New study reveals lack of global digital excellence in healthcare

Results from Wave 1 of Enspektos' State of Digital Health Innovation Study has revealed a worryingly low level of digital excellence in healthcare.

The study investigated technological innovation in the healthcare sector and forms part of the larger Digital Health Maven Project designed to establish a global group of digital health innovators. It found that only 5% of global healthcare leaders were truly operating at their highest level of digital excellence.

Also revealed were a high percentage of global organisations still in the pilot stage of digital integration, a slow integration progress for areas that are already established digital settings, such as social media and mobile, and a lack of sufficient technical expertise and/or budget to scale their innovation efforts.

A total of 150 people with in-depth knowledge of their companies' digital health innovation efforts took part in the research.

"This industry-first study clearly illustrates the challenges health organisations face in executing digital innovation," said Fard Johnmar, founder and president of Enspektos. "But I'm encouraged. This research provides much-needed actionable insights that organisations and their partners can use to accelerate the implementation of high-impact digital innovation activities globally."

Chris Edwards, chief marketing officer for research sponsors Validic, also commented positively, highlighting healthcare's movement from talking about, to actually doing, digital health.

Enspektos' research is in line with statistics highlighted in joint research performed by the Confederation of British Industry and IBM last week, which found that the British economy was split almost exactly 50:50 in its adoption of digital technologies and processes, despite the overwhelming belief that it could revolutionise the economy, with the two biggest cocnerns being a lack of appropriate expertise in the business (42%) and unclear return on investment (33%).