Bridging the Telehealth Divide-The Systemic and Experiential Factors Shaping Telehealth and Digital Health Equity: A...

The world continues to expand our digital reliance. Populations are being left behind lacking the necessary knowledge or tools for succeeding in a technologically advanced space. This issue is apparent within both the digital health and telehealth space and has left health professionals wondering what can be done to bridge this gap.

In late October 2024, Henry Ford Health (HFH), a health system located in Detroit, Michigan, held a summit titled "Advancing Health Equity-Bridging the Telehealth Divide" to attempt to find solutions for the problems facing patients in accessing their health care digitally. Community engagement sessions were held on the second day of the summit and involved discussions focused on three different age groups among six groups: three groups-older adults (age 55 and older); one group-general adults (ages 18-54); and two groups-children and family (ages 0-17).

Initial open coding captured participant language and recurring concerns, while focused coding consolidated these into broader conceptual categories. This process was followed by affinity mapping to cluster-related codes into themes.

The resulting synthesis revealed seven thematic domains that reflect systemic and experiential factors shaping telehealth and digital health equity. The domains are as follows: Access and Infrastructure; Digital Literacy, Safety, and Confidence; Tech Support Quality and Delivery; Community Anchoring and Trusted Networks; Communication, Advocacy, and Educational Tools; System Design, Ease of Use, and Human-Centered Technology; and Equity, Inclusion, and Systemic Barriers.

Patients and community members desire and need strong telehealth services that support the notion that health systems have opportunities and responsibilities to address these shortcomings by working with community members.