responsible Innovation? Practice-and Policy-Oriented Research Insights Regarding an Organisational and Systemic Issue. To What Extent Can Digital Health Technologies Comply With the Principles of Responsible Innovation? Practice-and Policy-Oriented Research Insights Regarding an Organisational and Systemic Issue. 2024; 13:8061. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8061