The Landscape of Health Technology for Equity Deserving Groups in Rural Communities: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Health Technology Assessment
• Rural Health Equity
• Digital Health Disparities

Background:

• Equity-deserving groups residing in rural areas experience significant health disparities.
• Health technologies offer potential solutions to mitigate these disparities.
• A comprehensive synthesis of health technology outcomes for these populations is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review patient, healthcare, and economic outcomes of health technology applications.
• To examine the impact of health technologies on rural equity-deserving groups.
• To identify gaps in the current evidence base.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of Medline and Embase databases.
• Bias assessment using the McGill mixed methods appraisal tool.
• Narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative findings using a convergent integrated approach.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one papers reported on health technologies for rural equity-deserving groups, primarily focusing on women.
• Patient outcomes including knowledge, self-efficacy, weight loss, and clinical indicators showed improvement.
• Healthcare access was enhanced through convenience and cost savings, though connectivity issues impacted quality.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists in research on health technologies for rural equity-deserving groups, with limited inclusivity.
• Current evidence, though high quality, predominantly features women.
• Future research should prioritize diverse populations, co-designed interventions, and culturally sensitive approaches.