West Virginia Medical Journal - 2021 - Quarter 1 | Page 49

with and understand the digital telehealth tools used by providers . Any expansion of telemedicine or digital health services will be greatly impeded if patients do not fully understand how to engage with software or technology devices used to facilitate the patientcentered care . Hospitals need to begin developing and administering digital literacy assessments in order to meet rural patients at their literacy level . Education campaigns on adequate cyber security must be continually advanced before , during , and after appointments to ensure the patient feels comfortable with the privacy protections and security protocols implemented in the digital health systems . Further , education campaigns must provide rural patients with the understanding of how to properly safeguard their digital health information on their personal electronic devices should the patient have any , especially if apps will be placed on phones or tablets .

It is important to recognize that rural populations may not interact with as many digital programs as urban populations do on a dayto-day basis . Patients must be able to understand how to interact with the digital tools and programs utilized by their healthcare providers . No amount of access or security in digital health can overcome the hurdles of a program that is too difficult for a patient to properly use during their appointment . With this in mind , digital health advocates must work to create programs that require minimal digital literacy . The literacy levels , cultural competency , and technology skill levels of rural populations must be a primary focus when creating patient-facing application interfaces .

It will be no small task to create an inclusive , compassionate healthcare system in West Virginia that brings better health outcomes to the population . As we have seen over the past year , the lack of high-speed internet leaves rural West Virginians at a disadvantage as healthcare becomes increasingly digital . To prevent leaving rural West Virginians behind and ensure the state ’ s healthcare system is serving all Mountaineers as best as possible , digital health equity cannot be ignored . Healthcare professionals must advocate for greater statewide internet access , create opportunities for technology access in rural West Virginia , continually educate rural populations about digital privacy and safety protocols to make sure they feel comfortable with the increasing prevalence of digital healthcare , and create patient-facing technology that meets rural West Virginians where they are to make the implementation and experience of digital healthcare as seamless as possible .

AUTHOR

Daniel Moreno Student , WVU College of Law

REFERENCES

1 . World Health Organization Health systems : Equity . 2020 . www . who . int / healthsystems / topics / equity / en

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