Traditional models of delivering care have become unsustainable as growing demand and accessibility requirements have put increasing stress on scarce resources.
The ability to make healthcare services accessible to underserved communities has significantly improved in the digital age, with the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly accelerate digital health services. For those who struggle to access traditional care and attend hospital appointments, technology can now play a pivotal role in bridging the healthcare accessibility gap.
Technology alone cannot provide all the answers. Human factors, human connection, experts by experience, and design thinking are equally important in creating foundations for more personalised, accessible healthcare. Considering these, technology can create opportunities to scale the capacity for supporting different learning styles, neurodiverse individuals, and communities with additional language needs, among others.
Over the last few years, there has been a significant transformation in the development of strong patient participation elements built into funders like the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The rise of online communities like #dedoc, an international community driven ‘by and for people living with diabetes’ who demand ‘nothing for us, without us’, powerfully argues that people with lived experience from diverse communities must drive technical innovations from the inside out.
DigiBete have developed their model to deliberately place experts by experience at the heart of any new resources or technical innovations in full clinical partnership. In marrying these rich lived experiences with AI-driven population health data analytics, they provide a more sophisticated understanding of underserved communities, offering a real advantage in making care more accessible.
For people living with long-term conditions, technology provides further opportunities to drive new paradigms of care. For example, traditional healthcare delivery can now be extended onto online clinically approved digital self-management platforms which embed and embrace peer support to provide a more optimal solution.
Although not everyone has access to a personal computer, smartphone penetration has reached even the most remote corners of the globe, and health-focused mobile apps are
leveraging this to promote wellness. These apps provide a range of services from health monitoring to medication reminders, and can also educate users about preventive healthcare. For communities with limited access to medical facilities, these apps are a valuable resource for managing chronic conditions and improving overall health outcomes. Despite the availability of the technology, however, good internet access still can be a barrier.
Digital technology has proven to be a game changer in extending healthcare services to remote regions, and for DigiBete, and our partners in Pakistan, Meethi Zindagi, remote digital education sessions are proving a popular means of standardising access to good care for those who still live rurally without access to a smartphone.
Some other practical examples of how tech is bridging the gap include:
One key element all the tools have in common is that they democratise healthcare in a way never seen before. In diabetes, where it is widely recognised that 99% of care happens at home and in the community, digital health technologies are preventing long and short-term complications that not only save lives but improve quality of life in a way that is more cost and energy efficient.
Additionally, using AI, realistic avatar presenters can translate good care guides into multiple languages in minutes. The opportunity to translate what was traditionally high-level medical reading materials into bite-sized, easy-to-consume resources allows health-related information to be shared in ways that suit different patient needs.
The integration of technology in healthcare delivery holds promise for improving access to medical services in underserved communities. As these technologies continue to evolve and become more integrated into everyday health management, they pave the way for more equitable healthcare access globally.
There is still a lot to consider in terms of equity of access to both technology and the Internet. There is also a more complex risk landscape, especially with the development of AI, which could potentially pedal misinformation. That said, by harnessing all the superpowers that new digital technologies offer and combining them with lived experience, there is real potential to bridge the gap for our underserved communities, so much so that technology is now an essential component to making healthcare easily scalable and more comprehensive to those who need it most.
For more insights on how technology can help reduce health inequalities, join Maddie at Tech for Health Equity: Bridging the Gap during Leeds Digital Festival 2024, organised by Leeds Digital Health.
Speakers include Emmerline Irving, Head of Improving population Health at West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, and Lisa Collins, Lead User Researcher at the NHS.
It’s also a great opportunity to network with other healthcare and tech professionals in the Leeds City Region.