Background: As digitalization is progressively permeating all aspects of society, how can be it fruitfully employed
to sustain the public health goals of quality, accessibility, efficiency and equity in health care and prevention? In
this paper, we reflect on the potential of applying digital tools to public health and discuss some key challenges.
Methods: We first define ‘digitalization’ in its broader sense, as well as applied to public health. We then build a
conceptual framework where key public health domains are associated to available digital technologies in a
matrix that help to identify digital features that bolster public health action. We also provide illustrative data
and evidence on the application of digital solutions on selected public health areas. In the second part, we identify
the strategic pillars for a successful European strategy for public health digitalization and we outline how the
approach being pursued by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) applies to digital health. Results:
From a public health perspective, digitalization is being touted as providing several potential benefits and
advantages, including support for the transition from cure to prevention, helping to put people and patients at
the center of care delivery, supporting patient empowerment and making healthcare system more efficient, safer
and cheaper. These benefits are enabled through the following features of digital technologies: (i) Personalization
and precision; (ii) Automation; (iii) Prediction; (iv) Data analytics and (v) Interaction. Conclusion: A successful
European strategy for public health digitalization should integrate the following pillars: political commitment,
normative frameworks, technical infrastructure, targeted economic investments, education, research, monitoring
and evaluation. EUPHA acknowledges digitalization is an asset for public health and is working both to promote
the culture of ‘‘public health digitalization’’, as well as to enable its planning, implementation and evaluation at
the research, practice and policy level.