Accessibility

Technology provides a platform to help members of a community connect with each other. Telemedicine is one form of such technology that connects those in the healthcare provider and recipient community. Although telemedicine is still in the early stages of its development, its increased outreach and accessibility provides a practical service to people in need of care.

There are some drawbacks and barriers to these technologies that can impact care such as a lack of access and digital literacy. The digital divide is a term used to identify the gap between demographics and regions; where some communities have access to advanced communication and informational technology or the internet, and others don’t; this impacts their access to healthcare, education, and other areas.

Telemedicine: Platforms and Audiences
There are different Telehealth formats and platforms that tailor to the professional and patients’ needs. For example, patients use a synchronous format to contact a professional whereas remote patient monitoring allows for quick information exchanges. In general, telemedicine can allow patients and providers to convey information to one another based on the urgency of the situation while offering more flexibility to both the patient and provider.

Those with chronic illness especially benefit from the increased medical care flexibility. Virtual communication with doctors relieves chronically ill patients of the challenge of going to different facilities for care. It also caters to the patients’ vulnerable immunity and they receive more holistic care from their doctors. With the chronically ill requiring specialized care from multiple doctors, digitized records can create collaborative care tailored to the patients in need.

Health Literacy by Technology
Health and News literacy are online resources that are enabled by technology. However, members of impoverished communities have limited access to advanced technology which suggests that there is a digital divide. This divide affects the healthcare system and the advocacy for more availability of these technological resources. It is interesting to note that there are policies that focus on improving better electronic connectivity between the patient and the office of practice. However, it was surprising to see that “nearly 2/3” of patients never used technology/internet in the urban health care center. This idea broadens one's perspective on how the level of people’s knowledge and capacity to use the internet/technology and their interest in using these new technologies is essential to consider. On the other hand, improvement in health care literacy and increased accessibility to technology helps others get the most out of their online experience. Having access to the internet and knowing how to navigate the medical news or websites allows individuals to be connected with their wellbeing while having health resources available to them directly online. Therefore, it is essential to continue advocating for better infrastructure in the information system from medical centers to patients; it is crucial for quality healthcare and overall patient education in the healthcare system.

Impact of Health Tech for Communities
Access to healthcare technology can have a tremendous impact on communities. A “present study explores whether a ‘digital divide’ driven by age and socioeconomic status exists among white adults in the United States”. It is surprising to see that there are huge differences between internet and non-internet users regarding the health care system and the ability of marketers to reach those intended audiences. These findings propose a new context regarding the number of people affected by recently attaining access to either digital technology or the knowledge/literacy to navigate it. Therefore, individuals without the internet and those who are trying to provide medical information to them such as professionals and medical centers are also affected. Evidence from this study suggests a greater understanding of digital media and community since it can help support the importance of individuals being informed correctly about healthcare services being offered to them.

Telemedicine: Privacy, Barriers, and the Future of Telemedicine
With telemedicine located solely on digital platforms of audio and video chats, website access, and instant messaging, the threat of cyber-attacks are prominent factors in giving and receiving healthcare in this way. In fact, these attacks can affect “not only the provider’s ability to provide remote treatment but also the privacy of their patients’ information, particularly given all of the state, federal, and, potentially, international issues involved”. The dangers and limitations of electronic healthcare affect both parties involved in the healthcare relationship and exchange. Digital files with patient identifiers such as race and physical features are at risk of cyber-attacks.

Unfortunately, all information is vulnerable on some level, but preventative measures can be taken to increase information security. One solution includes the implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. It has been found that RFID can “improve the quality of health-care and reduce medical errors”. Also, digital watermarking can be used to protect from unwanted image modification by separating the image regions depending on content and embedding encrypting information and a tamper detection algorithm. This is different from the typical block-based watermarks by creating a more exact method of alteration detection. These practices allow for more secure information exchange.

Since telemedicine requires access to a device with Internet connections and being tech-savvy, financial situations and discomfort with technology use inhibit some communities and individuals from benefiting from telemedicine. Lower-middle income countries, for example, do not have the financial means to implement a large-scale adoption of telemedicine. These barriers prevent the worldwide adoption of telehealth, which can provide aid to those who need it most.

Another limitation includes the number of medical practices that can be feasible in an online setting. Some physical examinations, testing, and procedures, for instance, cannot be performed through a telemedicine platform. Doctors rely solely on the information that the patient or caregiver is able to provide to them in a virtual space. However, there is hope for a greater shift in the future of telemedicine. Internet, phone, area networks, and cloud-based technologies can be used for teleradiology. The use of teleradiology includes image transmission and reception to meet the needs of teleradiologists and other professionals. With electronic image exchanges, medical professionals can, for example, provide quicker diagnosis, offset the radiologist shortage, and reach remote areas lacking diverse healthcare. Telemedicine broadens the scope of radiology by connecting radiologists and patients worldwide. As a result, there is great potential for remote medicine and converting other medical professions to reach more than just local patients.

Misinformation and Digital Divide Myth
Digital divide and accessibility relate to the idea that is important to consider digital technology as essential of a tool as digital literature. The “gap–along racial, economic, ethnic, and education lines–between those who have access to the latest information technologies and those who do not”. It is interesting to acknowledge that the digital divide gap is, considered important, however, others viewed the issue to be an “over-hyped nonissue”. This can be referred to as a con regarding how controversial this topic continues to be, along racial, economic, ethnic, and education lines. However, it also encourages one to inform of the relevance of the issue despite being controversial.

Connectivity Accessibility
The connection between the internet and digital technology could have very outstanding benefits for communities and economy. Digital technologies increase economic efficiency, which includes benefits for firms, workers and governments, cutting down the costs for information sharing, transmission, .etc.” in addition, “..rapid growth of ICT and the internet also leads to the booming of the “new economy”. Furthermore, as the many offers were met regarding pros of internet connectivity other facts researched include, communication and collaboration with others, support for delivery models, and consideration of collective action and accelerated innovation!

The Infrastructure of Digital Technology/Media
The Internet has become one of the most important infrastructures around the world. The digital divide refers to the gap in usage and access to digital infrastructure and services between individuals, households, businesses or geographical areas. This divide remains significantly wide for emerging economies. The digital divide mainly affects certain populations; low-income and rural communities. This is because of the lack of digital infrastructure, affordability/accessibility and skills to navigate digital media.

Crowdfunding and Technology/Media
It is important to realize the importance of crowdfunding which refers to raising money through small donations which can accumulate lot of money. Organizations and nonprofits might use this method for funding their websites and programs. One study found that, “Crowdfunding is estimated to have facilitated more than US$34 billion in contributions worldwide in 2015”. Consequently, it is necessary to understand the importance of how small contributions can add up to a solution of closing the digital divide gap; such as donations and creating crowdfunding practices.

The Scope of Telemedicine
As a whole, telemedicine as a digital community is limited in scope and membership. There is potential for telemedicine, but significant barriers prevent it from being more incorporated into society. Only those with financial means and are comfortable with the technology can be a part of the telemedicine community, and certain medical practices are limited to in-person appointments such as blood tests, surgeries, physical exams, x-rays, etc. Also, digital media platforms cannot be fully secure since electronics are vulnerable to attacks. However, preventative measures such as new technology implementation and coding countermeasures can increase information security and reassure telemedicine (and technology) users. All in all, telemedicine creates a bridge between worldwide Internet users, but it still needs improvements to become a universal healthcare practice.

Related Pages
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