Public health rethought: Interdisciplinary handbook highlights opportunities and challenges of digitization in healthcare

“I am very happy that this book is now available. It brings together the diverse insights and discussions that we have developed together at the Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Public Health over the past few years,” says Prof. Dr. Hajo Zeeb, spokesperson for the Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Public Health Bremen and head of department at the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS.

Whether apps, smartwatches, or social media – digital technologies have become an integral part of everyday life. They are also having an impact in the field of public health: with their help, information can be disseminated in a more targeted manner, gaps in care can be closed, and the early detection of diseases can be supported. At the same time, they challenge existing concepts: How do we protect personal data? Which groups are reached—and which are left out? And what ethical, legal, or social consequences does digitization entail?

The handbook contains over 30 contributions from experts in medicine, epidemiology, psychology, philosophy, law, computer science, and other disciplines. The articles highlight both the potential and the risks of digital applications – from questions of digital health literacy and the ethical dilemmas of new technologies to concrete implementation in healthcare practice. One thing is clear: digitization is not an end in itself. It must be geared toward the actual needs of the population. This requires interdisciplinary cooperation, well-thought-out technological development, and consistent scientific monitoring.

“The special value of this book lies in its combination of theory, practice, and technology. It shows how important it is that digitization does not happen over people's heads, but on the basis of evidence, participation, and reflection,” says Zeeb.

The book is intended not only as a reference work for researchers, but also as a practical guide for professionals in administration, politics, and healthcare. It offers insights into current developments – such as the regulation of digital health applications, the handling of health data, and the design of digital prevention strategies. The central finding: only when different disciplines work together can digitization contribute to strengthening the health of the population in the long term. In order to make these findings accessible to a broad public, the book is being published as an open-access publication and is available online free of charge here. In order to reach an international audience, the book was written in English.

Funding information
The work was carried out as part of the Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Public Health Bremen (www.digital-public-health.de). The campus is jointly funded by the Leibniz Association, the state of Bremen, and the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS. The publication was also partially supported by the Leibniz Association's publication fund.

Original publication
Zeeb H, Maaß L, Schultz T, Haug U, Pigeot I, Schüz B (Eds.). Digital Public Health – Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Cham: Springer; 2025. (Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health). doi:10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6

BIPS – Health research in the service of people
The population is at the center of our research. As an epidemiological research institute, we see our task as identifying the causes of health problems and developing new concepts for the prevention of disease. Our research provides a basis for social decisions. It informs the population about health risks and contributes to a healthy living environment.

BIPS is a member of the Leibniz Association, which comprises 96 independent research institutions. The Leibniz Institutes cover a wide range of disciplines, from the natural sciences, engineering, and environmental sciences to economics, spatial sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes are dedicated to socially, economically, and ecologically relevant issues. Due to their national significance, the federal and state governments jointly fund the institutes of the Leibniz Association. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 20,000 people, including 10,000 scientists. The total budget of the institutes is more than 1.9 billion euros.