Bridging the digital divide: Enhancing doctor-patient communication through digital media platforms

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Leveraging digital media platforms can enhance communication between healthcare providers and patients, ensuring timely, accurate, and personalized medical information, especially amid the global shift toward telemedicine. This research addresses the inadequate communication between doctors and patients, particularly in areas with limited digital literacy and access, exacerbating healthcare disparities in underserved communities. Despite previous studies highlighting the potential benefits of digital health tools, there remains a need for comprehensive, empirical evidence on their optimization to bridge the digital divide and enhance health outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study employs a quantitative research design, utilizing surveys and standardized questionnaires to gather data from a diverse sample of 1,000 patients and 200 healthcare providers in Indonesia. The research focuses on key variables such as patient engagement, satisfaction, health literacy, and adherence to treatment plans, analyzing the data to identify patterns and relationships. RESULTS: The results demonstrate significant improvements in patient engagement (30%), satisfaction (25%), health literacy (35%), and treatment adherence (40%), particularly in rural populations, indicating that digital tools can effectively bridge the digital divide. These findings underscore the transformative potential of digital media in fostering equitable healthcare communication and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The implications for theory and practice in health communication are profound, suggesting that targeted digital health interventions can enhance healthcare quality and accessibility. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to establish causality, explore digital literacy's role, and identify the most effective features of digital media platforms to advance healthcare equity further.

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