The rapid evolution of digital health technologies holds immense promise for improving health outcomes, broadening healthcare access, and supporting robust public health initiatives globally. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face significant obstacles in leveraging these technologies due to infrastructure constraints, regulatory uncertainties, economic limitations, and pervasive digital literacy gaps. The consequences include pronounced inequalities and persistent disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. The uneven deployment of digital health solutions exacerbates existing socio-economic and geographic health gradients within LMICs, jeopardizing global efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Without addressing these fundamental barriers, digital innovations may inadvertently sustain or widen existing inequities rather than narrowing them.

The goal of this Research Topic is to thoroughly examine the multifaceted barriers and facilitators influencing equitable access to digital health technologies in LMICs, and the differential impact of those technologies on healthcare. Specifically, it seeks to identify and analyze the complex socio-economic, infrastructural, regulatory, and socio-cultural factors impacting digital health integration and adoption in resource-constrained contexts. By adopting both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, the topic will critically evaluate existing interventions, policies, and strategies to bridge digital divides and promote inclusivity in digital healthcare delivery. Additionally, the topic will explore and clarify the ethical challenges posed by inequalities in digital health—highlighting concerns regarding privacy, equity, autonomy, and inclusiveness—and propose contextually tailored ethical frameworks and practical recommendations to overcome these challenges. By shedding light on both systemic barriers and successful innovations, this Research Topic aims to inform policymakers, practitioners, technologists, and global health researchers dedicated to fostering ethical, inclusive, and equitable digital health environments in LMIC settings.

Suitable themes for manuscripts include, but are not limited to:

1. Mapping the digital health divide: infrastructure and access challenges
2. Innovative approaches to enhancing digital literacy for health professionals and communities
3. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions: lessons learned from successful case studies in LMICs
4. Policy and regulatory frameworks shaping digital health implementation
5. Ethical considerations on data privacy and protection in resource-limited settings
6. Financial models and economic incentives to sustain digital health solutions
7. Participatory design of culturally appropriate digital health technologies
8. Leveraging public-private partnerships to boost digital health scalability
9. Impacts of digital health solutions on reducing healthcare disparities and gender inequalities
10. Strategies for effective integration of digital health into existing healthcare ecosystems in LMICs

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Overcoming Digital Health Gaps in LMICs: Barriers, Facilitators, and Ethical Solutions