Broadband Still Causes Rural-Urban Divide in Digital Health Tool Use

Published in Cureus, new research indicated that although rural residents were just as likely as their urban counterparts to own and utilize digital health tools, they used these resources for communication with providers less, prompting the need for investigation of geographical digital access disparities.

Specifically, the researchers indicated that more research into differences in broadband access, plus development of “low connectivity” apps, will be key to closing technology access disparities.

Despite the constant growth of digital health tools, there is limited research surrounding differences in adoption between rural and urban residents. In this study, researchers used a National Inpatient Survey to examine statistics on the ownership and use of digital health tools among patients in various geographies.

Researchers performed various statistical analyses on the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey to establish differences between rural and urban residents. During this process, they adjusted for health-related characteristics and sociodemographic differences.

Researchers reviewed a total of 5,438 patients for this analysis. Of this population, the mean age was 55 years and 11.1 percent were rural residents.

Ownership of digital health tools was about the same among rural and urban residents. For example, 54.52 percent of rural residents and 60.24 percent of urban residents owned tablets. Meanwhile, 51.41 percent of rural residents and 53.35 percent of urban residents owned health apps. Ownership rates for smartphones were 81.64 percent and 84.10 percent among rural and urban residents, respectively.

Other similarities in digital health tools use existed between rural and urban residents, such as healthcare need management and reported helpfulness in discussions with providers. Both groups also had similar chances of noting that digital health tools assisted them in reaching health goals.

Despite these similarities, researchers noted one large difference between rural and urban residents in the use of digital health tools. They found that rural residents faced inferior internet access and had lower chances of using digital health tools for communicating with providers.

Researchers said there needs to be further research surrounding digital access disparities, largely due to the growing prominence of digital health tools in healthcare. They also noted various potential solutions, such as the addition of “low connectivity” apps that do not provoke the need for advanced internet access.

Previous research has also indicated that rural residents often face disparities in accessing digital healthcare.

Released in April 2022, data from Alabama’s standalone Children’s Health Insurance Program, ALL Kids, led researchers to conclude that telehealth use was not as high among rural, lower-income families.

They reached this conclusion following a review of 106,478 patients enrolled in the ALL Kids Program. While reviewing data, they noted that these inconsistencies were likely due to the digital divide and the limited availability of resources.