Digital Health Literacy, Technology Services and Health Equity in Developing Economies - Concept, Challenges and Recommendations

Abstract

In view of technological advances, the need for digital health literacy in today’s society cannot be overstated. This is particularly the case in low-and-middle-income countries due to poor health resources and manpower. This paper aims to provide an overview of digital health literacy, its use, challenges, and possible recommendations to promote health and ensure health equity in today’s low- and middle-income countries. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world expe¬rienced the impact of digital health technology by changing the way healthcare is delivered through telemedicine/telehealth and telerehabilitation to online teaching in schools. However, these are not uniform, as there are differences between countries, with low- and middle-income countries being at a disadvantage, and socio-economic and systemic factors playing an important role. Digital health technologies have been shown to have the potential to empower individuals and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services. They were used in particular for the provision of mobile health services in the form of devices, short messages and mobile applications. In addition, these technologies can improve disease diagnosis, monitor patients, promote healthy lifestyles and support health research. Thus, access to digital health literacy has the potential to promote individuals’ health behaviors and reduce the risks associated with the use of health services or poor health care. Therefore, low-and-middle-income countries must strive to identify, subsidize, and apply or freely make digital health/information accessible.

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