New evidence on the real role of digital economy in influencing public health efficiency

Abstract

In recent years, the rapid advancement of digital technology has supported the growth of the digital economy. The transformation towards digitization in the public health sector serves as a key indicator of this economic shift. Understanding how the digital economy continuously improves the efficiency of public health services and its various pathways of influence has become increasingly important. It is essential to clarify the impact mechanism of the digital economy on public health services to optimize health expenditures and advance digital economic construction. This study investigates the impact of digital economic development on the efficiency of public health services from a novel perspective, considering social media usage and urban–rural healthcare disparities while constructing a comprehensive index of digital economic development. The findings indicate that the digital economy reduces the efficiency of public health services primarily through two transmission mechanisms: the promotion of social media usage and the widening urban–rural healthcare gap. Moreover, these impacts and transmission pathways exhibit spatial heterogeneity. This study unveils the intrinsic connection and mechanisms of interaction between digital economic development and the efficiency of public health services, providing a theoretical basis and reference for government policy formulation. However, it also prompts further considerations on achieving synergy and interaction between the digital economy and public health services.

Survey and analysis on the resource situation of primary health care institutions in rural China

“…According to a study, the digital economy negatively impacts the effectiveness of public health services mainly in two ways: by encouraging the use of social media and by increasing the disparity in healthcare access between urban and rural areas. Furthermore, these effects and methods of transmission display spatial variability ( 50 ). In terms of healthcare services in rural healthcare institutions, between 2020 to 2022, the rural average frequency of several medical consultations per person was 2.24 times higher than the national average.…”