Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England

Significant progress in health care in recent years offers the potential for transforming health care provision in the form of Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for diagnosis. In Britain, the National Health Service (NHS) has used technology for many years with the first...

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Main Author: Louise Dalingwater
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique 2023-11-01
Series:Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/10794
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author Louise Dalingwater
author_facet Louise Dalingwater
author_sort Louise Dalingwater
collection DOAJ
description Significant progress in health care in recent years offers the potential for transforming health care provision in the form of Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for diagnosis. In Britain, the National Health Service (NHS) has used technology for many years with the first scans provided by the public health service in the 1970s. Given recent advances in health technology, the Department of Health set the target of achieving a fully-digitalised NHS by 2024. Yet until the Covid-19 crisis the disruption of this sector was less marked than in other industries. The pandemic has brought the necessary impetus to increase the use of technology in this sector. Digital technologies have played a crucial role in monitoring and protecting populations against the disease. Online medical consultations have been vital in providing safe and convenient access to routine care, especially for vulnerable populations and to avoid risks to exposure to the disease. But recent advances in health care delivery have also underlined some significant challenges. The public health care system in Britain has encountered limits to the provision of a fully digitalised service: inadequate funding and outdated infrastructure. Moreover, there is often reluctance on the part of the patient and health care provider to accept digital health services. While digital health care should enable a more inclusive health service, it can also exclude vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations. There is also an increased privacy risk when health data is digitalised. There are thus significant governance and infrastructure issues in the delivery of health care via digital devices, which this paper will explore. It will specifically focus on digital exclusion more than specific analysis of AI in health care in England and offer a literature review, which is timely given the extent of digital disruption in the wake of the health crisis.
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spelling doaj-art-480b2b0540804a79b30ab93d4c48c97c2024-12-09T15:26:04ZengCentre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation BritanniqueRevue Française de Civilisation Britannique0248-90152429-43732023-11-0128210.4000/rfcb.10794Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in EnglandLouise DalingwaterSignificant progress in health care in recent years offers the potential for transforming health care provision in the form of Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for diagnosis. In Britain, the National Health Service (NHS) has used technology for many years with the first scans provided by the public health service in the 1970s. Given recent advances in health technology, the Department of Health set the target of achieving a fully-digitalised NHS by 2024. Yet until the Covid-19 crisis the disruption of this sector was less marked than in other industries. The pandemic has brought the necessary impetus to increase the use of technology in this sector. Digital technologies have played a crucial role in monitoring and protecting populations against the disease. Online medical consultations have been vital in providing safe and convenient access to routine care, especially for vulnerable populations and to avoid risks to exposure to the disease. But recent advances in health care delivery have also underlined some significant challenges. The public health care system in Britain has encountered limits to the provision of a fully digitalised service: inadequate funding and outdated infrastructure. Moreover, there is often reluctance on the part of the patient and health care provider to accept digital health services. While digital health care should enable a more inclusive health service, it can also exclude vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations. There is also an increased privacy risk when health data is digitalised. There are thus significant governance and infrastructure issues in the delivery of health care via digital devices, which this paper will explore. It will specifically focus on digital exclusion more than specific analysis of AI in health care in England and offer a literature review, which is timely given the extent of digital disruption in the wake of the health crisis.https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/10794NHSdigitalisationhealthcare deliverydigital divide
spellingShingle Louise Dalingwater
Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique
NHS
digitalisation
healthcare delivery
digital divide
title Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
title_full Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
title_fullStr Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
title_full_unstemmed Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
title_short Covid-19 and Technological Disruption in Health Care Delivery in England
title_sort covid 19 and technological disruption in health care delivery in england
topic NHS
digitalisation
healthcare delivery
digital divide
url https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/10794
work_keys_str_mv AT louisedalingwater covid19andtechnologicaldisruptioninhealthcaredeliveryinengland