Abstract
During COVID-19, health provision and information resources have been increasingly provided via digital means (e.g. websites, apps) and this will become a standard practice beyond the pandemic. People with severe mental illness face profound health inequalities (e.g. a >20-year mortality gap). Digital exclusion puts this population at risk of heightened or compounded inequalities. This has been referred to as the 'digital divide'. For any new digital means introduced in clinical practice to augment healthcare service provision, issues of accessibility, acceptability and usability should be addressed by researchers and developers early in the design phase, and prior to full implementation, to prevent digital exclusion.
Highlights
During COVID-19, health provision and information resources have been increasingly provided via digital means and this will become a standard practice beyond the pandemic
Panagiotis Spanakis is an early career researcher, with experience in digital health behaviours assessment. He is currently a Research Associate in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Closing the Gap Network, which focuses on health inequalities in severe mental illness (SMI) and he is the principal investigator for the SPIDER study exploring digital skills in people with SMI
A recent digital index population survey in the UK1 revealed the extent to which digital devices and the internet have become integral parts of many people’s lives during the pandemic restrictions: 78% of participants reported that the pandemic had increased the need for digital skills in general, 54% found video-chatting and social media use to be the key digital skills for the lockdown, 51% said that digital skills had become more necessary for their home and work life and 37% reported using more technology than before to support their mental health and well-being
Summary
During COVID-19, health provision and information resources have been increasingly provided via digital means (e.g. websites, apps) and this will become a standard practice beyond the pandemic. Keywords COVID-19; digital divide; digital exclusion; health inequalities; severe mental illness.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
