2023-04-23 16:44:03
Digital: savior of medical deserts?
Medical deserts are geographical areas where it is particularly difficult to have access to medical care, in that the number of doctors and health professionals is abnormally low per 100,000 inhabitants. According to Public Health France, nearly 1 in 10 French people live in an under-dense area. These are more than 9,000 municipalities, or 5.3 million inhabitants, which do not have access to the care of a general practitioner. Indeed, France suffers from a lack of inequality between territories and citizens in terms of medicine. Faced with difficulties in accessing care, many French people give up care or postpone their consultation, which worsens their situation in the event of late treatment.
Connected health: a flawless opportunity?
At the same time, digital technology has given rise to many solutions in an attempt to abolish distance, such as telemedicine, that is to say medicine practiced at a distance using information and communication (definition Le Robert). Telemedicine then allows millions of French people deprived of access to a specialized doctor to have access to teleconsultations. Indeed, telemedicine allows, beyond teleconsultation, to bring a real improvement with regard to the course of the care of the patients. Thus, connected health appears to be a real boon for patients, by bringing together teleconsultation, teleassistance, etc.
The use of connected tools also makes it possible to ensure remote monitoring, which would spare patients living in medical deserts from having to travel or lack medical care. Indeed, the connected methods of remote care make it possible to reduce the travel time to be able to consult a doctor.
Nevertheless, these practices come up against a limit, which is that of the need to physically auscultate a patient to make a more precise diagnosis, to carry out physical examinations or medical interventions. Indeed, traditional medicine remains necessary for practicing the profession of doctor, although telemedicine is a real support for traditional medicine.
The digital divide, a barrier to connected health
The health divide can come up against other ills, particularly in so-called “white” areas, and thus render connected health solutions ineffective. Indeed, sometimes, the fracture of the medical desert is superimposed on the digital fracture, which makes the solutions related to connected health totally ineffective in these places. Geographical areas where Internet access is restricted or non-existent still exist in France, and are called “white zones” (non-existent Internet access) or “grey zones” (limited Internet access). Thus, in rural or remote areas, access to the Internet and to adapted equipment is severely restricted, which does not make it possible to solve the problem linked to the health divide. The gap between people with access to a stable network and suitable equipment and those who find themselves excluded or limited from these uses continues to widen. Similarly, connected health will not be able to save the health divide, in that there are still people with low digital literacy, and therefore do not have the chance to access the connected tools that would allow them to save medical deserts.
Thus, access to health care is highly unequal in France. Although this gap is reduced thanks to new technologies and telemedicine, this use does not take into account the issues related to the digital divide, and therefore does not guarantee equitable access to care.
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