Sometimes an abstract starts with a rather simple observation.
People are already using digital health. This is something we see in our daily work.
They use wearables, health apps, patient portals and digital services. They track steps, sleep, heart rate and other health information. They generate data – sometimes a lot of data.
But do they always know that they are using digital health?
And honestly: can you say that you use your digital devices consciously?
Do people understand the data they generate? Do they know what these data can tell them – and what they cannot? And do they have the knowledge and confidence to use digital health information for their own health decisions?
How do your data and digital devices influence the decisions you make about your health?
These were some of the questions behind the abstract we submitted to the Transatlantic Digital Research Network (TDRN) International Conference “The Future is Digital – International Perspectives on Healthcare Transformation”, held at Aalborg University in Copenhagen in August 2026.
Apparently, the questions were interesting enough to get us invited. 😁
Our Managing Director, Birgit Bauer, presented the session:
“People use digital health – but not consciously: why communication, trust and literacy decide if it works.”
Digital health is already part of everyday life
One of the starting points of our presentation was something we sometimes forget when discussing digital transformation:
People do not necessarily think in categories such as digital health, patient-generated health data or health data ecosystems.
They live their lives.
A smartwatch measures a heart rate. A phone counts steps. Someone looks at laboratory results in a patient portal. Another person searches for information about a diagnosis or asks an AI system a health-related question.
All of this can be part of digital health. But using technology is not the same as understanding it. And access to data is not automatically health data literacy. Being able to see a laboratory value is useful.
But then comes the next question:
What does it mean?
People need more than access. They need information, context and the ability to understand what data and digital tools mean for their own health. That is where health literacy, digital literacy and health data literacy meet.
Technology alone does not create empowerment
Digital health is often discussed from the perspective of technology and infrastructure.
Of course, both matter.
But a technically excellent solution can still fail if people do not understand it, do not trust it or cannot use it in their everyday lives.
That is why our session focused on three elements that we believe deserve much more attention:
Communication. Trust. Literacy.
If we want people to use digital health confidently, we need to explain not only how something works, but also why it exists, what happens to data and what people can realistically expect from a digital service.
And we need to listen. Because there is another remarkably simple idea that sometimes gets lost in digital transformation:
Ask the people who are supposed to use it.
Not when everything is finished. Not as the final tick in a co-creation checklist. Early enough for their experience to actually influence what is being developed.
A conversation, not just a presentation
As Birgit put it afterwards: the presentation did not end with the final slide.
There was nodding during the session, questions, discussions and many conversations afterwards. And that matters.
At edha, international exchange with experts is an important part of our work. And to put it quite clearly: not everyone in the expert silo is always amused when we say, “We learned this in Denmark.” 😁
But there is a reason why we keep looking at Denmark. The country is moving digital health forward and has built strong structures around it, with a clear focus on integrating digital health into people’s everyday lives.
Does that mean everything is perfect? Of course not. Denmark has challenges too. And that is exactly what makes the exchange interesting.
Because the conference itself repeatedly returned to issues very close to our own work: digital literacy, co-creation, patient and citizen involvement, equity, Care at Home, mental health, AI and the question of how digital transformation works in people’s real lives. Different projects, different research questions – but surprisingly often the same underlying challenge:
Digital transformation only works when people can be part of it.
Not merely as users at the end of a development process, but as people with knowledge, experience, questions and sometimes very good reasons for not using what somebody else has designed for them.
And now we are published
Our contribution is now included in the official conference proceedings:
“The Future is Digital – International Perspectives on Healthcare Transformation.”
We are delighted to see our perspective on communication, trust, literacy and patient empowerment documented alongside the research and discussions presented in Copenhagen.
The conference proceedings and Birgit’s presentation slides are now available in the Publications section of the edha website.
Find the Proceedings here: https://edha.academy/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/TDRN-CPH26-Conference-Proceedings-The-Future-is-Digital-070826.pdf
And here you can see Birgit’s Slide Deck: https://edha.academy/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/edha-slide-deck-BB.pdf
And yes, we are rather pleased about that. 😁
Because patient and citizen perspectives on digital health should not only be discussed.
They should be a big and most important part of the published conversation.
Thank you, Copenhagen
A very warm thank you to Prof. Birthe Dinesen and the entire Transatlantic Digital Research Network (TDRN) and Aalborg University team for the invitation, the opportunity to contribute to the conference and, above all, for creating space for discussion.
Two very intense days showed once again why international exchange matters.
We do not have to agree on everything. Health systems are different. Digital infrastructures are different. People are different.
But we can learn from each other, ask difficult questions and occasionally challenge some comfortable assumptions.
Which seems rather appropriate for a conference with the motto:
Together, Across Borders for Better Digital Health.
Further reading
If you would like the bigger picture – including sundhed.dk, Care at Home, citizen participation, equity, mental health, AI and quite a few questions we brought back with us – Data Saves Lives Germany has published our extended conference report in German:
“Denkzettel aus Kopenhagen: Was wir von digitaler Gesundheit lernen können.” https://www.datasaveslives.de/blog/denkzettel-aus-kopenhagen-was-wir-von-digitaler-gesundheit-lernen-knnen-ein-konferenzbericht
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