E-Healthcare Disparities Across Cultures: Infrastructure, Readiness and the Digital Divide

Abstract

As e-healthcare becomes a reality for healthcare service provision across the world, challenges in acceptance, implementation, usage and effectiveness have begun to emerge. The infrastructure, readiness and literacy levels required for the effective delivery of e-healthcare services may be prohibitive in providing access to those most in need. As research brings to light the real effectiveness of e-healthcare programmes across the globe, this paper explores how e-healthcare has been implemented worldwide and how populations have been served by an innovation in Information Technology and healthcare that has sought to bring health services to remote areas, improve access to healthcare and narrow the divide between healthcare providers and patients. While notable achievements have seen real time clinical data captured and medical records digitalised, the very determinants responsible for actual health and social disparities are equally responsible for disparities is access to e-healthcare.