Gartner® latest report “Quick answer: How to Address Digital Health Equity Across Virtual Care Initiatives’ has found that virtual care service accessibility and value is inextricably linked to patients’ ability to engage with digital technologies and these factors need to be addressed to minimize health inequalities.
“Delivery of virtual care services is now a core component of the healthcare provider’s strategic vision and is emerging as an essential enabler in the shift from volume- to value-based care.
Virtual care holds the promise of improving access to care through scale, flexibility and removing barriers created by geographic location. As healthcare providers scale virtual care services, the threat of digital exclusion is real and has the potential to increase health inequalities.”
If healthcare providers are to achieve their desired health outcomes, they must tackle digital health equity head on. A practice called digital sensitivity by Gartner, that identifies digital vulnerabilities and makes appropriate accommodations, will optimize individual engagement with the underlying digital solutions.
The Garter report also considers a framework for digital health return on engagement (ROE).
Figure 1: Framework for Digital Health Return on Engagement
Gartner, Quick answer: How to Address Digital Health Equity Across Virtual Care Initiatives. Sharon Hakkennes 3 January 2022
Gartner concludes that digital health ROE can be optimized by minimizing the effort required to engage with digital health solutions. To ensure equitable access to virtual care services, healthcare providers must address six key underlying factors that impact this effort.
Enter your details to download the full report and learn how digital patient engagement strategies maximize virtual care access, outcomes and experience.
Download the full report