ReviewBMJ open2021
Impact of COVID-19 on the digital divide: a rapid review.
Review in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 137 papers, 7 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
137 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 272 citations in OpenAlex.
- Demographic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Telemedicine Use Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- The Dual Impact of Digital Connectivity: Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Modern Workplace.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Examining inclusivity: the use of AI and diverse populations in health and social care: a systematic review.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2025Pooled it
- Virtual consultations for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of the international evolution of online mental health strategies and recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Telehealth for the Longitudinal Management of Chronic Conditions: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Real-time remote outpatient consultations in secondary and tertiary care: A systematic review of inequalities in invitation and uptake.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Maintenance of Technology-Based Functional Skills Training Gains in Older Participants With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Role of Booster Training.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Equity in Choosing Wisely and beyond: the effect of health literacy on healthcare decision-making and methods to support conversations about overuse.BMJ quality & safety · 2025Trial
- Effect of a Comprehensive Telehealth Intervention vs Telemonitoring and Care Coordination in Patients With Persistently Poor Type 2 Diabetes Control: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2022Trial
- Preparation for Future Care in Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Prefrailty and Frailty: Development and Pilot Test of a Digital Intervention.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Digital Health and the Digital Divide: A Bibliometric Analysis of Access and Equity Among Vulnerable Populations (2020-2025).Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Utilisation of primary healthcare services by patients with hypertension before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Turku, Finland-are digital services creating disparity?Scandinavian journal of public health · 2026Article
- The application of digital technology in nursing quality management: a scoping review.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Access to Technology-Mediated Community Mental Health Care Among Low-Socioeconomic Status Consumers With Serious Mental Illness: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Social support mediates the associations of Information and Communication Technology use with mental health in Chinese COVID-19 patients during hospital quarantine.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Exploring Components and Feasibility of Health Coaching Interventions for Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for a Systematic Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Bridging the Digital Divide with Digital Navigation in the California Safety Net: A Mixed-Methods Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Findings from the Process Evaluation of a Mobile Health Clinic Designed to Improve Equity of Access to Primary Healthcare for People with Substance Use Disorders and/or Homelessness in One Region in the North East of England, UK.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic Drivers of Recruitment and Attrition in Digital Neurological Research: Longitudinal Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Observational
77 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe increased reliance on digital technologies to deliver healthcare as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant pre-existing disparities in digital access and utilisation of healthcare might be exacerbated in disadvantaged patient populations. The aim of this rapid review was to identify how this 'digital divide' was manifest during the first wave of the pandemic and highlight any areas which might be usefully addressed for the remainder of the pandemic and beyond.
designRapid review and narrative synthesis. DATA SOURCES: The major medical databases including PubMed and Embase and Google Scholar were searched alongside a hand search of bibliographies. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Original research papers available in English which described studies conducted during wave 1 of the COVID pandemic and reported between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2021.
resultsThe search was described using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and identified nine studies. The results are presented within a refined framework describing the three key domains of the digital divide: (1) digital access, within which one study described continuing issues with internet connectivity among vulnerable patients in the UK; (2) digital literacy, where seven studies described how ethnic minorities and the elderly were less likely to use digital technologies in accessing care; (3) digital assimilation, where one study described how video technologies can reduce feelings of isolation and another how elderly black males were the most likely group to share information about COVID-19 on social media platforms.
conclusionsDuring the early phase of the pandemic in the developed world, familiar difficulties in utilisation of digital healthcare among the elderly and ethnic minorities continued to be observed. This is a further reminder that the digital divide is a persistent challenge that needs to be urgently addressed when considering the likelihood that in many instances these digital technologies are likely to remain at the centre of healthcare delivery.
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.