Digital healthcare brings a real possibility of transforming the health care ecosystem. The potential is highlighted in at least three areas: access, inequality, and cost. But Brazil is still at the beginning of this long journey. After all, this transformation requires a cultural change, investment, and even technical advances, such as connectivity.

It’s worth remembering that the term digital health is broader than e-Health and incorporates recent advances in technology, such as new concepts, social media applications, the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Bodies (IoB), Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others.

Decision-makers interviewed by The Economist’s Intelligence Unit in several countries revealed that the most worrying issue for 39% of respondents on the subject is the cost of healthcare systems. Inequality of access to health services comes in second place, with 29% of the responses.

In terms of access, digital healthcare is allowing patients to have control and knowledge over their own health, which tends to improve the prevention of acute illnesses. Technology is also making it possible to collect and store information. Patient access to these records and the possibility of sharing them with the professionals they trust can be a powerful tool in reducing healthcare costs. After all, many of these costs are the result of a lack of information and the repetition of unnecessary exams.

Another important issue for experts is the sharing of data, provided that the privacy and confidentiality of individual information is guaranteed. Information cannot be concentrated in a few companies, reducing the potential of digital healthcare.

Decision-making based on data analysis is another achievement that digital healthcare brings. This can be seen, for example, in initiatives by the Unified Health System (SUS), considered the largest public healthcare system in the world. Even though it still requires solutions such as electronic medical records, the SUS has a huge source of information thanks to its growing use of technology.

The actions of each government in this area can mean the difference between being or not being a player in this ecosystem. In Brazil, digital healthcare still has to face some challenges, but it is proving to be an increasingly effective model for overcoming barriers.