Bridging the Digital Divide: How Providers Can Continue to Reach the Digitally Excluded

While the internet and digital exclusion is not a new issue, the pandemic shed light on populations that lack the digital literacy, inclination, or access needed to utilize online systems.

This disconnect has been highlighted during the pandemic, with older generations expected to navigate complex online systems in order to obtain access to vaccines, testing, and appointments.

While digitization brings significant benefits, it is accompanied by the unintended side effect of digital exclusion. In the race to digitize and go paperless, healthcare leaders risk overlooking what their patient populations actually want and need.

Supporting both digital and offline workflows also has an important role to play in interoperability. Long-term care providers such as care homes may not use online and digital systems for their records.

Developing hybrid patient communications and records channels across digital and offline tools, such as physical print, can help bridge the gap.