Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb 22;24(2):e33819.
doi: 10.2196/33819.

Digital Health Paradox: International Policy Perspectives to Address Increased Health Inequalities for People Living With Disabilities

Robin van Kessel  1   2   3 , Rok Hrzic #  1 , Ella O'Nuallain #  4 , Elizabeth Weir #  5 , Brian Li Han Wong  3   6   7 , Michael Anderson  8 , Simon Baron-Cohen  5 , Elias Mossialos  8   9
Affiliations

Digital Health Paradox: International Policy Perspectives to Address Increased Health Inequalities for People Living With Disabilities

Robin van Kessel et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the uptake of digital health worldwide and highlighted many benefits of these innovations. However, it also stressed the magnitude of inequalities regarding accessing digital health. Using a scoping review, this article explores the potential benefits of digital technologies for the global population, with particular reference to people living with disabilities, using the autism community as a case study. We ultimately explore policies in Sweden, Australia, Canada, Estonia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to learn how policies can lay an inclusive foundation for digital health systems. We conclude that digital health ecosystems should be designed with health equity at the forefront to avoid deepening existing health inequalities. We call for a more sophisticated understanding of digital health literacy to better assess the readiness to adopt digital health innovations. Finally, people living with disabilities should be positioned at the center of digital health policy and innovations to ensure they are not left behind.

Keywords: digital health; digital technologies; disability; eHealth; health policy; health systems; inclusion; people living with disabilities.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Policy@Manchester . Analysis and ideas on addressing digital inequalities. Manchester: University of Manchester; [2022-02-01]. https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=55160&utm .
    1. Scheerder A, van Deursen A, van Dijk J. Determinants of Internet skills, uses and outcomes. A systematic review of the second- and third-level digital divide. Telematics Informatics. 2017 Dec;34(8):1607–1624. doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2017.07.007. - DOI
    1. van Kessel R, Wong BLH, Rubinić I, Czabanowska K. Is Europe prepared to go digital? Making the case for developing digital capacity: an exploratory analysis of Eurostat survey data. PLOS Digital Health (in press) 2022:1. doi: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000013. - DOI
    1. Carter P, Anderson M, Mossialos E. Health system, public health, and economic implications of managing COVID-19 from a cardiovascular perspective. Eur Heart J. 2020 Jul 14;41(27):2516–2518. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa342. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/32320040 5823766 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sanders R. Digital inclusion, exclusion and participation. Glasgow: Iriss; 2020. Apr 09, [2022-02-01]. https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/esss-outlines/digital-inclusion-exclu... .