Respond to Elizabeth Ann Colley and Samuel Adjei using one or more of the following approaches:
Respond to a colleague whose views differed from yours on whether digital inclusion of broad band access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Expand on your colleagues’ posting by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on the readings.
Respond to a colleague who discussed a different health IT system than you did. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ posting, synthesizing the readings to provide new perspectives on how the system can impact or be impacted by the social determinants of health.
My Post:
Social Determinants of Health
Digital inclusion or broadband access should be included as a key area to the social determinants of health because the internet is vital for promoting high-quality healthcare outcomes. One of the reasons why digital inclusion or broadband access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health is that it promotes healthcare access (Benda et al., 2020). Online healthcare resources and telehealth have become important in healthcare accessibility, and lack of digital inclusion and broadband access can prevent individuals, especially from rural areas, from getting high-quality healthcare services. Telemedicine ensures patients can get healthcare assistance through portals, video calls, and wearable devices; hence, it needs to be included as a social determinant of health to promote healthcare access to people living in rural areas (Sharma & Patten, 2022). For example, access to smartphones, tablets, and healthcare applications can help individuals get healthcare services such as consultation and checkups without traveling long distances to healthcare facilities.
Broadband access and digital inclusion should be added to social determinants of health because they help individuals get employment, addressing health disparities due to income difficulties. Today, people study online, requiring an internet connection and digital devices. After completion, graduates search and apply for jobs online, hence earning income sufficient to afford high-quality medical services. After completion of school, students search for jobs online using broadband and digital devices; thus, there is a need for digital literacy and support to access well-paying jobs with healthcare benefits that address health disparities (Sieck et al., 2021). For example, graduates use online job application portals companies provide to apply for jobs using smartphones and computers, hence getting adequate funds to access high-quality healthcare services (Benda et al., 2020). Additionally, broadband access and digital inclusion should be included in social determinants of health because they create social connections, promoting mental health and well-being through easy connections with family, community resources, and friends (HealthIT.gov, 2018).
Mobile health, patient portals, electronic health records, or telehealth can impact social determinants of health by improving access to healthcare, promoting health information, and reducing health disparities (Skiba, 2017). Telemedicine ensures healthcare services can be easily accessible and health disparities are addressed since people can get healthcare services without traveling to healthcare centers, which can lead to poor healthcare outcomes due to discrimination. For example, online consultation through video calls is affordable, and people from low-income backgrounds can access the services and increase healthcare literacy through various online platforms (Benda et al., 2020). On the other hand, social determinants of health impact telehealth by determining affordability and accessibility. Individuals with low income and low literacy levels face difficulties in getting internet and digital devices to access telehealth.
References
Benda, N. C., Veinot, T. C., Sieck, C. J., & Ancker, J. S. (2020). Broadband internet access is a social determinant of health. American Journal of Public Health, 110(8), 1123-1125. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305784Links to an external site.
HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from
https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehrLinks to an external site.
Sharma, P., & Patten, C. A. (2022). A need for digitally inclusive health care service in the United States: Recommendations for clinicians and health care Permanente Journal, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/21.156Links to an external site.
Sieck, C. J., Sheon, A., Ancker, J. S., Castek, J., Callahan, B., & Siefer, A. (2021). Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health. NPJ Digital Medicine, 4(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00413-8Links to an external site.
Skiba, D. (2017). Evaluation tools to appraise social media and mobile. Informatics, 4(3), 32–40.
Elizabeth Ann Colley
I firmly believe that digital inclusion and broadband access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. I live in a rural area. Until 6 months ago, satellite internet was the only internet service available in my area. It was so slow that it really didn’t work well enough to use purposefully. There is no way I would have been able to use a telehealth platform or access a patient portal. The cellular service in our area is also poor, so using my cell phone was not an option. This is the reality for more people than you would expect. Consider how many telehealth visits were done during the pandemic. It’s one thing if you can’t stream a movie because the internet is not available to you. It’s wholly different if you cannot access your physician. There were patients falling through the cracks during the pandemic because they did not have access to virtual visits (Sieck et al. 2021).
This problem also comes in the form of digital illiteracy. Several factors contribute to this issue, including age, education, and income. Fortunately, many libraries, community health workers, and healthcare systems are partnering to combat the issue of digital illiteracy. (Benda et al. 2020)
So many benefits come with the ability to utilize digital platforms in healthcare. Telemedicine, for example, enables homebound patients to visit their physician in a less taxing manner. It opens the possibility for patients in rural areas to see providers that they may not be able to travel to see due to distance or cost of travel. Using patient portals and electronic medical records also offers benefits to patients. So, there is a disparity when patients cannot access these benefits. According to Benda et al. (2020), Because disparities affect the health of people and communities, they should be treated as a public health issue. And as Sieck et al. (2021) points out, this particular disparity can potentially affect all of the other social determinants of health.
References
Benda, N. C., Veinot, T. C., Sieck, C. J., & Ancker, J. S. (2020). Broadband internet access is a social determinant of health! American Journal of Public Health, 110(8), 1123–1125. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305784Links to an external site.
Sieck, C. J., Sheon, A., Ancker, J. S., Castek, J., Callahan, B., & Siefer, A. (2021). Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health. npj Digital Medicine, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00413-8Links to an external site.
Samuel Adjei
In my view, digital inclusion should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health (SDOH). Healthcare, education, economic stability, and the physical environment are some of the examples of SDOH; hence, digital inclusion would make these factors more valuable to society. SDOH is recommended for public health by Healthy People 2030 (CDC and Prevention, 2022). I believe that digital inclusion—particularly internet access—must predict health as healthcare becomes digital. Due to digital inclusion’s rising effect on healthcare services and technology, SDOH should promote digital inclusion.
I believe that fair EHR, mobile, patient portal, and telemedicine can impact and be impacted by SDOH in different ways. Telemedicine has revolutionized rural and underprivileged healthcare (CDC and Prevention, 2022). Patient portals and mobile health applications let consumers manage chronic conditions, see health information, and connect with clinicians. I believe that these tools only allow patients to fully engage in therapy, which in turn lowers health outcomes. EHRs let doctors access, share, and improve patient care by reducing mistakes. Patients require an internet connection to access timely medical information or preventive care, which can complicate treatment continuity and negatively impact patient outcomes, hence the impact of SDOH on these factors. Hence, I believe health literacy and empowerment need digital inclusion (Borg et al., 2019). Insufficient digital participation creates healthcare disparities as internet outages isolate the poor, aged, and rural (Mohtar & Badr, 2022). Digital inclusion in SDOH’s key areas may assist public health programs in accomplishing healthcare system goals and making technology accessible.
References
Borg, K., Boulet, M., Smith, L., & Bragge, P. (2019). Digital inclusion & health communication: a rapid review of the literature. Health communication, 34(11), 1320-1328. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10410236.2018.1485077Links to an external site.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Social determinants of health. https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.htmlLinks to an external site.
Mohtar, L. N., & Badr, N. G. (2022). Digital Bridge or Tradeoff: Telehealth Adoption and Healthcare Service Quality. A Scoping Review. Sustainable Digital Transformation: Paving the Way Towards Smart Organizations and Societies, 253-268. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-15770-7_16Links to an external site.
Respond to Elizabeth Ann Colley and Samuel Adjei using one or more of the following approaches:
Respond to a colleague whose views differed from yours on whether digital inclusion of broad band access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Expand on your colleagues’ posting by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on the readings.
Respond to a colleague who discussed a different health IT system than you did. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ posting, synthesizing the readings to provide new perspectives on how the system can impact or be impacted by the social determinants of health.