Achieving the Promise of Digital Health Information Systems

Many pundits, including me, proclaimed the advent of an era of digital health where health information systems would transform the delivery of health care and the promotion of public health.1-3 Digital health prophets described how health information systems would provide consumers and providers with relevant, timely, and influential health information to address challenging health issues and enhance health outcomes. However, the enthusiastic predictions about the amazing contributions of digital health programs for promoting public health has not reached fruition and the great promise of health information systems has resulted in limited returns.4 There is a long way to go for digital health information systems to reach their incredible potential.