Reevaluating the Digital Divide: Current Lack of Internet Use Is Not a Barrier to Adoption of Novel Health Information Technology

March 2008  | Watson AJ, Bell AG, Kvedar JC, Grant RW

Diabetes Care 31:433-435, 2008

Introduction:
Improving care for a growing population of complex patients with type 2 diabetes requires developing innovative strategies for clinical management (1,2). Currently, roughly 70% of the U.S. population uses the Internet (3,4). Disparities in Internet use across social and ethnic strata, however, have resulted in the well-publicized "digital divide" (5,6). Population segments less likely to be online, such as the elderly, nonwhite race/ethnic groups, and the poor, are also disproportionately affected by diabetes (7). It is unknown whether barriers to Internet use extend to the use of other health information technology (HIT) tools being developed to support diabetes care. We hypothesized that patients not currently online might nonetheless be receptive to adopting future technologies designed to support their diabetes care.

Full text article available here.