ReviewBundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz2020
[Digital divide-social inequalities in the utilisation of digital healthcare].
Review in Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 50 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Inequalities in Exclusively Mobile Interventions Targeting Weight-Related Behaviors: Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Identifying Social Media-Based Interactions That Help Adults to Adhere to Weight Loss Goals: A Systematic Review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding Inequalities in Mobile Health Utilization Across Phases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Sociodemographic and Socioeconomic Determinants for the Usage of Digital Patient Portals in Hospitals: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Digital Divide.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Internet Skills Scale in a Chinese older adult population.Global health & medicine · 2026Article
- Facilitators and Barriers to Digital Self-Management in Older Adults With Depression: COM-B and Theoretical Domain Framework Qualitative Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Exploring general practitioners' perspectives on the use and benefits of digital health applications for mental disorders in primary care: a mixed-methods study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Online Health Information-Seeking Among Older Adults and Predictors of Use, Motivations, and Barriers in the Context of Healthy Aging: Cross-Sectional Study.Online journal of public health informatics · 2026Article
- Internet Usage, Social Participation, and Depression Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Adult Chinese Individuals Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Public perceptions of digitalisation and patient safety: a cross-sectional survey in Germany.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Acceptance, use and challenges of digital prevention for arterial hypertension - a qualitative study among patients with high blood pressure in Germany.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Benefits and challenges of asynchronous telemedicine in obtaining a second opinion: a qualitative interview study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Service Quality Assessment of Digital Health Solutions in Outpatient Care: Qualitative Item Repository Development Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Quantitative Research on Digitalized Treatment Options for Older Adults With Mental Illness: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing the Implementation of a Multispecialty Virtual Ward Program in the United Kingdom: Qualitative Exploration of Staff Experiences and Perspectives.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Insights Into How mHealth Applications Could Be Introduced Into Standard Hypertension Care in Germany: Qualitative Study With German Cardiologists and General Practitioners.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Evaluation of an e-learning platform promoting electronic personal health record competence: a pilot trial in older adults.BMC public health · 2025Article
- [Digital public health in Germany: status quo, challenges, and future perspectives : A position paper of the Digital Public Health Section of the German Public Health Association].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025Review
- Bridging the digital health divide: a narrative review of the causes, implications, and solutions for digital health inequalities.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2025Review
- Self-monitoring of health - user viewpoints on gathering data using consumer health technologies during leisure time.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Today, health inequalities are one of the most important issues in public health worldwide. The digitalisation of healthcare is frequently attributed with the potential to reduce health inequalities. At the same time, effective internet usage is a prerequisite of the successful utilisation of digital health interventions. This might be a new obstacle for those who lack the necessary material resources or individual skills.Evidence on how exactly digital health interventions affect health inequalities is scarce. The aim of this study was to present a narrative review of the available literature. The majority of studies showed an association between the usage of digital health interventions and sociodemographic factors. The utilisation was generally higher among younger people and those with higher education and higher income. Only few studies showed no association. Other studies reported higher utilisation among those with higher levels of health literacy while health literacy showed a social gradient to the disadvantage of those in lower socioeconomic position. With a low overall level of evidence, there is currently no indication that digital health interventions are reducing health inequalities.The studies analysed in this review indicate that existing inequalities persist in the digital realm. Further evidence is needed to create a better understanding of the importance of sociodemographic factors for digital health interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.