Broadband access should be added to the social determinant of health.
Broadband access should be included in the socioeconomic determinants of health. For clients to be totally involved in society and obtain healthcare activity in nowadays changing world of technology, they must have access to the internet that is low cost and dependable. Inequalities in health may get worse by a lack of access to the internet, and this can further make it difficult for clients to successfully cater to their health needs (Shaw &Donia, 2021).
According to CDC (2022), social determinants are situations we are born, grow, work, live, and age, those are some of the factors that can influence our health and daily lives. For the population to be able to capture the whole picture of their life including health care in today’s changing digital world, access to broadband internet is essential. Receiving inadequate internet access can result in people not having adequate health care and making decisions about their health for example, a client can send his healthcare provider a message of signs and symptoms on the patient portal of an illness and the provider can send in medication and health education at any time.
Explain how electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, or telemedicine can impact and be impacted by the social determinants of health.
First, making sure that all have the required knowledge and ability to utilize digital technology is called digital inclusion. This means that people must be able to use equipment such as cell phones computers and the Internet. Broadband and high-speed internet will allow the population to have access to digital technology and online services.
Health information access: acts as a great way of storing client health information and can act as a great way for providers to exchange information with their clients. people depend on the internet for current health information, research their symptoms seek medical advice, and involved with healthcare communities a good example is on Facebook there is a group of people who are cancer survivors who help each other with coping mechanisms. Without broadband internet, individuals may not be able to get these services and it is very important for our population to seek out help on critical health-related issues. This can prevent people from making informed decisions about their well-being (Early& Hernandez, 2021).Mobile health: mobile health apps can benefit both client and provider can also improve patient satisfaction and can prevent a hospital stay with the improvement of technology healthcare companies can provide a better outcome for example healthcare providers can use AI machine learning to study client data and provide more complete and personal care and do intervention and recommendation just by using a smartwatch or and app (Bryi, 2023).Patient portals: secure access to your health account online you can manage your health online by giving getting access to making an appointment and attaching it to your calendar to get reminders so you never miss an appointment you can also cancel if need be. You can also get an E-Visit request prescription refills and renewals and view your radiology image and lab results.
Telehealth and telemedicine: Broadband access means clients can have remote access to monitoring and consultation and access to health care services especially those who live in outlying areas. It can further cut down on driving time and childcare just to name a few (Telehealth.HHS. gov, n.d). Lack of internet access limits the effectiveness of these services preventing people to receive care promptly.
Digital inclusion and broadband access can be seen as vital components of social determinants of health. With equal access to digital technologies, policymakers can look into this situation to address health disparity, prompt health education, enable telehealth, and enhance client overall outcome of communities and individuals.
References
Bryi (2023) Mobile app for healthcare providers Healthcare Apps for Providers, Employees and Patients (bryj.ai)Links to an external site.
CDC (2022) Social determinants of health CDCSocial Determinants of Health at CDC | About | CDCLinks to an external site.
Early J, Hernandez A. Digital Disenfranchisement and COVID-19: Broadband Internet Access as a Social Determinant of Health. Health Promot Pract. 2021 Sep;22(5):605-610. doi: 10.1177/15248399211014490. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33955266.
Shaw JA, Donia J. The Sociotechnical Ethics of Digital Health: A Critique and Extension of Approaches From Bioethics. Front Digit Health. 2021 Sep 23;3:725088. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2021.725088. PMID: 34713196; PMCID: PMC8521799.
Telehealth.HHS.gov (n.d) what is telehealth?What is telehealth? | Telehealth.HHS.govLinks to an external site.
Introduction: Use Walden White paper or the CDC
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), “Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life… SDOH are one of three priority areas for Healthy People 2030, along with health equity and health literacy. Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives in five key areas of SDOH: healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment. Some examples of SDOH included in Healthy People 2030 are safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods; polluted air and water; and access to nutritious foods and physical health opportunities”.
https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.htmlLinks to an external site.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
To Prepare:
Reflect on the concept of social determinants of health as presented in the resources.
Contemplate whether digital inclusion or broad band access should be added to the 5 key areas of social determinants of health.
Using the optional outside resources or other peer reviewed journal articles, consider how electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, or telemedicine can impact and be impacted by the social determinants of health.
BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 9
Post a description of your views on whether or not digital inclusion or broad band access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Be specific and provide examples that support your position. Explain how electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, or telemedicine can impact and be impacted by the social determinants of health. Support your explanation with the required or optional resources.
BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 9
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Respond to a colleague whose views differed from yours on whether digital inclusion of broad band access should be added as a key area to the social determinants of health. Expand on your colleagues’ posting by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on the readings.
Respond to a colleague who discussed a different health IT system than you did. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ posting, synthesizing the readings to provide new perspectives on how the system can impact or be impacted by the social determinants of health.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.