Health Disparities

Consider how many more people you are in touch with now because of available technology. Likewise, healthcare professionals now have the opportunity to disseminate healthcare information much more widely using technology.

Opportunities abound to decrease some of the health disparities of the past using technology to share information on such diseases and conditions. For example, African American males contract prostate cancer at a much higher rate than Caucasian males and have a higher death rate (Bernhardt, Rivers, Green, Bernhardt, & Fleisher, 2014). If healthcare professionals, such as health educators and health administrators, worked together to make the greatest use of such technologies, it might be possible to deliver mobile health (mHealth) options that are highly personalized and accessible to individuals within this population. However, such factors as health literacy and engagement, as well as access to community health offerings and interventions, must be considered within populations as a best practice. What works for one population may not work for another. Thus, research must be conducted on the many characteristics associated with a population in addition to the advantages and disadvantages that new technologies might offer in terms of promoting health interventions within populations. It is important to remember that coordinated efforts among health professionals must occur to promote effective dissemination and use of technology within populations.

For this Discussion, you will examine how a technology of interest might be used to address a population health issue.

To prepare:

Review this week’s resources and reflect on the influence technology has on individual and population health.

Imagine you are a health educator who is collaborating with a healthcare administrator on a population health issue of interest.

Choose a current or emerging technology that can be used to address the population health issue.

Identify a current resource that addresses the use of the technology you selected in health education, healthcare administration, or healthcare.