Can digital health democratize health care?

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  • Author(s): Hendl T;Hendl T; Shukla A; Shukla A
  • Source:
    Bioethics [Bioethics] 2024 Jul; Vol. 38 (6), pp. 491-502. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 09.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8704792 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-8519 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02699702 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Bioethics Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell
      Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Basil Blackwell, c1987-
    • Subject Terms:
      Democracy* ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Digital Technology* ; Social Justice*; Humans ; Social Determinants of Health ; Empowerment ; Telemedicine ; Digital Health
    • Abstract:
      Much has been said about the potential of digital health technologies for democratizing health care. But how exactly is democratization with digital health technologies conceptualized and what does it involve? We investigate debates on the democratization of health care with digital health and identify that democratization is being envisioned as a matter of access to health information, health care, and patient empowerment. However, taking a closer look at the growing pool of empirical data on digital health, we argue that these technologies come short of materializing these goals, given the unequal health outcomes they facilitate. Building on this evidence, we argue that not only debates on democratization need to be connected to concerns of social determinants of health but also debates on the impact of digital health need to go far beyond democratization and engage with concerns of health justice.
      (© 2024 The Authors. Bioethics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
    • Grant Information:
      FKZ 01GP1791 BMBF
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: decolonial justice; democratization; digital health; health justice; mHealth
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240109 Date Completed: 20240606 Latest Revision: 20240606
    • Publication Date:
      20240606
    • Accession Number:
      10.1111/bioe.13266
    • Accession Number:
      38193584