Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42313384›Full record

ArticleJAMA network open2026

A Community-Level Digital Health Readiness Index for the US.

Saif Khairat, John Geracitano, Zhaoqiang Zhou, Philip McDaniel, Grace Riehm, Christopher M Shea, David McSwain

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in JAMA network open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Saif KhairatCarolina Health Informatics Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
John GeracitanoCarolina Health Informatics Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
Zhaoqiang ZhouCarolina Health Informatics Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
Philip McDanielUniversity Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
Grace RiehmUniversity Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
Christopher M SheaSheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
David McSwainUNC Health, Morrisville, North Carolina.

Funding

Center for Virtual Care Value and Excellence (ViVE). RC2TR004380 · NCATS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Saif Khairat · 2023 to 2026
$3.0M
NCATS NIH HHS RC2 TR004380
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Digital health services are expanding, yet community readiness for digital care varies widely. Without a validated, granular measure of readiness, health systems and policymakers cannot reliably enable targeted support or monitor equitable deployment. Objective: To develop and validate a reproducible census tract-level index of community digital health readiness integrating socioeconomic conditions, access to care, and digital connectivity. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional index development and validation study analyzed public data from 2018 to 2022. The Digital Health Index (DHI) was constructed from 21 indicators with equal weighting representing 3 domains: socioeconomic, health access, and connectivity. Content validity was assessed using a 2-round Delphi panel including 37 experts. Structural validity was assessed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent validity was assessed against the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and Digital Divide Index (DDI). External validity was assessed using health care spending. Robustness was assessed using leave-one-out, weight-perturbation, and group-based cross-validation analysis. Data were analyzed between June 2023 and April 2026. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were validation metrics, including factor structure fit indices, correlations with established indices, association with health care spending per capita, and Delphi consensus rates for each indicator. Robustness outcomes included stability of tract rankings under indicator removal or weight changes. Results: The DHI was computed for 85 396 US census tracts across all 50 states. DHI scores correlated with SVI, ADI, and DDI scores (Spearman ρ = 0.61-0.84) but prioritized different low-readiness communities, with only 33% to 44% overlap between tracts in the highest DHI decile and those in the highest SVI, ADI, or DDI deciles. Health care spending showed similar inverse associations across indices. DHI rankings remained stable in sensitivity analyses. All 21 indicators met Delphi consensus criteria after 1 or 2 rounds. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional index development and validation study, a reproducible measure of community digital health readiness was constructed at the census tract level, integrating socioeconomic, access, and connectivity factors. The DHI may help health systems, public agencies, and researchers identify communities requiring support and track readiness over time as digital health and artificial intelligence initiatives expand.

Indexed as

Digital HealthHealth Services AccessibilityCross-Sectional StudiesHumansReproducibility of ResultsSocioeconomic Disparities in HealthSocioeconomic FactorsUnited States

Identifiers

PMID42313384
PMCPMC13280703

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.