From Digital Strain to Digital Strength:

Overview  

The session opened with remarks from Jaisalmer de Frutos Lucas, EPHA Policy Manager and Co-Chair of the Public Health working group under the WHO Europe Strategic Partners’ Initiative for Data and Digital Health (SPI-DDH), a group dedicated specifically to the mental health needs of the health and care workforce, seen through the digital lens. She framed the conversation around European Mental Health Week, which this year focuses on the European Pillar of Social Rights, emphasizing that fair working conditions and access to mental health support must be treated as fundamental rights. She also highlighted the increasing strain on health professionals, worsened by the fast-paced rollout of digital tools. 

Fatima Awil from Mental Health Europe introduced this year’s theme and called for a move away from a purely medical view of mental health toward one that takes social and environmental factors into account. While mental health is now more visible in public debates, she noted that overall outcomes have declined due to systemic gaps. She stressed the need for coordinated policies and a more balanced approach to digitalisation. Awil also presented a new policy brief with recommendations aligned with EU frameworks like the European Semester and the Pillar of Social Rights. 

The conversation continued with insights from the Chair and Co-Chair of the Public Health Working Group under the WHO SPI-DDH, Line Farah and Nancy de Jesus respectively. Nancy de Jesus, from the Hospitals Federation of France, addressed the growing recognition of burnout as a structural risk, not just a personal issue. Drawing from a review of more than 1,200 studies, she reported that burnout affects over 40% of frontline workers across European countries. She pointed to chronic understaffing, system overload, and poorly integrated digital tools as key contributors. She also stressed that few digital health tools are co-designed with frontline staff, which limits their usefulness and increases frustration. 

Dr. Line Farah of the French Ministry of Health spoke about the need to design digital tools that genuinely support healthcare workers. She emphasised user involvement, ethical development, and a focus on reducing workload and improving autonomy. Rather than monitoring or surveillance, she argued, digital health solutions should aim to protect users and preserve their psychological safety. Farah also outlined how France is working to embed ethical standards into digital health innovation and evaluation. 

Both speakers underlined that lasting progress requires systemic change rather than individual coping strategies. Examples from Denmark, Catalonia, and Lebanon showed how even strong digital initiatives can falter without structural support.  

Finally, Farah presented the approach of the SPI-DDH Public Health Working Group, which is building a new Blueprint that proposes an AI-powered model that integrates secondary data, to identify organisational burnout risk zones, based on real-world data, stakeholder input, and ethical design. The blueprint will be launched in November at the WHO Digital Health Symposium. 

The webinar closed with a Q&A session where the panel addressed concerns about digital tools increasing pressure rather than providing support. Both speakers emphasised the importance of ensuring that technology serves the people behind the systems, not the other way around.