Community Medicine in Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: The Hidden Cornerstone

BACKGROUND: India has launched Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), to provide an integrated digital health infrastructure. The success of digital health systems lies in their ability to achieve universal healthcare and incorporate all levels of disease prevention. The objective of this study was to develop an expert consensus on how Community Medicine (Preventive and Social Medicine) can be integrated into ABDM. METHODS: A total of 17 and 15 participants, who were Community Medicine professionals with more than 10 years experience in the Public Health Sector and/or Medical Education in various parts of India, participated in round 1 and 2 of this Delphi study respectively. The study explored three domains: 1. Advantages and challenges of ABDM, and possible solutions; 2. Intersectoral convergence in Unified Health Interface (UHI) and 3. Way ahead in medical education and research. RESULTS: Participants envisaged improved accessibility, affordability, and quality of care due to ABDM. However, awareness generation, reaching out to marginalized populations, human resource constraints, financial sustainability, and data security issues were anticipated challenges. The study identified plausible solutions addressing six broad challenges of ABDM and classified them based on the priority of implementation. Participants listed out nine key roles of Community Medicine professionals in digital health. The Study identified about 95 stakeholders who play direct and indirect roles in public health and can be connected to the general public through the Unified Health Interface of ABDM. Further, the study explored the future of medical education and research in the digital era. CONCLUSION: The Study contributes to broadening the scope of India’s digital health mission, with elements of Community Medicine in its cornerstone.