Background A reduction in the number of face-to-face medical examinations conducted for patients with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to health care professionals quickly adopting different strategies to communicate with and monitor their patients. Such strategies include the increased use of digital health tools. However, patient preferences, privacy concerns, a lack of regulations, overregulation, and insufficient evidence on the efficacy of digital health tools may have hampered the potential positive benefits of using such tools to manage NCDs. Objective This viewpoint aims to discuss the views of an advisory board of patient and caregiver association members. Specifically, we aim to present this advisory board’s view on the role of digital health tools in managing patients with NCDs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify future directions based on patients’ perspectives. Methods As an initiative under the NCD Partnership (PARTners in Ncds Engage foR building Strategies to improve Healthy ageing In Patients) model of Upjohn, a web-based advisory board of patient and caregiver advocates was held on July 28, 2020, to bring together key stakeholders from public and private sectors. Results The following key themes emerged: (1) technology developers should understand that the goals of patients may differ from those of health care professionals and other stakeholders; (2) patients, health care professionals, caregivers, and other end users need to be involved in the development of digital health tools at the earliest phase possible, to guarantee usability, efficacy, and adoption; (3) digital health tools must be better tailored to people with complex conditions, such as multimorbidity, older age, and cognitive or sensory impairment; and (4) some patients do not want or are unable to use digital health care tools, so adequate alternatives should always be available. Conclusions There was consensus that public-private partnership models, such as the Upjohn NCD Partnership, can be effective models that foster innovation by integrating multiple perspectives (eg, patients’ perspectives) into the design, development, and implementation of digital and nondigital health tools, with the main overall objective of improving the life of patients with NCDs.

BACKGROUND The reduction of face-to-face medical examinations for patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to healthcare professionals (HCPs) quickly adopting different strategies to communicate and monitor their patients, including the increased use of digital health tools. However, patient preferences, privacy concerns, lack of regulations or over-regulation, and insufficient evidence on the efficacy of these methods may have hampered the potential positive benefits of using such tools to manage NCDs. OBJECTIVE The current paper aims to discuss the output of an Advisory Board; specifically, to present the view of patients and caregivers on the role of digital health tools during and after the COVID- 19 pandemic for managing NCD patients, and identify future directions from the patients’ perspectives. METHODS As an initiative under the NCD Partnership model of Upjohn, a virtual Advisory Board with patient and caregiver advocates was held on July 28th 2020 to bring together key stakeholders from the public and private sector. RESULTS Several key themes emerged: 1) technology developers should understand that the goals of patients may differ from HCPs and other stakeholders' perspectives; 2) patients, HCPs, caregivers, and other end users need to be involved in the development of digital health solutions in the earliest phase possible to guarantee usability, efficacy, and adoption; 3) tools must be better tailored for people with complex conditions such as multimorbidity, older age, and cognitive or sensory impairment; 4) some patients do not want (or are unable) to utilize digital healthcare solutions, so adequate alternatives should always be available. CONCLUSIONS There was consensus that public-private partnership models such as the Upjohn NCD Partnership, can be effective models to foster innovation by synthetizing multiple perspectives, including patients, in the design, development, and implementation of digital (and non-digital) health tools, with the main overall objective of improving the life of NCD patients. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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