A framework to research the social determinants of ICTs for e-health

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges of combining significantly different methodological approaches to investigate citizens' access to e-health. Although e-health has continued to expand around the globe, emerging evidence is that if not managed carefully, e-health will further exacerbate health inequities. We argue that, to guide further research to better understand the digital divide's impact on e-health access, we need to better understand both the quantitative relationships between and the qualitative explanations for ICT use and e-health access, ie the social determinants of ICTs for e-health.