BANGKOK, Thailand and MANILA, Philippines – The Standards and Interoperability Lab-Asia (SIL-Asia) together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) facilitated a series of workshops on Digital Health Investment Framework (DHIF) during the first quarter of 2018. These workshops were held in Bangkok, Thailand (30 January) and in Manila, Philippines with Ministry of Health Nepal officials (8 March), and with Department of Health Philippines officials (15 March).
The Digital Health Impact Framework (DHIF) aims to assist Ministries of Health to justify and refine their strategies, and assess their proposed investments in Digital Health. The framework also helps countries in determining the proper implementation and phasing of Digital Health projects.
DHIF is a generic methodology that fits any set of investment in every sector. It is similar to an economic analysis but the viability of projects is not measured in terms of income generation. Rather, it is focused on benefits and how to monetize those benefits. DHIF projects are focused on the benefits that serve as hallmarks of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – quality, efficiency, and access.
The methodology for DHIF is summarized in ten steps, namely: (1) identify timescales; (2) identify the stakeholders; (3) identify the benefits; (4) identify the resources needed; (5) estimate socio-economic benefits’ monetary values; (6) estimate socio-economic costs; (7) adjust for sensitivity, optimism, and risk; (8) calculate net benefits, the socioeconomic returns; (9) estimate financial costs and affordability; and (10) replicate and reiterate.
The DHIF is also discussed extensively in the ADB publication, ‘Guidance for Investing in Digital Health’ authored by Peter Drury, Susann Roth, Tom Jones, Michael Stahl, and Donna Medeiros.
The ‘Guidance for Investing in Digital Health’ helps governments, the private sector, and the public identify investments in knowledge, people, policies, and equipment that will maximize the impact of digital health.
More information about DHIF User Manual is available here.
