The Boring Fix: Why Digital Health Fails the Last Mile — and How It Does Not Have To
Abstract
Digital health interventions in low-resource settings frequently fail not because the technology is unavailable but because it is designed for infrastructure and assumptions that do not exist at the point of care. Drawing on implementation research and clinical experience, this piece argues that misaligned digital systems actively degrade care quality rather than improving it, and that the most effective interventions are those built around workflow fit, offline resilience, interoperability, and equity. The author calls for a reorientation of digital health design toward reliability over novelty.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Digital Mental Health Interventions
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Exposure
- Publisher
- New York University
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN