Digitally Connected Diagnostics Data in the Future of Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged both health care administrators and public health policymakers in unprecedented ways. The dearth of actionable clinical data nationwide impeded prompt evidence-based policymaking and adjustments to health care systems. This highlighted the importance of accessible high-quality real-time clinical data at the local and national level for tackling emerging public health threats. Current methods of data collection for public health are tedious and time-consuming, limiting the speed at which effective measures are determined. Meanwhile, diagnostic companies are increasingly embracing digital technologies, which could put anonymized aggregate diagnostic data, and effective analytics at the heart of health care policy and management. The key to achieving that is-in part-crafting effective public-private partnerships at the federal and international level. Carefully carving out the terms of such partnerships will be crucial to their success. The benefits for governments and their citizens are likely to be worthwhile as public health threats continue to arise, spending remains overstretched, and health care systems overburdened.