Digital Health Strategies for Monitoring and Care in Vulnerable Low-Income Populations

In today’s interconnected world, the promise of digital health extends far beyond hospitals and high-income settings. Yet, millions of people living in low-income and vulnerable communities remain excluded from the benefits of technological advances in healthcare. As a physician working closely with underserved populations, I have seen both the urgency and opportunity to design health systems that are inclusive, adaptable, and context-aware . From disaster zones to remote areas with limited infrastructure, digital tools — when properly designed — can amplify care , support front-line workers, and save lives. This post is part of an ongoing effort to explore how health IT, mobile technologies, and open data standards (such as HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, and openIMIS) can be effectively used to: Monitor public health trends in real-time Facilitate access to essential care Coordinate with humanitarian responders Ensure ethical data collection and privacy But techn...