In just the past decade, the emergence of digital health has finally become palpable. Enhanced by the pandemic, social justice events, and planetary health urgency, Realizing Digital Health – Bold Challenges and Opportunities for Nursing explores that evolution with a focus on capturing the current state of digital health. Anchored in an introduction to digital health, new technologies, opportunities, and challenges are described. Consideration of the opportunities and challenges of digital health calls for specific attention to ethical considerations. This book includes a current state synopsis of healthcare in the USA, with the inclusion of specific implications for nursing leaders and executives. Engagement of the people (patients, families, communities) working in partnership to enhance health is described. Information management and the necessary definition and access to data are discussed with a particular explication of the function of information management and operational decision-making. The challenges and learnings related to informatics drawn from the experiences of leaders in large health systems shed insight into the current state of informatics-enabled digital health and healthcare. The global example of the integration of technology, nursing, and health systems expands our knowledge of the current state as well as explores possibilities. This book concludes with a commitment to and description of the current state of teamwork and the integral role/functions within informatics, nursing, and healthcare.

This book provides the reader with a succinct overview of digital technologies, a reality-anchored description of the current state in the USA and globally and highlights the core foundation and integration of informatics and information management. This book stimulates thought and actions to advance digital health within a full partnership among the people, organizations, systems, and global imperatives including planetary survival. This book lifts up the next era calling for full teamwork, collaboration, and partnership as we emerge into a true global community.