SustainableDigitalHealth
Factsheet
- Schools involved School of Engineering and Computer Science
- Institute(s) Institute for Patient-centered Digital Health (PCDH)
- Research unit(s) PCDH / AI for Health
- Funding organisation SNSF
- Duration (planned) 11.06.2026 - 19.07.2026
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Kerstin Denecke
- Partner Oulun Yliopisto
Situation
ealthcare systems globally are increasingly challenged by staff shortages and the rising complexity of patient care, making traditional care models less sustainable. Recent advances in digital health, particularly AI-driven interventions, offer new opportunities for remote monitoring, patient-reported outcomes, and even direct treatment. Despite the growing adoption of digital health, the concept of sustainability in this context remains under-theorized and fragmented in the literature. The central research question of this project is: How can sustainability in digital health—especially in AI-driven interventions—be systematically defined, assessed, and implemented beyond conventional notions of efficiency and scalability? The project aims to (1) conceptualize sustainability as a multidimensional construct (economic, technical, clinical, organizational, social, and environmental), (2) identify and adapt suitable frameworks and methods for evaluating sustainability in digital health, and (3) develop practical tools to guide the design of future digital health interventions that balance effectiveness, equity, and environmental responsibility. field of sustainable digital health.
Result
The recently drafted Digital Health Sustainability Canvas lists 21 assessment criteria, categorised into five sustainability dimensions: individual, social, ecological, economic and technical. Key questions associated with each evaluation criterion help users of the Canvas to systematically assess their digital health intervention in terms of these sustainability aspects. The Digital Health Sustainability Canvas is a comprehensive, practice-practice-oriented framework for building sustainability into every step of digital health interventions – from planning through to implementation and evaluation. Its multi-dimensional approach helps researchers, developers, health institutions and policymakers develop digital health interventions that are not only effective but also sustainable in the long term.
