TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers to digital health services among people living in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage
T2 - Research from hospital diabetes and antenatal clinics
AU - Freeman, Toby
AU - Fisher, Matthew
AU - Foley, Kristen
AU - Boyd, Mark A.
AU - Ward, Paul R.
AU - McMichael, Gai
AU - Zimmermann, Anthony
AU - Dekker, Gustaaf
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by a Flinders Foundation research grant.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Australian Health Promotion Association.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Issue addressed: We sought to examine barriers to access to, use of, and benefits from digital health services in an area of socioeconomic disadvantage of Adelaide, Australia. Methods: We conducted waiting room surveys in two hospital diabetes clinics and one hospital antenatal clinic in South Australia, and follow-up telephone interviews with 20 patients. We examined the extent of access to, use of and benefits from digital health services, and what barriers people encountered. We undertook mixed methods, with quantitative descriptive analysis and qualitative analysis. Results: Thirty-seven diabetes clinic patients (54% response rate) and 99 antenatal clinic patients (33% response rate) participated. Sixty-two percent of the patients with diabetes and 27% of antenatal clinic patients had never used digital health services. Seventeen percent of patients with diabetes and 30% of antenatal clinic patients were hesitant users, and 22% of patients with diabetes and 44% of antenatal clinic patients were confident users. Barriers included struggling to afford the technology or to stay connected and a lack of trust in online health information. Potential benefits included feeling more empowered and complementing face-to-face care. Conclusions: There are socioeconomic barriers to access, use of, and ability to benefit from digital health strategies that mean not everyone will be able to benefit from digital health services. So What?: As COVID-19 accelerates the shift towards digital health services, people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage may be excluded. If barriers to access and use are not addressed, they will exacerbate already increasing health inequities.
AB - Issue addressed: We sought to examine barriers to access to, use of, and benefits from digital health services in an area of socioeconomic disadvantage of Adelaide, Australia. Methods: We conducted waiting room surveys in two hospital diabetes clinics and one hospital antenatal clinic in South Australia, and follow-up telephone interviews with 20 patients. We examined the extent of access to, use of and benefits from digital health services, and what barriers people encountered. We undertook mixed methods, with quantitative descriptive analysis and qualitative analysis. Results: Thirty-seven diabetes clinic patients (54% response rate) and 99 antenatal clinic patients (33% response rate) participated. Sixty-two percent of the patients with diabetes and 27% of antenatal clinic patients had never used digital health services. Seventeen percent of patients with diabetes and 30% of antenatal clinic patients were hesitant users, and 22% of patients with diabetes and 44% of antenatal clinic patients were confident users. Barriers included struggling to afford the technology or to stay connected and a lack of trust in online health information. Potential benefits included feeling more empowered and complementing face-to-face care. Conclusions: There are socioeconomic barriers to access, use of, and ability to benefit from digital health strategies that mean not everyone will be able to benefit from digital health services. So What?: As COVID-19 accelerates the shift towards digital health services, people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage may be excluded. If barriers to access and use are not addressed, they will exacerbate already increasing health inequities.
KW - diabetes mellitus
KW - digital divide
KW - healthcare disparities
KW - obstetrics
KW - social determinants of health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115052806&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://doi.org/10.25905/21825234.v1
U2 - 10.1002/hpja.540
DO - 10.1002/hpja.540
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85115052806
JO - Health Promotion Journal of Australia
JF - Health Promotion Journal of Australia
SN - 1036-1073
ER -