The <i>Digital Divide</i> in the Era of COVID-19: An Investigation into an Important Obstacle to the Access to the <i>mHealth</i> by the Citizen

In general, during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a growth in the use of digital technological solutions in many sectors, from that of consumption, to <i>Digital Health</i> and in particular to <i>mobile health</i> (<i>mHealth</i>) where an important role ha...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Daniele Giansanti, Giulia Veltro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
Series:Healthcare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/4/371
Description
Summary:In general, during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a growth in the use of digital technological solutions in many sectors, from that of consumption, to <i>Digital Health</i> and in particular to <i>mobile health</i> (<i>mHealth</i>) where an important role has been played by mobile technology (<i>mTech</i>). However, this has not always happened in a uniform way. In fact, in many cases, citizens found themselves unable to take advantage of these opportunities due to the phenomenon of the <i>Digital Divide</i> (DD). It depends on multifaceted aspects ranging from the <i>lack of access to instrumental and network resources</i>, <i>to cultural and social barriers</i> and also <i>to possible forms of communication disability</i>. In the study we set ourselves the articulated goal of developing a probing methodology that addresses the problems connected to DD in a broad sense, capable of minimizing the bias of a purely electronic submission and evaluating its effectiveness and outcome. At the moment, we have submitted the survey both electronically (with an embedded solution to spread it inside the families/acquaintances) and using the wire phone. The results highlighted three polarities (a) the coherence of the two methods; (b) the outcome of the entire submission in relation to key issues (e.g., familiarity on contact tracing Apps, medical Apps, social Apps, messaging Apps, Digital-health, non-medical Apps); (c) a <i>Digital Divide</i> strongly dependent on age and in particular for the elderly is mainly evident in the use of <i>mTech</i> in general and in particular in <i>mHealth</i> applications. Future developments of the study foresee, after adequate data-mining, an in-depth study of all the aspects proposed in the survey, from those relating to access to resources, training, disability and other cultural factors.
ISSN:2227-9032