Health Equity Methods and Measures Considerations for Guidelines in an Age of Digital Transformation

Artificial intelligence and digital transformation are reshaping the next generation of healthcare. Technology presents both opportunities and threats to the health of groups of people who may suffer avoidable, unfair, or remedial health differences or inequities. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on the importance of health literacy, knowledge transfer, and health equity considerations for interventions and policies. Trustworthy health information and co-designed guidelines can help build health literacy in communities, and along with access to smart phones and the internet, could help reduce the digital divide. Guidelines for the public and community practitioners need to be part of a broader strategy for social impact, not just for health services. We believe this timely extension of our GRADE health equity methods for guidelines could play a role in improving digital uptake of community recommendations. As new community care interventions are developed and evaluated, we must be ready with equity methods and measures relevant for the digital age. This meeting grant will bring together international methods experts and organization leaders to help identify health equity methods, measures and considerations for digital community interventions including patient access, transitions, care coordination, self-management, and patient experience. Using a survey, consensus method and workshop, we will identify areas related to community interventions and guidelines that would benefit from explicit health equity considerations to improve health and mitigate negative digital divide impacts on health for communities.