January 4, 2024 | Swathikan Chidambaram, Bhav Jain, Urvish Jain, Rogers Mwavu, Rama Baru, Beena Thomas, Felix Greaves, Shruti Jayakumar, Pankaj Jain, Marina Rojo, Marina Ridao Battaglino, John G. Meara, Viknesh Sounderajah, Leo Anthony Celi, Ara Darzi
This review introduces the concept of digital determinants of health (DDOH), which refers to the technological factors that influence healthcare outcomes by affecting access, use, and quality of digital health services. DDOH encompasses aspects such as ease of use, usefulness, interactivity, digital literacy, digital accessibility, digital availability, digital affordability, algorithmic basis, technology personalization, and data poverty and information asymmetry. DDOH interacts closely with social determinants of health (SDOH) and can be considered a subset of SDOH. Understanding DDOH is crucial to ensure that digital health technologies are inclusive and equitable, addressing health inequities.
The paper discusses various aspects of DDOH, including digital health literacy, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and technologies for atypical patients. It highlights how digital technologies can exacerbate existing health disparities if not designed and implemented inclusively. For example, individuals with lower digital literacy may struggle to use digital health tools effectively, leading to poorer health outcomes. Similarly, telemedicine may not be accessible or suitable for patients with physical disabilities due to design limitations. Artificial intelligence can also introduce biases if not carefully developed and validated, leading to disparities in healthcare outcomes.
The paper also addresses the importance of digital inclusion and the need for policies that ensure equitable access to digital health technologies. It emphasizes the role of governments, service providers, and developers in creating inclusive digital health solutions. The review concludes that digital determinants of health must be recognized as an important and distinct entity to ensure that digital health technologies are used in a fair and equitable manner. This requires collaboration among stakeholders to develop inclusive technologies and policies that address health inequities.This review introduces the concept of digital determinants of health (DDOH), which refers to the technological factors that influence healthcare outcomes by affecting access, use, and quality of digital health services. DDOH encompasses aspects such as ease of use, usefulness, interactivity, digital literacy, digital accessibility, digital availability, digital affordability, algorithmic basis, technology personalization, and data poverty and information asymmetry. DDOH interacts closely with social determinants of health (SDOH) and can be considered a subset of SDOH. Understanding DDOH is crucial to ensure that digital health technologies are inclusive and equitable, addressing health inequities.
The paper discusses various aspects of DDOH, including digital health literacy, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and technologies for atypical patients. It highlights how digital technologies can exacerbate existing health disparities if not designed and implemented inclusively. For example, individuals with lower digital literacy may struggle to use digital health tools effectively, leading to poorer health outcomes. Similarly, telemedicine may not be accessible or suitable for patients with physical disabilities due to design limitations. Artificial intelligence can also introduce biases if not carefully developed and validated, leading to disparities in healthcare outcomes.
The paper also addresses the importance of digital inclusion and the need for policies that ensure equitable access to digital health technologies. It emphasizes the role of governments, service providers, and developers in creating inclusive digital health solutions. The review concludes that digital determinants of health must be recognized as an important and distinct entity to ensure that digital health technologies are used in a fair and equitable manner. This requires collaboration among stakeholders to develop inclusive technologies and policies that address health inequities.