Analyzing the Digital Divide in Healthcare: Minority and Low-Income Groups

Abstract

Within this evolving technological era, the gap between certain communities’ physical access to computers and the internet itself continues to persist. The underlying causes of this prevailing trend are language, cultural, and technological barriers. These barriers present challenges on these communities from easily reaching access to modern healthcare resources and services. Existing literature has given limited to no scholarly attention to primarily low-income and minority populations— providing no basis for the means of eliminating the digital divide. Furthermore, preexisting research lacks the involvement of a medical professional in their studies— an essential viewpoint to determine whether these communities have an insufficient amount of access to these readily available health resources. The methods utilized to determine this link were a standardized questionnaire and qualitative interviews; a method design commonly used by researchers who have similarly analyzed the digital divide that presents data that is from a diverse population and simultaneously provides a deeper understanding into the findings of this study. Contrary to earlier findings, suggesting the digital divide has a significant impact on low-income and minority’s ability to access modern healthcare services and information, my findings conclude that the digital divide affects a broader population. Individuals who were not a minority or were low-income stated they had difficulties with accessing, navigating, and using online healthcare resources. Discovering a way to address the digital divide and it’s affects on many individuals via the Internet is key to providing society with an ease of getting the appropriate amount healthcare resources.