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On this webpage a summary of my VENI research project will be described. In 2021 I received a grant from the Dutch government to perform research on accessibility of digital care in COPD patients.
Many services around us make use of digitalisation. For example: you can nowadays order goods or groceries via Internet, book the cinema tickets online or send messages to a company via WhatsApp. There are numerous possibilities! Also healthcare becomes increasingly digitalised, in some hospitals you can plan your appointments online, chat with your doctor or have insight in your medical data via a website.
These developments can lead to better health outcomes, saves travel time for patients and might reduce workload of healthcare professionals.
But did you know that more than 20% of citizens in Western Europe are not digitally literate? And these are not only elderly! Also young people face difficulties when interacting with digital technologies. This is an important problem because it creates health disparities between people who are digitally literate and those who are not.
In my research I want get in contact with COPD patients in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK learn more about their needs regarding digital healthcare. I choose COPD because it’s common chronic disease and it requires ongoing self-management. Especially lead this group can profit from digital healthcare.
