The Digital Divide in Healthcare: Exploring Inequalities and Solutions

Dear Colleagues,

The digital divide in healthcare has become a pressing issue in today’s increasingly technologically driven world. As advancements in technology continue to revolutionize the way healthcare services are delivered, accessed, and managed, disparities in the access and utilization of these digital tools have become more pronounced. This Special Issue, titled “The Digital divide in healthcare: exploring inequalities and solutions”, aims at delving into the complexities of this phenomenon, examining the root causes of disparities in technology access, digital literacy, and healthcare outcomes, while also proposing innovative solutions to bridge the gap and promote equity in healthcare delivery.

The digital divide in healthcare is multifaceted, encompassing a range of factors that contribute to disparities in access to technology and healthcare services. Socioeconomic status, geographic location, age, education level, and cultural background are just a few of the variables that can influence an individual’s ability to access and effectively utilize digital health tools. These disparities can have far-reaching implications on health outcomes, exacerbating existing inequalities in healthcare access and quality of care.

Through this Special Issue, we aim at exploring the various dimensions of the digital divide in healthcare, shedding light on the challenges faced by marginalized populations and underserved communities. We welcome contributions that examine the impact of the digital divide on healthcare disparities, including its effects on health outcomes, patient engagement, and healthcare delivery. Additionally, we invite authors to propose novel strategies and interventions that can help bridge the gap and promote equitable access to digital health technologies.

Potential topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The role of technology access in healthcare disparities;
• The role of digital literacy in healthcare disparities;
• Disparities in telemedicine utilization and its implications for healthcare access;
• The impact of the digital divide on healthcare outcomes;
• The impact of the digital divide on quality of care;
• Innovative solutions for addressing the digital divide in healthcare;
• Policy implications for reducing inequalities in technology access and healthcare delivery.

We look forward to receiving your submissions on this critical issue.

Dr. Weike Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• digital divide
• healthcare disparities
• healthcare inequalities
• healthcare outcomes
• technology access
• healthcare delivery
• digital literacy