Digital Technology in Community Engagement: Impacts and Implications.

Abstract

Health professionals are increasingly using digital technology as a strategy to maximize community engagement and effectively implement health interventions, a phenomenon evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. While technology has improved health information dissemination, communication, and data management, it cannot replace the human-based interactions offered by traditional grassroots outreach that can influence long-term health behavior change, particularly for underserved communities. Digital community engagement can be part of the digital divide, often widening disparities by excluding those without access or limited access to technology. It may hinder the accurate collection of contextual and comprehensive data needed to analyze social determinants of health, thereby widening the equity gap. This commentary explores the challenges of using digital technology and justifies leveraging it to complement traditional community engagement rather than as a replacement.