Measuring the digital divide among people with severe mental ill health using the essential digital skills framework.
Panagiotis SpanakisR WadmanLauren WalkerP HeronA MathersJ BakerG JohnstonS GilbodyE PeckhamPublished in: Perspectives in public health (2022)
A significant portion of people with SMI lacked Foundation Skills in this objective and benchmarked survey. This points to a high risk for digital exclusion and the need for focused policy and tailored health sector support to ensure people retain access to key services and develop digital skills and confidence. To our knowledge, this is the first time this has been described using the EDS framework. Services, including the National Health Service (NHS), need to be aware of and mitigate the risks.