Approaching digital health through an equity lens

 

Technology has the potential to profoundly transform healthcare worldwide – improving health, increasing access to care, and improving the cost effectiveness of our health services. 

 

As we rapidly deploy technology, we introduce the risk that some individuals and populations will not be able to benefit from these technologies – creating a digital divide between those that are able to leverage technology and those who cannot. Unless we deploy technology equitably, we risk widening the gap in health and the burden of disease that exists among some vulnerable population groups.

 

The factors influencing the digital divide are complex – a multitude of factors and barriers span the entire digital pathway. Technology requires access to resources, the internet and devices, the skills and capacity to use these technologies, as well as the motivation to use them. These factors combine to influence whether an individual can and will use technology.

 

As we accelerate technology and our world becomes more digital, the voice of vulnerable populations must be heard.

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