Digital health technology empowering China’s community full life cycle health management

Objective Faced with the challenges of an aging population, the high incidence of chronic diseases, and the unequal distribution of medical resources, traditional medical models find it difficult to meet the health needs of the entire life cycle. This study aims to systematically explore the application scenarios, implementation paths, and real-world challenges of digital health technology in the full health management of the community life cycle, in order to build a new sustainable and scalable model of health management. Methods The study adopted a combination of theoretical analysis and case study methods. An “technology-structure-value” analysis framework integrating “embedded theory” and “holistic governance theory” was constructed, and the digital practice of H Street in Shanghai was taken as a typical case to deeply analyze the internal mechanism of digital technology that empowers community health governance. Results The study identified application scenarios covering the entire life cycle, such as infant development monitoring, prediction of risk of adult chronic diseases, and smart elderly care, and proposed a four-layer implementation model including the basic layer, platform layer, application layer, and guarantee layer. Core challenges include a lack of grassroots resources, the digital divide, and data heterogeneity, and corresponding effective countermeasures, such as cross-departmental collaboration, digital literacy improvement, and data standardization, were proposed. Conclusions Digital health technology is a key driving force for empowered community health governance. The release of its effectiveness depends on a systematic implementation path and a comprehensive governance strategy. It is necessary to always adhere to the value orientation of people’s health as the center in order to achieve inclusive and comprehensive full life cycle health management.