My first few posts have included information on digital divides within and between countries. Also, it has discussed ways in which countries and organizations can try to bridge the divide. From this point onwards, I would like to focus more on individual industries/sectors and the digital divide surrounding them. In this post, I would like to concentrate on digital divide faced by the healthcare sector.
I want to start this post by mentioning an important difference that I have personally felt between the healthcare systems of India and the USA. When my daughter was born in Princeton, most of the bills were paid online. In the first year of her birth, I had visited the doctor’s website many times. I had used the website to fill various forms, view symptoms and cures, and even view her vaccination records. On the contrary, in India, most payments are still made in person or through a bank. While consumers in big cities (metropolitan) may surf the web for information, small towns/villages do not have such facilities. This delineates the digital divide that exists in healthcare between two countries. To bridge this gap, many countries are adopting digital diagnostic services for its rural areas.
In rural India, there is a scarcity of doctors. Very few people with an MBBS degree like to stay in villages. Many non-profit organizations seek to help this situation by conducting free clinics in villages. Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs in India are very active on this front. Their aim is to irradiate polio and TB infections in India.
http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/1715-rotary-polio-eradication-drive
Also, doctors from all around the world volunteer to spend a few months in developing countries to run free clinics and educational classes. Their aim is to help patients suffering from diseases like HIV, Cancer etc.
http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/un-volunteer-doctors-mobilized.html
However, it is not always possible to have doctors volunteer and visit such remote places. In such cases, villagers are looking to adopt digital diagnostic services. These services are available throughout the world.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/diagnostic-software-aids-rural-providers
This technology allows doctors and non-doctors to diagnose and treat patients by viewing information (images and text) on the software. However, the scope of such information is limited. The database can include only a limited amount of information on a specific disease or problem. Also, non-doctors may assess the symptoms wrongly and this can be fatal. A better system can incorporate online video chats with the doctors who can be more efficient in providing a diagnosis. However, it is again difficult to establish such technologies (Internet, computer and camera usage etc.) in rural area of developing countries (as these places may not have the infrastructure to support such technologies). Also, people in such places are not accustomed to these technologies.
Digital Divide in healthcare is also prevalent within countries. In the United States, minorities and low-income groups face various technological issues. They are unable to afford technology. Even if they have access to technology in some form, they do not use it on a regular basis. For improving the condition of minorities in healthcare, President Obama has asked to deploy the Electronic Health Records. The aim is to reduce cost, aid in record keeping, and help the overall quality of care. However, this plan may backfire.
According to an article in the National Journal, EHR may be creating a bigger digital divide than helping the minorities. They mention that the providers for uninsured minorities may not have adopted EHR as it is very expensive.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/10/health-it-official-to-vendors.php
There are various unsolved issues surrounding the digital divide between and within countries. One way of solving this may be by public-private collaboration (the public gives the expertise/knowledge about the culture and the private puts in the fund and assess the result). However, this is a simplistic way of looking at a very complex problem. More study is required in this area to come up with a working solution.
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