Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study
Background The ue of digital health interventions (DHIs) for the management of cardiometabolic diseases has increased but may exacerbate existing health inequalities. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a vital role in recommending and supporting healthcare users to use these tools. There is a need...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e091018.full |
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| author | Amitava Banerjee Kamlesh Khunti Ann Blandford Henry Potts Paramjit Gill Kiran Patel Lydia Poole Nushrat Khan Mel Ramasawmy David Sunkersing Shivali Modha Madiha Sajid |
| author_facet | Amitava Banerjee Kamlesh Khunti Ann Blandford Henry Potts Paramjit Gill Kiran Patel Lydia Poole Nushrat Khan Mel Ramasawmy David Sunkersing Shivali Modha Madiha Sajid |
| author_sort | Amitava Banerjee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background The ue of digital health interventions (DHIs) for the management of cardiometabolic diseases has increased but may exacerbate existing health inequalities. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a vital role in recommending and supporting healthcare users to use these tools. There is a need to understand the role of HCPs in managing the implementation of digital health in communities at risk of health inequalities.Objective To explore the views of HCPs regarding digital health and its impact on health inequalities, focusing on cardiometabolic diseases and the South Asian population in the UK.Design We conducted online semi-structured interviews and focus groups with HCPs. These explored HCPs’ experiences and attitudes towards digital health, their perceptions of healthcare users’ barriers and facilitators to use such tools, as well as digital inequalities among specific healthcare user groups, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practice in relation to digital health. After informed consent, transcription and coding, a reflexive thematic approach was taken for analysis.Setting Primary, community and secondary care provided for cardiometabolic disease in the UK.Participants HCPs in general practice (n=3), cardiometabolic specialities (n=3), pharmacy (n=4) and other practices (n=8).Results HCPs recognised the potential benefits of DHIs to improve access and delivery of care and healthcare user outcomes but described several barriers to successful implementation. HCPs demonstrated a good understanding of the challenges their healthcare users face in relation to wider inequalities, barriers to health behaviours and healthcare access, and digital health. Of particular concern was the impact of increasing reliance on digital interventions in healthcare on the exclusion of some population groups. Participants recommended improvement of the design and implementation of DHIs offered to healthcare users through working with at-risk populations throughout the process. Finally, participants emphasised the importance of ensuring non-digital services remained available to ensure equitable access to health and social care.Conclusions HCPs described the complexities of delivering care to underserved communities. DHIs were identified as a potential way to improve health outcomes for some, while over-reliance risked exacerbating inequalities. HCPs made recommendations related to design, implementation and engaging target populations and provided practical examples to address digital health inequalities, such as working with other sectors to take a community approach. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-143f2bd5a6cd4c598614bc11d1493e78 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
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| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-143f2bd5a6cd4c598614bc11d1493e782025-08-20T02:54:49ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-02-0115210.1136/bmjopen-2024-091018Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative studyAmitava Banerjee0Kamlesh Khunti1Ann Blandford2Henry Potts3Paramjit Gill4Kiran Patel5Lydia Poole6Nushrat Khan7Mel Ramasawmy8David Sunkersing9Shivali Modha10Madiha Sajid111 Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, London, UK6 Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK4 UCLIC, University College London, London, UK8 Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education, UCL, London, UK5 University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK5 University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK3 University of Surrey, Guildford, UK9 School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK1 Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, London, UK1 Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, London, UK7 Patient and Public Involvement Representative, DISC Study, London, UK7 Patient and Public Involvement Representative, DISC Study, London, UKBackground The ue of digital health interventions (DHIs) for the management of cardiometabolic diseases has increased but may exacerbate existing health inequalities. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a vital role in recommending and supporting healthcare users to use these tools. There is a need to understand the role of HCPs in managing the implementation of digital health in communities at risk of health inequalities.Objective To explore the views of HCPs regarding digital health and its impact on health inequalities, focusing on cardiometabolic diseases and the South Asian population in the UK.Design We conducted online semi-structured interviews and focus groups with HCPs. These explored HCPs’ experiences and attitudes towards digital health, their perceptions of healthcare users’ barriers and facilitators to use such tools, as well as digital inequalities among specific healthcare user groups, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practice in relation to digital health. After informed consent, transcription and coding, a reflexive thematic approach was taken for analysis.Setting Primary, community and secondary care provided for cardiometabolic disease in the UK.Participants HCPs in general practice (n=3), cardiometabolic specialities (n=3), pharmacy (n=4) and other practices (n=8).Results HCPs recognised the potential benefits of DHIs to improve access and delivery of care and healthcare user outcomes but described several barriers to successful implementation. HCPs demonstrated a good understanding of the challenges their healthcare users face in relation to wider inequalities, barriers to health behaviours and healthcare access, and digital health. Of particular concern was the impact of increasing reliance on digital interventions in healthcare on the exclusion of some population groups. Participants recommended improvement of the design and implementation of DHIs offered to healthcare users through working with at-risk populations throughout the process. Finally, participants emphasised the importance of ensuring non-digital services remained available to ensure equitable access to health and social care.Conclusions HCPs described the complexities of delivering care to underserved communities. DHIs were identified as a potential way to improve health outcomes for some, while over-reliance risked exacerbating inequalities. HCPs made recommendations related to design, implementation and engaging target populations and provided practical examples to address digital health inequalities, such as working with other sectors to take a community approach.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e091018.full |
| spellingShingle | Amitava Banerjee Kamlesh Khunti Ann Blandford Henry Potts Paramjit Gill Kiran Patel Lydia Poole Nushrat Khan Mel Ramasawmy David Sunkersing Shivali Modha Madiha Sajid Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study BMJ Open |
| title | Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | healthcare professionals attitudes towards digital health interventions and perspectives on digital health inequalities in cardiometabolic care a qualitative study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e091018.full |
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