In his TED talk, Molinari
(2011) asserts the digital divide is a “new illiteracy”, and it occurs due to
people not being able to afford the technology, lacking the skills of using it,
and being unaware of the benefits. Having access to Internet should be a right
in the digitally revolutionised 21st century as we are unable
to operate without it.
Singapore has worked
her way up to being one of the most connected countries in this highly
digitalised world. However, there are still minority groups in Singapore, such
as the elderly who lack the skills to access the Internet. This has caused
repercussions for the elderly such as the decrease in efficacy of healthcare
treatments. To resolve this, medical institutions will have to provide
healthcare information actively, and government agencies can introduce
Information Communication Technology (ICT) bridging courses.
According to Infocomm
Development Authority of Singapore (iDA) (n.d.c), with a Residential Wired
Broadband Household Penetration Rate of 106.7% in June 2013, Singapore has positioned
herself as one of the most connected countries in the world. However, a digital
divide still exists. Even with a broadband penetration rate of more than 100%,
according iDA (2013) only 84% of the households actually have access to the
Internet. While some households are subscribing to multiple broadband lines,
others simply cannot afford it. Even if the household are subscribed to
broadband lines, there are people, such as the elderly, who lack the required
skills to use it. According to iDA (n.d.a), in 2012, only 16% of the people
above 60 years old were using the Internet. The elderly who lack access to the
Internet are therefore deprived of vital information for aspects such as
healthcare. Healthcare information is extremely important for the elderly to
allow them to make informed decisions regarding their health.
Lustria, Smith and
Hinnant (2011) discuss the importance of having access to health information.
In their research, they demonstrate that many studies have shown the various
benefits of having access to health information. In another study, Fox and
Purcell (2010 as cited in Lockwood et al 2013), observe that 81% of the healthy
adults access the Internet frequently while only 52% of those who are diagnosed
with chronic illness go online, and they concluded that ceteris paribus, people living with chronic illness have a negative
correlation with having access to the Internet. Medical institutions and
government agencies such as iDA will have to intervene to increase health
information seeking among the elderly.
One of the many ways to
bridge this disparity will be for medical institutions to actively disseminate
healthcare information down the patient network via means such as mobile phone
messaging service. Miloh (2009, as cited in Lockwood et al 2013) observes that
after a text message reminder system has been implemented, there is a vast
improvement in medication adherence and a decrease in rejection among pediatric
liver transplant patients. With a successful framework already set up, it can be
further improve it by incorporating the dissemination of healthcare
information. The patient will have to subscribe to this service and choose
their preferred language. The healthcare messages keep the patient informed
about their current conditions and provide tips to boost their recovery. Even
after the patients have recovered, they can continue with this service for
advices on post recovery and even tips for healthy lifestyle. With Singapore’s
mobile penetration rate of 156% in 2013 (iDA, n.d.c), we may safely assume that
almost everyone owns a mobile phone, and this is very crucial for the messaging
service to work. At the same time, medical institutions already have the
required framework as they have adopted the use of mobile phone messaging for
confirmation of appointments, leading to huge amount of cost savings. The
information will also be directly from the doctors, making the source extremely
trustworthy. With proper publicity, this service may be able to attract more
users than just those who lack access to the Internet
What some of the
elderly lack are the skills to access the Internet. In 2007, iDA launched The
Silver Infocomm Initiative (SII). The SII
is a programme that aims to bridge the digital divide for the senior citizens
in Singapore (iDA). This programme includes two parts, the Silver Infocomm
Hotspots and Junctions. The first part focuses mainly on providing the
facilities for the elderly to access the Internet by setting up 100 free
hotspots island-wide in accessible location for the elderly, such as community
centres. The second part focuses on imparting the skills of accessing the
internet to the elderly. The senior citizens are grouped based on their
education background, language and their ability to use ICTs. Lessons on how to
use the computer and the Internet will then be conducted based on the groups
they are in. This will allow the senior citizens to be competent in using the
Internet.
The
elderly are divided into different classes and with the lessons being planned
according to their choice of language and the experience they have with IT.
This may facilitate their learning process and also provide them with a good
learning experience. This programme is extremely feasible as it targets the
root cause of the problem, digital divide, by providing both facilities and
skills. However, the participation rate of the programme may be low, unless the
programme is being publicised properly.
Efficacy
of healthcare treatment increases when patients have access to more healthcare
information. At the same time, with access to healthcare information, people
will be able to make informed decisions for a healthy lifestyle. With so many
benefits closely related to having access to healthcare information, medical
institutes and government agencies such as iDA should participate actively to
provide access to healthcare information. Medical institutes being a ‘bank’ for
healthcare information, can provide the patients with healthcare information
through mediums such as mobile phone messages to bridge the information disparity
directly, while government agencies can provide both the hardware and
‘software’ for the elderly by providing them the hardware and equipping them
with the necessary skills access to the Internet to bridge the digital divide
directly.
References
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (2013). Annual Survey on Infocomm Usage in
Households and by Individuals for 2012. Retrieved from
http://www.ida.gov.sg/~/media/Files/Infocomm%20Landscape/Facts%20and%20Figures/SurveyReport/2012/2012HHmgt.pdf
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (n.d.a). Infocomm Usage- Household and
Individuals. Retrieved from
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (n.d.b). Silver Infocomm Initiative.
Retrieved from
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (n.d.c). Statistics: Telecommunications.
Retrieved from
Lockwood,
M. B., Saunders, M. R., Lee, C. S., Becker, Y. T., Josephson, M. A. & Chon,
W. J. (2013, December). Kidney Transplant and digital divide: is information
and communication technology a barrier or a bridge to transplant for African
Americans? [Electronic version]. Progress in Transplantation, 23(4), 302-309
Lustria, M. L. A., Smith, S. A., & Hinnant,
C. C. (2011). Exploring digital divides: An examination of eHealth technology
use in health information seeking, communication and personal health
information management in the USA [Electronic version]. Health Informatics Journal, 225-244.
Molinari, A. (2011,
August). Let’s bridge the digital divide! Retrieved from
Weaver, J. B. III.,
Mays, D., Weaver, S. S., Hopkins, G. L., Eroğlu,
D. & Bernhardt, J. M. (2010, August). Health Information- Seeking
Behaviours, Health Indicators, and Health Risks. [Electronic version]. American
Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1520-1525
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