Digital health technologies (DHTs) represent various products used in the healthcare system, including software, applications (apps) and online platforms benefiting individuals and the wider health and social care system. It is a field characterised by complexity and dynamism.
The English digital health ecosystem centres around patients as the ultimate beneficiaries but comprises a vibrant network of stakeholders from all the private, public and third sectors (e.g., non-profits), engaging with each other at various steps along the technology lifecycle.
This report includes an in-depth discussion of factors and variables that affect unit costs, including labor (the most prominent), fixed costs, and potential contribution to epidemic control (e.g. achievement of targets). Key factors impacting input costs include staffing number and type, and capital costs, output costs vary based on factors including number and type of activities, innovations, and capacity to achieve targets. However, assessment of technical efficiency by model and site posed challenges. Assessed sites provide different activities along the services cascade depending on KP group, geographical location, and other contextual factors. This variation also makes it difficult to determine specific drivers of unit costs. In addition, differenced in number and type of program inputs and outputs for activities result in variations in unit costs.