Digitisation & Prevention: New Paths for Future-Proof Healthcare

What Holds Us Back: Key Challenges in Prevention

Despite its enormous potential for improving health and reducing costs, prevention often fails in practice due to structural and technological barriers:

1. Data privacy, fragmentation, and missing infrastructure:
   Digital prevention depends on data – and that’s exactly where things often go wrong. In Germany, more than 600 health registries exist, but many are underfunded, incomplete, or incompatible. Robust data infrastructures are essential to develop and implement evidence-based prevention strategies.
2. Redundant efforts instead of collaboration:
   With 94 statutory health insurers often developing similar programs independently, valuable resources are wasted. Instead of competing, we need strategic collaboration with a focus on quality, sustainability, and measurable impact.
3. Misaligned incentives in the reimbursement system:
   Physicians are primarily reimbursed for treatment, not for preventing illness. As long as prevention is structurally disadvantaged, it will remain a secondary concern.
4. Low health literacy:
   Over 50% of Germans have limited health literacy. Investing in health education and accessible information is crucial to increase both acceptance and effectiveness of preventive measures.

What Drives Us Forward: Opportunities for a Healthier Future

Those who take a holistic approach to prevention and embrace digital potential can reshape healthcare – more effectively, more sustainably, and closer to people’s lives.

1. Digital tools for greater reach
   From wearables and health apps to AI-powered prevention assistants – digital tech enables early risk detection, tailored interventions, and seamless integration of prevention into everyday life. Platforms like TikTok or tools like ChatGPT are already contributing to low-threshold health education, especially for younger audiences. Digital prevention can meet people where they live, communicate, and make decisions.
2. AI & data analytics for personalization
   Artificial intelligence can analyze health data, identify risk groups, and deliver targeted recommendations. Calendar assistants for people with chronic conditions or fitness apps for young users show how prevention can be smart, simple, and effective.A standout example is the TheraKey project by Berlin-Chemie, developed with IBM iX. The platform offers patients, healthcare professionals, and caregivers evidence-based, personalized information to support treatment and disease management. An integrated AI chatbot, ISA, provides tailored answers about chronic conditions like COPD or asthma – showing how modern tech can connect prevention with ongoing support.

   Looking ahead, such digital tools could be integrated into „elektronische Patientenakte (ePA)“ – e.g., to simplify complex medical information or deliver personalized advice based on individual health data.

3. Interdisciplinary collaboration
   When doctors, psychologists, social scientists, and tech experts work together, scalable and holistic prevention solutions emerge – addressing both individual and structural factors. Only a blend of perspectives can uncover and address the complex roots of disease. This transforms prevention from an isolated effort into an integral part of a resilient healthcare system.
4. Targeted, user-centric solutions
   Whether for shift-working nurses, teenagers, or office workers – prevention must fit into real-life routines. This is achieved through simple, personalized formats that integrate seamlessly into everyday life.– For shift workers: short, on-demand micro-learning videos on topics like stress relief or nutrition – viewable during breaks via smartphone.
   – Supporting tools: apps with personalized reminders for movement or sleep hygiene help maintain health despite irregular schedules.
   – For young people: gamified apps that encourage movement or healthy eating, supported by social media challenges or influencer campaigns to make prevention fun and relevant.
   – For office workers: digital workouts or mindfulness sessions triggered by reminders during the workday or home office. Ergonomic workplace tools and virtual group sessions foster healthy routines and team spirit.
5. Access to reliable health information
   In a world full of conflicting messages, it’s vital that everyone – regardless of background or education – can access clear, verified health content. Only then can informed decisions be made and a culture of prevention take root that includes everyone.
6. Patient involvement
   Prevention doesn’t work for people – it only works with them. Engaging users early in the development of digital prevention services, health programs, or patient-centered care models boosts both relevance and effectiveness. Participation can take the form of feedback loops, co-creation workshops, or pilot projects – creating solutions that truly matter, build trust, and drive long-term success.

Summary: Put Prevention at the Center – Digital, Effective, Human-Centered

Healthcare is at a turning point: digital technologies and a stronger focus on people are opening new possibilities to make prevention more effective and sustainable. With a clear strategy and intelligent use of digital tools, we can unlock prevention’s full potential. Success depends on trust, target group alignment, interdisciplinary collaboration, personalization, and real patient involvement. If these are implemented digitally, acceptance and impact grow – strengthening our contribution to a healthier, more sustainable, and economically viable healthcare system.
Prevention is not a short-lived trend. It is the core lever for a sustainable future in healthcare. Only by shifting focus toward prevention can we proactively combat chronic illness, improve population health, and lower long-term costs. The key is to understand what people really need – and to make prevention simple, relevant, and part of everyday life through smart, digital solutions.

Rethinking Prevention with IBM iX

At IBM iX, we work alongside our partners to make this vision a reality. We develop user-centric, digital solutions that bring prevention to the forefront of care – from awareness to digital therapy support. Our work combines technological innovation with tangible health impact.

The ideas and approaches shared in this article emerged during the Healthcare Experience Meetup, where experts from medicine, research, design, and technology discussed the future of prevention in healthcare.

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