Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Nov 29:7:20552076211056156.
doi: 10.1177/20552076211056156. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Identifying technology industry-led initiatives to address digital health equity

Keri Durocher  1   2 , Navi Boparai  1 , Damian Jankowicz  1 , Gillian Strudwick  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Identifying technology industry-led initiatives to address digital health equity

Keri Durocher et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted various barriers to health and the necessity of having access to digital health services. The technology industry can support addressing health barriers, promoting health equity and partnering with organizations to ensure access to digital health services for underserviced communities. The main objective of this study was to 1) identify what initiatives have been developed within the technology industry to address digital health equity; and to 2) determine whether these initiatives have been effective.

Methods: A rapid review and a grey literature scan were conducted. The academic searches were performed using four databases, including Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL and PsychInfo. Two reviewers screened the articles for inclusion criteria. The grey literature scan was performed through Google and Million Short. Searches of technology industry initiatives were completed through scanning technology companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange and iShares Expanded Tech Sector - Exchange Traded Fund.

Results: Within the technology industry, 39 companies had relevant initiatives. These were identified as having one or more of the following: 1) having health-related collaborations with other companies, 2) promoting access to technology infrastructure and 3) delivering programs that supported notable inequities within the social determinants of health. Limited data are available on the effectiveness of these initiatives in reducing health inequities.

Conclusions: As technology in the delivery of health services continues to evolve, health equity initiatives must be supported through innovative strategies. Partnering with the technology industry may be one way of addressing these health equity challenges.

Keywords: digital divide; digital technology; health equity; industry; information technology; social determinants of health; technology.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Gunasekeran DV, Tham Y-C, Ting DSW, et al. Digital health during COVID-19: lessons from operationalising new models of care in ophthalmology. Lancet Digit Health 2021; 3: e124–e134. - PubMed
    1. Koonin LM, Hoots B, Tsang CA, et al. Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, January–March 2020. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020; 69: 1595–1599. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhatia RS, Chu C, Pang A, et al. Virtual care use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study. CMAJ Open 021; 9: E107–E114. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Public Health Ontario. Health equity, https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/health-topics/health-equity (2021, accessed 28 February 2021).
    1. Humphreys G. Digital health and COVID-19. Bull World Health Organ 2020; 98: 731–732. - PMC - PubMed