The COVID-19 pandemic has forced major changes around the globe and in every industry. In healthcare, organizations have had to accelerate many of their digital transformation initiatives to speed up deployment of operations such as telehealth.
These efforts impact every aspect of healthcare, especially the patient. Digital initiatives have made it possible for healthcare providers and patients to connect while maintaining social distancing, just as similar transformation efforts have enabled work from home for many industries and remote schooling for students.
But there has been a downside to this trend. Many people don’t have the tools or the infrastructure in place to support remote connections. In some cases, users — especially those in rural locations — don’t have access to high-speed internet connections, which are required to support applications such as videoconferencing for telehealth. In other cases, people lack the computers or tablet devices they need to run these applications. Ultimately, we’re seeing a level of inequity that wasn’t visible before. Read more
