Health equity in the digital age: Exploring health policy and inclusive digital care

Auteurs: Jessica Coetzer, Nicole Goedhart, Tjerk-Jan Schuitmaker-Warnaar, Teun Zuiderent-Jerak en Christine Dedding

Digital care is increasing in popularity, but risks excluding a significant number of people who usually already experience health inequities. Although Dutch health policy does consider health inequities, it is not shown in policies as a concept related to digital care. As a result, health equity risks being forgotten in the development of digital care. Policies portray digital care as being able to shape healthcare in a number of positive ways but do not address the risks it may pose in widening health inequities. Instead, issues like ensuring privacy receive more attention. By being overly optimistic about technology without being cautious about its other social consequences, achieving aims such as affordable and accessible care could be negatively impacted. Policy needs to allow for digital health inequities to be better recognised, allowing digital care to drive, rather than limit, the possibilities for a more equitable future.

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