Implication of Internet growth on enhancing health of disadvantaged groups in China: a global perspective.
The Internet is promising to play a prominent role in health care in the future, but there is an imbalance in its use between the East and the West, between genders, the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated and the urban and rural. This paper looks at the use of the Internet from the perspective of these subgroups across the world, and outlines some of the problems facing disadvantaged groups in particular older people and their caregivers in China. Older people and their predominantly family caregivers have limited access to computers which is compounded by lack of access to good health care. However, it is suggested that this will become a growth area as older people and their caregivers may well bypass traditional care for telehealth care and Internet information-based systems.
Lai
Claudia K Y
CK
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. hsclai@polyu.edu.hk
Arthur
David G
DG
Chau
Wing W H
WW
D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D002681:China; D003197:Computer Literacy; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D024802:Nurse's Role; D011158:Population Growth; D011203:Poverty; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data