Open AccessMeeting them where they are on the web: addressing structural barriers for Latinos in telehealth care
Author(s) -
Yohualli Balderas-Medina Anaya,
Giselle D Hernandez,
Stephanie Hernandez,
David E. HayesBautista
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the american medical informatics association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.614
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1527-974X
pISSN - 1067-5027
DOI - 10.1093/jamia/ocab155
Subject(s) - telehealth , equity (law) , health equity , health care , socioeconomic status , digital divide , medicine , nursing , telemedicine , computer science , world wide web , political science , public health , the internet , environmental health , population , law
As we enter an era of health care that incorporates telehealth for routine provision of care, we can build a system that consciously and proactively includes vulnerable patients, thereby avoiding further exacerbation of health disparities. A practical way to reach out to Latino patients is to use media they already widely use. Rather than expect patients to adapt to suboptimal systems of telehealth care, we can improve telehealth for Latinos by using platforms already familiar to them and thereby refocus telehealth delivery systems to provide patient-centered care. Such care is responsive to patients' needs and preferences; for Latinos, this includes using digital devices that they actually own (ie, smartphones). Equity-centered telehealth is accessible for all, regardless of linguistic, literacy, and socioeconomic barriers.