Digital Health Policy and Programs for Hospital Care in Vietnam: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Health Policy

Background:

• Emergent technologies, including wearable monitors and AI-based decision support systems, hold promise for enhancing hospital care in low- and middle-income countries.
• Integration with existing digital health systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs), can facilitate higher-level care at a reduced cost.
• Successful implementation hinges on understanding local regulatory requirements, including technology specifications, cybersecurity, data sharing, and interoperability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of digital health research in Vietnamese hospitals.
• To examine policies governing the adoption of digital health systems within these institutions.

Main Methods:

• A modified PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) approach was employed.
• Searches included PubMed, Web of Science, Vietnamese legal databases (Thư Viện Pháp Luật), and government websites.
• Screening and data extraction were performed systematically, with a secondary review for quality assurance.

Main Results:

• The review included 11 academic publications and 20 government documents.
• Academic studies covered information systems, EHR readiness, clinical decision support, and national laboratory systems.
• Government documents, primarily from 2013-2020, addressed hospital information management, interoperability, cybersecurity, HIT provisions, and digital health strategies.

Conclusions:

• Research on hospital-based digital health systems in Vietnam is limited, especially implementation studies.
• Government regulations for health information technology (HIT) have increased since 2013, focusing on system standards.
• Further research is crucial to guide the effective implementation of digital health systems in Vietnamese hospitals.