Value connotation， development dilemmas， and realization paths of digital healthcare
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.09.01
- VernacularTitle:数字医疗的价值意蕴、发展困境与实现路径
- Author:
Yingchuan YAN
1
Author Information
1. School of Humanities and Management， Guangdong Medical University， Dongguan 523808， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
digital healthcare;
telemedicine;
medical equity;
right to health;
online medical treatment
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(9):1135-1143
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Digital healthcare covers a wide range of fields such as health information systems， online medical diagnosis and treatment， telemedicine， and robotic health applications. With its unique technical advantages， it plays an important role in promoting health equity. It can not only reform the traditional medical service model and greatly improve the quality and efficiency of medical services， but also deliver more equitable and accessible medical services， enabling value-based healthcare to run through the construction of Healthy China. From the perspective of Amartya Sen’s capability approach， health represents a fundamental capability with both intrinsic and instrumental values， and its improvement can undoubtedly promote the all-around development of human beings. Achieving health equity constitutes the essence of expanding humans’ capabilities and strengthening individuals’ ability to participate in life. Therefore， it is necessary to actively use digital healthcare to facilitate the realization of value-based healthcare. However， the development of digital healthcare in China remains in the initial stage， facing multiple development dilemmas such as inadequate legal systems for digital healthcare， unclear legal issues regarding diagnosis and treatment scope， irregular division of responsibilities， and the medical digital divide problem. To address the above challenges， targeted and effective strategies and plans should be adopted. First， it is vital to improve the legal system for digital healthcare. Second， it is pivotal to clarify the scope of diagnosis and treatment in digital healthcare. Third， it is critical to reasonably categorize scenarios of liability. Fourth， it is essential to bridge the digital divide through multi-stakeholder collaboration. Such measures will comprehensively protect patients’ rights and interests and enable digital healthcare to truly realize the value connotation of health equity.
