Roadmap to Successful Digital Health Ecosystems
A Global Perspective
- 2nd Edition - March 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editors: Evelyn Hovenga, Heather Grain
- Language: English
Roadmap to Successful Digital Health Ecosystems: A Global Perspective, Second Edition, explores the transformative integration of digital health technologies to enhance health… Read more
Roadmap to Successful Digital Health Ecosystems: A Global Perspective, Second Edition, explores the transformative integration of digital health technologies to enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of digital health, focusing on next-generation systems and the role of artificial intelligence in creating efficient healthcare ecosystems. The revised content covers topics such as regional implementation experiences, workforce management, and precision healthcare. New chapters highlight advancements in digital health technologies, case studies from Jamaica and Africa, and strategies for addressing fragmentation in healthcare systems. The book emphasizes ethical AI use and proactive, integrated healthcare approaches. For the academic audience, this revision serves as an essential resource, compiling cutting-edge research and practical applications that inform best practices in digital health. It equips researchers, educators, and practitioners with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of digital health ecosystems and drive innovation in their fields.
- Introduces new chapters that focus on next-generation systems, regional implementation experiences in Jamaica and Africa, and the role of AI in precision healthcare providing readers with updated and relevant case studies
- Highlights the importance of digital health workforce management, equipping readers with insights into preparing professionals for the evolving demands of digital health ecosystems
- Reflects recent advancements in digital health technologies and research findings, ensuring that the content remains current and valuable for academics and practitioners in the field
Academic Researchers, Students and educators in the fields of health informatics, public health, and digital health research
Section 1: Health Ecosystems' Characteristics
1. Establishing the Need for Digital Health Transformation
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
2. Building Global and National Infrastructures for Digital Health Ecosystems
Evelyn Hovenga and Heather Grain
3. An Evolving Global Leadership Landscape
Evelyn Hovenga
4. Fragmented global digital health standards development organisations- platform foundations
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga, Heather Grain and Thomas Beale
Section 2: Health Data, Information and Knowledge Pipeline
5. Are professional guidelines and regulatory standards fit for purpose?
A.M. Hovenga
6. Health knowledge management in a digital world
Evelyn Hovenga AM
7. Health data supply chains and data governance: Building a framework for trust and efficiency
Evelyn Hovenga AM and Heather Grain
Section 3: New Generation Health Systems: Supporting Artificial Intelligence
8. Transforming health ecosystems through digital innovation
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
9. Digital health standards driving seamless system integration
Thomas Beale, Heather Grain and Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
10. The knowledge-driven platform: Strategic technologies for an open- platform ecosystem approach
Thomas Beale and Evelyn J.S. Hovenga
11. Modelling clinical knowledge
Heather Leslie, Koray Atalag, Heidi Koikkalainen, Vanessa Pereira and Kanthan Theivendran
12. The growing importance of health data standards and their limitations
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM and Heather Grain
13. Identity and unique identifiers: Value, use and their management
Heather Grain
14. Health data sources, EHRs and essential technology paradigms
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM, Thomas Beale and Heather Grain
15. Primary health reform for the digital era
Evelyn Hovenga AM
16. Health data security and privacy: Challenges and solutions for the future
Kassaye Yitbarek Yigzaw, Antonis Michalas, Luis Marco-Ruiz, Marcela Tuler de Oliveira, Dagmar Krefting, Thomas Penzel, Johan Gustav Bellika and Sílvia Delgado Olabarriaga
17. Embracing AI for precision healthcare
Kathleen A. McCormick
Section 4: Health Workforce, Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
18. A health knowledge and skill-based framework for the digital age
Evelyn Hovenga AM
19. Digital upskilling of the health workforce — A university perspective
Brandon Cheong
20. Digital health workforce maturity
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
Section 5: Case Studies
21. Health informatics in the Middle East and North Africa
Najeeb Al-Shorbaji and Dari Alhuwail
22. Leading health service and policy needs: A community focused approach supporting public health
Yangama Jokwiro, Admore Jokwiro and Peter K. Williams
23. A framework and call to action for regional health information systems interoperability: The Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) experience
Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran, Kristin Chloe Pascual, Alvin B. Marcelo, Anis Fuad, Boonchai Kijsanayotin, Chaminda Weerabaddana, Fazilah Shaik Allaudin, Teh Xin Rou and Charisse Orjalo
24. Catalonia’s Digital Health Strategy: transforming vision into reality
Jordi Piera-Jiménez, Xabier Michelena, Andrea Climent and Lluís Valle
25. Evidence-based biomedical information systems: The road ahead
Rune Pedersen and Luis Marco-Ruiz
26. Norway, Sweden and Finland as forerunners in open ecosystems and openEHR
Hanna Pohjonen and Rosaldo Oy
27. Benefits of using SNOMED CT in the UK National Health Service (NHS)
Monica Jones
28. Jamaica’s digital health journey: From paper trails to a learning health system
Monica Jones and Keisha Barwise
Section 6: Future Vision
29. Addressing transformational change
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM and Helen Hovenga
30. Emerging digital health ecosystems
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM, Helen Hovenga and Peter K. Williams
1. Establishing the Need for Digital Health Transformation
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
2. Building Global and National Infrastructures for Digital Health Ecosystems
Evelyn Hovenga and Heather Grain
3. An Evolving Global Leadership Landscape
Evelyn Hovenga
4. Fragmented global digital health standards development organisations- platform foundations
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga, Heather Grain and Thomas Beale
Section 2: Health Data, Information and Knowledge Pipeline
5. Are professional guidelines and regulatory standards fit for purpose?
A.M. Hovenga
6. Health knowledge management in a digital world
Evelyn Hovenga AM
7. Health data supply chains and data governance: Building a framework for trust and efficiency
Evelyn Hovenga AM and Heather Grain
Section 3: New Generation Health Systems: Supporting Artificial Intelligence
8. Transforming health ecosystems through digital innovation
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
9. Digital health standards driving seamless system integration
Thomas Beale, Heather Grain and Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
10. The knowledge-driven platform: Strategic technologies for an open- platform ecosystem approach
Thomas Beale and Evelyn J.S. Hovenga
11. Modelling clinical knowledge
Heather Leslie, Koray Atalag, Heidi Koikkalainen, Vanessa Pereira and Kanthan Theivendran
12. The growing importance of health data standards and their limitations
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM and Heather Grain
13. Identity and unique identifiers: Value, use and their management
Heather Grain
14. Health data sources, EHRs and essential technology paradigms
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM, Thomas Beale and Heather Grain
15. Primary health reform for the digital era
Evelyn Hovenga AM
16. Health data security and privacy: Challenges and solutions for the future
Kassaye Yitbarek Yigzaw, Antonis Michalas, Luis Marco-Ruiz, Marcela Tuler de Oliveira, Dagmar Krefting, Thomas Penzel, Johan Gustav Bellika and Sílvia Delgado Olabarriaga
17. Embracing AI for precision healthcare
Kathleen A. McCormick
Section 4: Health Workforce, Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
18. A health knowledge and skill-based framework for the digital age
Evelyn Hovenga AM
19. Digital upskilling of the health workforce — A university perspective
Brandon Cheong
20. Digital health workforce maturity
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM
Section 5: Case Studies
21. Health informatics in the Middle East and North Africa
Najeeb Al-Shorbaji and Dari Alhuwail
22. Leading health service and policy needs: A community focused approach supporting public health
Yangama Jokwiro, Admore Jokwiro and Peter K. Williams
23. A framework and call to action for regional health information systems interoperability: The Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) experience
Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran, Kristin Chloe Pascual, Alvin B. Marcelo, Anis Fuad, Boonchai Kijsanayotin, Chaminda Weerabaddana, Fazilah Shaik Allaudin, Teh Xin Rou and Charisse Orjalo
24. Catalonia’s Digital Health Strategy: transforming vision into reality
Jordi Piera-Jiménez, Xabier Michelena, Andrea Climent and Lluís Valle
25. Evidence-based biomedical information systems: The road ahead
Rune Pedersen and Luis Marco-Ruiz
26. Norway, Sweden and Finland as forerunners in open ecosystems and openEHR
Hanna Pohjonen and Rosaldo Oy
27. Benefits of using SNOMED CT in the UK National Health Service (NHS)
Monica Jones
28. Jamaica’s digital health journey: From paper trails to a learning health system
Monica Jones and Keisha Barwise
Section 6: Future Vision
29. Addressing transformational change
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM and Helen Hovenga
30. Emerging digital health ecosystems
Evelyn J.S. Hovenga AM, Helen Hovenga and Peter K. Williams
- Edition: 2
- Latest edition
- Published: March 1, 2026
- Language: English
EH
Evelyn Hovenga
Evelyn Hovenga, RN, PhD, FACS, FANC, FIAHSI, currently manages eHealth Education, an RTO, and the not-for-profit Global eHealth Collaborative (GeHCo) and continues to work as a digital health consultant. She retired as Professor of Health Informatics in 2007, following a 25-year career in this discipline with a focus on standards development as these apply to EHRs, semantic interoperability, and terminology and is Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education, University College London (http://www.chime.ucl.ac.uk/). Evelyn started her career as a registered nurse; has health executive, public service, educational and research experience; obtained a PhD in Health Administration (Nursing Informatics); initiated and hosted the first National Health Informatics Conference (HIC) in Melbourne in 1993; is one of the founders of HISA and the Australasian College of Health Informatics; and is a founding fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (FIAHSI), Geneva. She is also widely published. Evelyn is an honorary member of the International Medical Informatics Association’s Nursing Informatics SIG as a result of representing Australian nurses from 1984 for many years, as a member and Past Chair of this group.
Affiliations and expertise
CEO and Director, eHealth Education Pty Ltd, East Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaHG
Heather Grain
Heather Grain, ADip HIM, Dip TDD, GDip IS, MHI, FAIDH, FMU, FIAHSI, possesses international expertise in developing, implementing, and managing digital health systems and data governance. A leader in electronic health record systems, she has worked across multiple countries and held significant roles in health informatics at organizations such as ISO, HL7, and SNOMED International. Currently, she leads the Information Governance Ad Hoc Group for ISO TC215.
As an educator, Heather has guided many into health informatics, developing courses for eHealth Education and several universities. She designed the Electronic Health Records Online Learning (eHRoL) clinical coding simulation and training tool for the Global eHealth Collaborative (GeHCo). With a strong understanding of both the practical and theoretical aspects of digital health, she emphasizes the importance of data harmonization to reduce costs and improve healthcare outcomes, while working to advance skills and education strategies in digitally supported healthcare.
Affiliations and expertise
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia