Health Information Technology
Individuals without Internet access or experience using online search tools remain at a disadvantage in obtaining information that can lead to necessary health care services, according to a study in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.
The authors could not find a significant gap in broadband access between rural and urban users but recommended further research to examine whether such a divide could pose difficulties for online activities that are more technical than information postings.
The study concludes that expanded online access to Medicare and Medicaid information could improve health care services for low-income, underserved individuals (Schmeida/McNeal, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, August 2007).