Ideas with Impact
UNB Faculty of Management

Dr. Sampath Bemgal, a business professor at UNB, recently contributed to a study on digital technology in learning health systems (LHS). Titled “The use and role of digital technology in learning health systems: A scoping review,” the article was published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics, and explores how digital tools are transforming healthcare.

“The concept of a learning health system,” says Dr. Bemgal, “was first introduced by the Institute of Medicine and envisions a system where science, informatics, incentives, and culture align for continuous improvement and innovation. This method integrates best practices into healthcare delivery and captures new knowledge along the way.”

There are seven learning processes in LHS which are crucial for improving patient care and outcomes:

1. Data access
2. Data analysis
3. Interpretation of results
4. Feedback to decision-makers
5. Practice change
6. Measurement of impact
7. Decision to start a new cycle

The research team reviewed 2,046 articles from 2007 to 2022, narrowing it down to 154. They found that digital technologies mainly support data access, aggregation, and analysis—two of the seven above learning processes in LHS cycles.

“Our review highlights the critical role of digital technologies in LHS development and their potential to support additional learning processes,” adds Dr. Bemgal.

The study underscores the importance of adopting various digital technologies to realize the vision of LHS. While the results are promising, showing that many LHS use digital technology to enhance patient care, they also highlight gaps in technology use, evaluation, and reporting.

The paper provides recommendations for future research to address these gaps. Dr. Bemgal noted that technology integration was limited in high-level processes like knowledge management and practice change management.

The paper suggests that digital technology must be evaluated for quality, validity, efficiency, and effectiveness, and its impact on outcomes in specific contexts before implementation. To improve future reporting, the paper also suggests proper documentation on how digital technology is leveraged.

By integrating digital technologies into LHS, healthcare systems can improve patient care, enhance transparency, and foster continuous learning and innovation. This research offers a roadmap for healthcare providers to better use digital tools, leading to better patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare delivery.

Dr. Bemgal joined the research team during his post-doctoral days and continued to assist after joining UNB’s faculty of management in July 2023. At UNB he teaches courses in management of information systems.

Photo: UNB business professor, Dr. Sampath Bemgal, contributed to a recent study on digital technology in learning health systems.

Learn more about UNB’s faculty of management.

Meda contact: Liz Lemon-Mitchell
Email: Lizabeth.Lemonmitchell@unb.ca