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Speaking of weaving in more health equity by design into the project proposal: I am sharing this recent WHO/Europe publication, which feels particularly relevant for our thinking on equitable use of digital tools — and for strengthening the Z-Health proposal, especially around co-design, access, inclusion, trust and equity-by-design for younger age groups.

  • Best fit: intervention design/development WP — a useful reference for co-design, user-centred development and equity-conscious usability testing of digital tools for young people.
  • Especially relevant: implementation/piloting WP — it is a strong reminder to be mindful of access, connectivity, digital literacy, trust, accessibility and the need for blended rather than digital-only approaches.
  • Strong fit: evaluation/impact WP — it supports building in disaggregated monitoring from the outset, so that we assess not only overall uptake and outcomes, but also who is being reached and who may be left behind.
  • Important also for any data/AI/ethics-governance WP or task — particularly where digital tools involve personalisation, data-driven targeting or algorithmic elements, given the emphasis on bias, transparency, representative data and safeguards.
  • Secondary but still useful for scaling/transferability and stakeholder engagement, communication WPs — especially in thinking through how digital approaches can be adapted across settings without reproducing inequalities, and how trust and participation are built around them.

    • Best
    Dorota

     

    From: NOVILLO ORTIZ, David <dnovillo@who.int>
    Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 12:45 PM
    Cc: AZZOPARDI MUSCAT, Natasha <muscatn@who.int>; HAMILTON, Clayton <hamiltonc@who.int>; Alisha Davies (Public Health Wales - No. 2 Capital Quarter) <alisha.davies@wales.nhs.uk>; Diana Bright (Public Health Wales - No. 2 Capital Quarter) <Diana.Bright@wales.nhs.uk>
    Subject: New publication - Equity across the regulation, implementation and evaluation of digital health

     

    Dear WHO Colleague,

     

    I hope this email finds you well.

     

    On behalf of the Division of Health Systems at the WHO Regional Office for Europe and our WHO Collaborating Center in Public Health Wales, we are pleased to share with you this publication on “Equity across the regulation, implementation and evaluation of digital health: a scoping review”.

     

    This publication examines how equity is considered in digital health regulation, implementation and evaluation within the WHO European Region. Equity is increasingly acknowledged in digital health, but its integration into practice remains inconsistent. Regulatory frameworks primarily emphasize safety, privacy and performance, with limited focus on inclusion of underserved populations or adaptability to low-resource settings. Implementation strategies often overlook structural barriers. Standardized equity metrics and robust bias auditing for artificial intelligence-driven technologies are lacking. The review highlighted the need for an equity-by-design approach to embed equity throughout the digital health life cycle. Advancing equity requires inclusive governance, participatory design and cross-sectoral collaboration. Recommendations include establishing a shared understanding of equitable digital health, integrating equity metrics into maturity models, and reinforcing regulation, governance and sustainable financing.

     

    More information:

     

    We hope this information is of interest to you, and please do not hesitate to contact us in case you want to know more about this publication. In addition, please feel free to share this within your networks.

     

    WHO/Europe extends its gratitude to the European Commission (DG SANTE) for supporting the publication of this new publication.

     

    Thank you in advance.

     

    Best regards,

    Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Clayton Hamilton & David

     

    __

    Dr David Novillo Ortiz, MLIS, MSc, PhD, FIAHSI

    Unit Head and Regional Adviser, Data, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health

    Division of Health Systems

     

    World Health Organization

    Regional Office for Europe

     

    UN City

    Marmorvej 51

    2100 Copenhagen

    Denmark

     

    Tel: +45 45 33 7198 (Land line)

    Tel. +45 61 61 4868 (Mobile line)

    E-mail: dnovillo@who.int