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Digital Inclusion and Broadband Access as Key Areas in Social Determinants of Health
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
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Digital Inclusion and Broadband Access as Key Areas in Social Determinants of Health
The health and well-being of an individual depend on social determinants of health
(SDOH), which contain essential non-medical factors, including healthcare access together with
education and economic stability, and social and community context. The main SDOH
determining factors already exist in observation, but broadband access as a digital inclusion
component remains absent from established frameworks. I support adding broadband to SDOH
frameworks because it strongly influences health results among individuals served through
digital health transformation initiatives. Reliable internet access and technology tools serve as
essential components for healthcare delivery that enable the usage of modern healthcare
instruments like EHR mobile health applications, patient portals, and telemedicine technologies,
which help improve healthcare service quality and reduce healthcare inequalities.
The Need for Digital Inclusion in SDOH
The equitable access to technology along with Internet use defines digital inclusion which
stands as critical health infrastructure in present-day healthcare systems. Health equity depends
heavily on broadband access as its fundamental essential component. Benda et al. (2020)
established that broadband internet access functions as a health-related social determinant
because it controls how people access digital health interventions. For example, People who lack
reliable broadband access cannot participate in telemedicine services nor interact with healthcare
providers via patient portals so they miss the ability to properly manage chronic diseases and get
urgent medical attention and vital health data.
Digital Inclusion and Broadband Access as Key Areas in Social Determinants of Health
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
, 2
Digital Inclusion and Broadband Access as Key Areas in Social Determinants of Health
The health and well-being of an individual depend on social determinants of health
(SDOH), which contain essential non-medical factors, including healthcare access together with
education and economic stability, and social and community context. The main SDOH
determining factors already exist in observation, but broadband access as a digital inclusion
component remains absent from established frameworks. I support adding broadband to SDOH
frameworks because it strongly influences health results among individuals served through
digital health transformation initiatives. Reliable internet access and technology tools serve as
essential components for healthcare delivery that enable the usage of modern healthcare
instruments like EHR mobile health applications, patient portals, and telemedicine technologies,
which help improve healthcare service quality and reduce healthcare inequalities.
The Need for Digital Inclusion in SDOH
The equitable access to technology along with Internet use defines digital inclusion which
stands as critical health infrastructure in present-day healthcare systems. Health equity depends
heavily on broadband access as its fundamental essential component. Benda et al. (2020)
established that broadband internet access functions as a health-related social determinant
because it controls how people access digital health interventions. For example, People who lack
reliable broadband access cannot participate in telemedicine services nor interact with healthcare
providers via patient portals so they miss the ability to properly manage chronic diseases and get
urgent medical attention and vital health data.
