Digital Strategies for Public Health Management: A Case Study Based on Alajuela, Costa Rica

Public health management and urban planning are essential to ensuring communities well-being. Then, the design of digital architectures for health services administration is indispensable. The research objective is to establish the relationship between the public strategies and digital health management offered by the Alajuela municipality. The research methodology empathizes documental analysis through qualitative case study based in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The results indicate that public health priorities are integrated into Alajuela's municipal planning, particularly regarding healthcare access, sanitation, prevention, and social well-being. Municipal digitalization initiatives were identified as well, primarily involving administrative procedures, electronic records, and operational information systems. At the national level, digital health initiatives encompass a range of components, including electronic health records, digital certification, electronic prescriptions, and health-related regulatory platforms. However, the documentary evidence does not establish systematic operational integration between municipal public health strategies and national digital health services. The findings differentiate municipal administrative digitalization from national digital health transformation and identifies interinstitutional coordination as a critical dimension of strategic digital public health management. The conclusion contributes to the field of urban management and digital governance research by underscoring the significance of aligning territorial health priorities, institutional responsibilities, and technological resources.