Assessing Health Disparities in Digital Services and Technologies During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pooled...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Equity
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital health adoption, yet significant disparities persist.
• Patient portals enhance patient-provider communication and access to health information, but their benefits may not be equitably distributed.
• The digital divide, encompassing lack of internet access, digital literacy, and social determinants of health, poses a barrier to fair patient portal uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of the digital divide on patient portal adoption during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral characteristics influencing patient portal usage among health-conscious individuals.
• To develop a health promotion model aimed at increasing patient portal use and mitigating health inequities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional data from the 2020 and 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).
• Assessed patient portal use and predictors including age, sex, socioeconomic status, digital literacy, and trust using weighted logistic regression and descriptive statistics.
• Employed STATA SE 16.1 for data analysis, ensuring population representativeness through survey weights.

Main Results:

• Demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors significantly influence online patient portal use.
• Positive correlations observed between portal usage and health app use, urban residence, higher income, specific racial/ethnic groups, and trust in hospitals.
• Low adoption rates were evident among populations on the digital divide, highlighting access barriers.

Conclusions:

• Access obstacles and behavioral factors are critical determinants of online patient portal adoption.
• Addressing the digital divide, alongside enhancing patient trust and self-motivation, can improve patient portal utilization.
• Health IT adoption is pivotal for boosting patient engagement and access to care, thereby promoting equitable health outcomes.