The Tech Prescription: Innovating Sustainable Health

Authors

  • Sania Asad Department of Business and Accountancy, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
  • Amiya Bhaumik Department of Business and Accountancy, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
  • M. Khadija Khan Department of Economics, National College of Business Administration & Economics, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31674/ijbb.2024.v01i04.005

Abstract

Although the technological revolution continues to restructure the healthcare realm, the adoption of sustainable health solutions still remains a recurring challenge, especially in Pakistan. This study interrogates the role of technological advancement in sustainable health solutions while integrating health promotion as a mediating factor. The selection of the firms used for this analysis is based on the firm’s active amalgamation of technological advances in healthcare provision. Data from five major healthcare firms have been analyzed for the years 2019-2023 by using the techniques of panel regression and mediation analysis. Results of the study explain that tech-enabled innovations like digital health, telemedicine, surgical robotics, automation, predictive analysis, and 3D printing have a positive significant impact on sustainable health solutions including eco-friendly waste disposal, reduction in carbon emissions, the transition from cure-based approach to preventive approach and healthcare accessibility. Furthermore, the study predicts a significant partial mediation highlighting that health promotion mediates the relationship between tech advances and sustainable health solutions. This suggests that health promotion strategies can be beneficial in augmenting the impact of tech evolution. In spite of the potential technology possess, there are still numerous challenges like digital illiteracy, public skepticism, lack of infrastructure and regulatory voids that hinder the application of tech advances in the region. In order to amplify the adoption of technological transformation and well-structured policies, investment in digital infrastructure and comprehensive personnel training is pivotal. This research reinforces the exigency of incorporating health promotion strategies in order to attain sustainable health outcomes. The gap between technological potential and legitimate health outcomes can be bridged by the integration of health promotion, specifically in developing economies. The findings of the study offer valuable insights for stakeholders endeavoring to deploy tech-enabled, sustainable and equitable health solutions.

Keywords:

Technological Advancement, Sustainable Health Solutions, Health Promotion, Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability

References

Abonazel, M. R. (2016). Generalized random coefficient estimators of panel data models: Asymptotic and small sample properties.

Adeniyi, A. O., Arowoogun, J. O., Chidi, R., Okolo, C. A., & Babawarun, O. (2024). The impact of electronic health records on patient care and outcomes: A comprehensive review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(2), 1446-1455.

Ahmed, S. H., Zahid, M., Waseem, S., Zafar, A., Shaikh, T. G., Sabri, T., & Arshad, A. (2024). The current state of primary healthcare in Pakistan: a way forward for low-to-middle income countries. Primary Healthcare Research & Development, 25, e59.

Aliyu, U., Mustapha, A., & Garun Danga, N. R. (2024). Health Promotion Strategies for Sustainable Improvement of Public Health Outcomes in Nigeria. UMYU Journal of Microbiology Research (UJMR), 9(2), 187-193.

Al-Rawashdeh, M., Keikhosrokiani, P., Belaton, B., Alawida, M., & Zwiri, A. (2022). IoT adoption and application for smart healthcare: a systematic review. Sensors, 22(14), 5377.

Alyafei, A., & Easton-Carr, R. (2024). The health belief model of behavior change. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.

Andrada, A. (2024). Blockchain application in healthcare system: A systematic review, synthesizing issues and future exploration. Annals of the University of Oradea: Facsicle of Management & Technological Engineering, 32(2).

Balakrishna, S., & Solanki, V. K. (2024). A comprehensive review on ai-driven healthcare transformation. Ingeniería Solidaria, 20(2), 1-30.

Bianchini, S., Damioli, G., & Ghisetti, C. (2023). The environmental effects of the “twin” green and digital transition in European regions. Environmental and Resource Economics, 84(4), 877-918.

Champion, V. L., & Skinner, C. S. (2008). The health belief model. Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice, 4, 45-65.

Chidambaram, S., Jain, B., Jain, U., Mwavu, R., Baru, R., Thomas, B., ... & Darzi, A. (2024). An introduction to digital determinants of health. PLOS digital health, 3(1), e0000346.

Coleman, C. (2020). Health literacy and clear communication best practices for telemedicine. HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice, 4(4), e224-e229.

Dewasiri, N. J., Rathnasiri, M. S. H., & Karunarathna, K. S. S. N. (2025). Artificial Intelligence-Driven Technologies for Environmental Sustainability in the Healthcare Industry. In Transforming Healthcare Sector Through Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability (pp. 67-87). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

Esper, C. D., Valdovinos, B. Y., & Schneider, R. B. (2024). The importance of digital health literacy in an evolving Parkinson’s disease care system. Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 14(s1), S181-S189.

Farhat, R., Malik, A. R. A., Sheikh, A. H., & Fatima, A. N. (2024). The Role of AI in Enhancing Healthcare Access and Service Quality in Resource-Limited Settings. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 11(2), 70-79.

Fayez, M., Begum, R., Khan, L., Ahmad, M., Ahmed, W., & Sana, F. (2024). Bridging the Digital Divide: Affordability and Adoptability of Health Tech in Pakistan’s Evolving Healthcare Landscape.

Feng, Y., & Nie, C. (2024). Digital technology innovation and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance: Evidence from a sample of listed firms in China. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(5), 3836-3854.

Ghafoor, A., ur Rehman, T., Munir, A., Ahmad, M., & Iqbal, M. (2016). Current status and overview of renewable energy potential in Pakistan for continuous energy sustainability. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 60, 1332-1342.

Guideline, W. H. O. (2019). Recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening. World Health Organization, 2020-10.

Hameed, K., Naha, R., & Hameed, F. (2024). Digital transformation for sustainable health and well-being: a review and future research directions. Discover Sustainability, 5(1), 104.

Harwood, T. G., & Garry, T. (2003). An overview of content analysis. The marketing review, 3(4), 479-498.

Huang, S. Y., Ting, C. W., & Fei, Y. M. (2021). A multilevel model of environmentally specific social identity in predicting environmental strategies: Evidence from technology manufacturing businesses. Sustainability, 13(8), 4567.

Hussain, A., Umair, M., Khan, S., Alonazi, W. B., Almutairi, S. S., & Malik, A. (2024). Exploring sustainable healthcare: innovations in health economics, social policy, and management. Heliyon, 10(13).

Iqbal, S. (2024). Unlocking potential: legal and regulatory dynamics in Pakistan's digital health industry. Akhand Forbes, Karachi. https://www.ibanet.org/legal-and-regulatory-dynamrics-in-Pakistans-digital-health-industry

Jiang, F., Jiang, Y., Zhi, H., Dong, Y., Li, H., Ma, S., ... & Wang, Y. (2017). Artificial intelligence in healthcare: past, present and future. Stroke and vascular neurology, 2(4).

Kaul, D., Raju, H., & Tripathy, B. K. (2022). Deep learning in healthcare. Deep Learning in Data Analytics: Recent Techniques, Practices and Applications, 97-115.

Kazi, A. M., Qazi, S. A., Ahsan, N., Khawaja, S., Sameen, F., Saqib, M., ... & Stergioulas, L. K. (2020). Current challenges of digital health interventions in Pakistan: mixed methods analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(9), e21691.

Khalil, A. (2024). Identifying Barriers to the Adoption of Telemedicine in Pakistan: Through the lens of National System of Innovation (Doctoral dissertation, NUST Business School (NBS), NUST).

Khowaja, A., Karmaliani, R., Mistry, R., & Agha, A. (2011). Transition towards health promoting hospitals: adapting a global framework to Pakistan. East Mediterr Health J, 17(10), 738-743.

Koebe, P. (2025). How digital technologies and AI contribute to achieving the health-related SDGs. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 5(1), 100298.

Kruse, C. S., Bouffard, S., Dougherty, M., & Parro, J. S. (2016). Telemedicine use in rural Native American communities in the era of the ACA: a systematic literature review. Journal of medical systems, 40, 1-9.

Lee, K., Kim, S., Kim, S. H., Yoo, S. H., Sung, J. H., Oh, E. G., ... & Lee, J. (2023). Digital health interventions for adult patients with cancer evaluated in randomized controlled trials: scoping review. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e38333.

Liaqat, K., Zulfiqar, H., & Jamal, A. (2025). Health Disparities in Pakistan: Analyzing the Impact of Socioeconomic, Geographic, and Educational Determinants on Healthcare Access and Outcomes. Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Research, 5(1), 1-6.

Lu, Y., Xu, C., Zhu, B., & Sun, Y. (2024). Digitalization transformation and ESG performance: Evidence from China. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(2), 352-368.

Lupton, D. (2014). Health promotion in the digital era: A critical commentary. Health Promotion International, 30(1), 174–183.

MacKinnon, D. P., & Luecken, L. J. (2008). How and for whom? Mediation and moderation in health psychology. Health psychology, 27(2S), S99.

Marimuthu, M., & Paulose, H. (2016). Emergence of sustainability based approaches in healthcare: expanding research and practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 554-561.

Masrom, M. (2007). Technology acceptance model and e-learning. Technology, 21(24), 81.

Mohsin, M., Dilanchiev, A., & Umair, M. (2023). The impact of green climate fund portfolio structure on green finance: empirical evidence from EU countries. Ekonomika, 102(2), 130-144.

Naik, N., Hameed, B. Z., Sooriyaperakasam, N., Vinayahalingam, S., Patil, V., Smriti, K., ... & Somani, B. K. (2022). Transforming healthcare through a digital revolution: a review of digital healthcare technologies and solutions. Frontiers in digital health, 4, 919985.

Ngiam, K. Y., & Khor, W. (2019). Big data and machine learning algorithms for health-care delivery. The Lancet Oncology, 20(5), e262-e273.

Nutbeam, D., & Kickbusch, I. (1998). Health promotion glossary. Health promotion international, 13(4), 349-364.

Santos, L. A., & Barrios, E. B. (2011). Small sample estimation in dynamic panel data models: A simulation study. Open Journal of Statistics, 1(2), 58-73.

Sarker, M. (2024). Revolutionizing healthcare: the role of machine learning in the health sector. Journal of Artificial Intelligence General science (JAIGS) ISSN: 3006-4023, 2(1), 36-61.

Sayani, S., Muzammil, M., Saba, M., Roomi, F., Miraj, M., & Sulaiman, Z. (2025). Sustainability of a digital health intervention within Pakistan's remote health system: learning from implementation research. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 75(2), 285-289.

Sepetis, A., Rizos, F., Pierrakos, G., Karanikas, H., & Schallmo, D. (2024, January). A sustainable model for healthcare systems: The innovative approach of ESG and digital transformation. In Healthcare (Vol. 12, No. 2, p. 156). mdpi.

Spanakis, E. G., Santana, S., Tsiknakis, M., Marias, K., Sakkalis, V., Teixeira, A., ... & Tziraki, C. (2016). Technology-based innovations to foster personalized healthy lifestyles and well-being: a targeted review. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(6), e128.

Su, X., Wang, S., & Li, F. (2023). The impact of digital transformation on ESG performance based on the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities. Sustainability, 15(18), 13506.

Topol, E. (2019). Deep medicine: how artificial intelligence can make healthcare human again. Hachette UK.

Tuyen, B. Q., Mai, N. P., & Long, T. Q. (2023). Does corporate engagement in social responsibility affect firm innovation? The mediating role of digital transformation. International Review of Economics & Finance, 84, 292-303.

United Nations. (2023). Sustainable Development Goals and digital health initiatives. https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Wani, T. A., & Ali, S. W. (2015). Innovation diffusion theory. Journal of general management research, 3(2), 101-118.

Wienert, J., Jahnel, T., & Maaß, L. (2022). What are digital public health interventions? First steps toward a definition and an intervention classification framework. Journal of medical Internet research, 24(6), e31921.

Zahid, R. (2023, September 12). Healthcare technology advancements in Pakistan: Innovations and impact. IIPS. https://iips.com.pk/healthcare-technology-advancements-in-pakistan-innovations-and-impact/

Zanobini, P., Del Riccio, M., Lorini, C., & Bonaccorsi, G. (2024). Empowering sustainable healthcare: the role of health literacy. Sustainability, 16(10), 3964.

Zhu, Q., Johnson, S., & Sarkis, J. (2018, January). Lean six sigma and environmental sustainability: a hospital perspective. In Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal (Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 25-41). Taylor & Francis.

Published

30-04-2025

How to Cite

Sania Asad, Amiya Bhaumik, & M. Khadija Khan. (2025). The Tech Prescription: Innovating Sustainable Health. International Journal of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IJBB), 1(4), 43-61. https://doi.org/10.31674/ijbb.2024.v01i04.005

Metrics