Digital transformation of healthcare in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The history of creating and using various information and communication technologies for medicine and healthcare in Russia dates back to the 1950s–1960s, when the first scientific research was launched in the USSR and the first practical developments and proprietary technologies were created. The creation and application of the first software products was aimed at the collecting and automating statistical reports and partial automation of auxiliary departments, such as accounting, personnel departments, etc. In the early 2000s, Russia began to form a commercial market of specialized software for medicine and healthcare. In 2011, by order of the President and with the active participation of the professional community, the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development launched a federal project to create a “Unified State Information System in Healthcare”, which became the starting point for the mass introduction of various information systems in the healthcare sector of the Russian Federation. In 2019, the federal project “Creation of a unified digital health care circuit based on Unified State Information System in Healthcare” was launched in Russia as part of the “Healthcare” national project. The implementation of the projects in 2011–2024 allowed to achieve high rates of application of medical information systems, as well as to move to projects on digital transformation of the industry, including the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies and various digital services and assistants for patients, doctors, and managers. The article presents a brief history of the development of digital projects, the current key directions in developing information technologies for healthcare and the results achieved so far.