Bridging the Digital Divide: A National Survey Assessing Public Readiness for Digital Health Strategies Against COVID-19 within the United Kingdom

Abstract

Digital health technologies are a major feature of contemporary public health strategies, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, digital initiatives risk excluding vulnerable groups, thereby propagating poor health outcomes. We assessed how groups at higher risk from COVID-19 report their relationships with key digital health initiatives in the United Kingdom. We found that those who are female, over 60 and of a lower social group are less confident in using digital information to make health decisions. Those over 40, from lower social groups and of lower educational attainment use digital resources less often in seeking COVID-19 health information. Lastly, those over 60, from lower social groups and of lower educational attainment are less confident in distinguishing reliable digital COVID-19 information. This suggests that a ‘digital first’ model of COVID-19 pandemic management may exacerbate existing digital and health inequalities by reinforcing barriers to health information and public health services.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Speech and Language Therapy Profession and Their Patients

“…There has been an increase in the provision of services in different settings delivering therapy remotely using a variety of technologies, which is likely to have disadvantaged those from socially deprived areas ( 32 ) or the very elderly ( 33 ). The “switchover” to telehealth has been one of the widest reported changes to healthcare in this period ( 34 , 35 ), despite its subsequent problematizing with regard to how this approach may exclude many patients without access to technology ( 36 ). These issues are likely to underpin the reduction in treatment episodes recorded on the ROOT for the pandemic.…”