This essay is part of a special collection of youth authored essays written by DTH-Lab’s Regional Youth Champions (2023-2024). The full collection of essays can be found here in the partnering document of the global interim report on Building a blueprint for digital first health systems: Findings from global youth consultations.
Digital advances and integration have transformed industries by addressing many difficult-to-tackle problems. The healthcare industry is no exception; with the growing capabilities of digital tools, many countries are prioritizing their health systems to become digital first. However, marginalized youth are at risk of becoming increasingly disadvantaged by a digital first health system due to poorer accessibility and structural inequities.
There are both ‘software’ and ‘hardware’ factors contributing to inaccessibility. Marginalized youth have lower digital and health literacy, which are intangible ‘software’ gaps leading to lower utilization of digitally integrated healthcare. This requires a national approach to increase educational efforts catered to these underprivileged youth. On the other hand, digital infrastructure, the ‘hardware’, is lacking in many remote and marginalized communities, including internet connectivity and digital devices. Coordinated community efforts are required to construct the necessary infrastructure to ensure internet connection and affordable technology.
However, improved accessibility is only beneficial when the system itself is friendly for its users. Equity-seeking youth have poorer health outcomes due to structural inequities ranging from racism, ageism, sexism, ableism, to xenophobia and homophobia etc. Digital technologies will not magically solve these pre-existing issues in the system, but rather, risk amplifying them by creating a greater power imbalance. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to prioritize and engage marginalized youth to not perpetuate factors contributing to their poorer health. To ensure the system is friendly to marginalized youth, a group of diverse youth should be consulted on the language and design of digital tools integrated into the health system. Health professionals with expertise in health equity and cultural sensitivity should also be involved in ensuring that the digital integrations minimize or eliminate biased algorithms that put equity-seeking youth at a disadvantage.
Lastly, confidentiality and privacy are crucial to gaining trust from youth. Youth growing up in a digital era have varied experiences, but overwhelmingly share the struggle of personal data exploitation by platforms and corporations. Unfortunately, the governance has not kept up with the pace of digital advances. In the context of digital first health systems, the consequences are dire without proper regulation to safeguard the personal health data of the users. Therefore, governments need to commit to accelerating regulatory efforts to better protect the public that they serve.
Digital first health systems should also be people first. Accessibility, inclusivity, and governance are all key components in creating an equitable digital first health system. Marginalized youth should not be an afterthought, and this starts with intentional steps towards bridging gaps through digital integration, rather than creating a larger divide.
Yifan Zhou, PharmD, ACPR, is a pharmacist in Canada, where she practices both in the industry and hospital. As the immediate past Chairperson of External Relations at International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), she managed over 20 partner and sponsors relations.
Innovation | Digital Health | Public Health| Climate Change | Meaningful Youth Engagement
Yifan Zhou, PharmD, ACPR, is a pharmacist in Canada, where she practices both in the industry and hospital. As the immediate past Chairperson of External Relations at International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), she managed over 20 partner and sponsors relations. She has also represented the Federation at more than 10 high level international meetings, where she delivered statements, interviewed, and advocated for public health, climate change, digital health, and meaningful youth engagement.
Yifan is currently the President-Elect of IPSF, where she hopes to continue advocating for 500,000 pharmacy students and recent graduates around the world.
She was the past Executive Co-Chair of IMAGINE Clinic, a student-run clinic that serves marginalized community in Toronto. During the pandemic, she led a team of 30 executives to transform the walk-in clinic into a virtual clinic to continue providing care. The clinic also offered physical space, computer and internet access to bridge the gaps in access for its patients. Yifan also developed an automated flu form for a pharmacy technology company, which served over 700k Canadians during the pandemic.
