Can't surf, won't surf: The digital divide in mental health

Abstract

Background: New health information technology (HIT) increasingly plays a role in health care as technology becomes cheaper and more widespread. However, there is a danger that those who do not use or have access to technology will not benefit from HIT innovations, thus creating a “digital divide”.Aims: To assess the extent to which mental health service users have access to, skills in using and appetite for various technologies.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to assess technology use and access patterns of 121 people from community mental health services. Data were analysed using logistic regression.Results: Technology use and access were very similar to that of the general population with older individuals reporting less familiarity, access and confidence across a range of technologies. Black, minority and ethnic (BME) groups were more likely to access computers outside of their own homes than white individuals. Older participants experiencing psychosis indicated a desire to increase their computer use.Conclusions: The findings reported here contrast with recent evidence suggesting that those who do not engage with technology are “self-excluders”. Furthermore, BME groups may need extra support regarding provision of technology in order to engage with HIT.

The h-index, the citation rating, impact factors and the aspiring researcher

“…She fares slightly better in Scopus and the Web of Science, but it is worth noting that certain kinds of output (like web reviews) may well not count towards your overall h factor score [the other author of this piece doesn't care]. Similarly, (Ennis et al, 2012) had no citations in WoS as at May 2013 but three in Google Scholar, probably because Google Scholar reports information more promptly. Differences appear because of time scale -Scopus is limited to 1996 onwards and so loses citations from before this time, whereas the others go back much further.…”

Cognitive Accessibility for Mentally Disabled Persons

“…Key factors for this exclusion seems to be fewer opportunities to get in contact with new technology, lack of competence and low incomes. Often a person with a disability reports a significant desire to increase their use of, what for the time of the study is regarded as, modern technology [23]. This indicates that being outside the digital society is not a self-selected choice, rather a consequence of poor accessibility.…”

Smartphone and Internet Access and Utilization by People With Schizophrenia in South Australia: Quantitative Survey Study (Preprint)

“…Information collected included demographic data and the following domains (based on surveys developed by Ennis et al [12] Muñoz-Neira et al [16] and Miller et al [8]:…”

“…Both Torous et al [10] and Glick et al [11] surveyed outpatient populations that included a range of diagnoses; in the study by Glick et al [11], 29.2% had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and Torous et al [10] did not include diagnostic information. Similarly, Ennis et al [12] drew participants from an Early Psychosis unit, and from community mental health services, in London. They did not give detailed diagnostic information.…”