Cardiovascular Digital Health Equity Among Immigrant Populations

BACKGROUND: Although digital health technologies have the potential to improve cardiac patient health outcomes, there are significant digital health inequities experienced by immigrant communities. It is important to understand the barriers to digital health equity within cardiovascular healthcare for immigrants. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to apply the Health Equity Impact Assessment, Digital Health Supplement within the context of immigrant communities with an intersectional lens. CONCLUSION: The Health Equity Impact Assessment, Digital Health Supplement can be used to ensure health equity remains central in digital health technologies used within cardiovascular healthcare. The instrument includes 5 steps: (1) scoping, (2) potential impacts, (3) mitigation, (4) monitoring, and (5) dissemination. Social determinants of health, intersectional factors, and patient and family involvement are necessary to understand digital health inequities experienced among immigrants. Access is one of the potential impacts highlighted by the framework. Access can be promoted through funding and tailored digital health technologies. Immigrants need to be active partners in the design and development of the digital health technologies. It is important that equity remains a central outcome. Multiple experts are needed to analyze the results in a fair manner. Findings should be disseminated within various avenues. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Future research is necessary to strengthen the evidence base for applying the Health Equity Impact Assessment, Digital Health Supplement among immigrant populations. Since digital health equity research requires an intersectional lens, the diversity dimensions can serve as a foundational framework in future studies.