Peer Responses – Digital Technology Access as a Social Determinant of Health

Peer Responses – Digital Technology Access as a Social Determinant of Health

Responding to Student 1

Hello,

Thank you for your informative post on the importance of digital inclusion in relation to socioeconomic determinants of health. Your analysis effectively emphasizes the essential role that digital technology access plays in healthcare. The influence on healthcare is tremendous as we move further into the digital age (Bucci et al., 2019). Your description of how digital technology like electronic health records, telemedicine, and online health resources can lower costs, improve health outcomes, and empower people to make educated decisions is well-founded. It is also remarkable how these digital technologies might help with the early detection of health problems and individualized care. Your emphasis on the link between digital inclusion and health inequities is also critical. It’s critical to remember that gaps in access to digital technology might worsen existing health inequalities (Bao & Wei, 2023). Your point of view emphasizes the importance of resolving these gaps in order to provide equitable access to healthcare resources and information. I appreciate your addition to this topic, which emphasizes the significance of including digital inclusion in the larger conversation about socioeconomic determinants of health.

References

Bao, H., & Wei, E. (2023). Examining the antecedents and health outcomes of health apps and wearables use an integration of the technology acceptance model and communication inequality. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2023.2183062

Bucci, S., Schwannauer, M., & Berry, N. (2019). The digital revolution and its impact on mental health care. Psychology and Psychotherapy, 92(2), 277–297. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30924316

Responding to Student 2

Hello,

Thank you for contributing thoughtfully to the topic of digital access as a critical component of the social determinants of health (SDOH). You’ve made a convincing case for recognizing the importance of digital inclusion in the context of health and well-being. Your point about the affordability of providing an internet connection to prevent health problems is well taken. Digital inclusion is not only a question of convenience; in some cases, it is a matter of life and death (Rodriguez et al., 2022). Individuals with digital access have a considerable advantage when it comes to obtaining critical healthcare services like telehealth, and this disparity can contribute to greater health and economic inequities. Recognizing broadband access and digital literacy as a component of the larger SDOH framework can help to reduce health disparities and promote equitable access to healthcare information and resources (Goldstein et al., 2023). I value your unique insight on this subject and look forward to further discussions about how we can work together to achieve digital fairness in healthcare.

References

Goldstein, S. P., Tovar, A., Espel-Huynh, H. M., & Stowers, K. C. (2023). Applying a Social Determinants of Health Framework to Guide Digital Innovations that Reduce Disparities in Chronic Disease. Psychosomatic Medicine, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000001176

Rodriguez, J. A., Shachar, C., & Bates, D. W. (2022). Digital Inclusion as Health Care — Supporting Health Care Equity with Digital-Infrastructure Initiatives. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp2115646

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), “Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life… SDOH are one of three priority areas for Healthy People 2030, along with health equity and health literacy. Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives in five key areas of SDOH: healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment. Some examples of SDOH included in Healthy People 2030 are safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods; polluted air and water; and access to nutritious foods and physical health opportunities”.

https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

Reflect on the concept of social determinants of health as presented in the resources.
Contemplate whether digital inclusion or broadband access should be added to the 5 key areas of social determinants of health.
Using the optional outside resources or other peer-reviewed journal articles, consider how electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, or telemedicine can impact and be impacted by the social determinants of health.
BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 9
Post a description of your views on whether or not digital inclusion or broadband access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Be specific and provide examples that support your position. Explain how electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, or telemedicine can impact and be impacted by the social determinants of health. Support your explanation with the required or optional resources.

BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 9
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

Respond to a colleague whose views differed from yours on whether digital inclusion of broadband access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Expand on your colleagues’ posts 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’ posts, synthesizing the readings to provide new perspectives on how the system can impact or be impacted by the social determinants of health.